Temple · Hindu
Hari Shankar Temple
हरिशंकर मन्दिर
Hari Shankar (half Vishnu, half Shiva)·Built 1704–1705 AD by Princess Yogamati·Lalitpur
A three-tiered pagoda dedicated to the rare combined form of Vishnu and Shiva — built by a Malla princess and known for its vivid roof-strut carvings of hellish punishments.
Dedicated to
Hari Shankar (half Vishnu, half Shiva)
Period
Built 1704–1705 AD by Princess Yogamati
Hours
Dawn to dusk
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Patan Durbar Square (east side, near Royal Palace)
The Hari Shankar Temple is a three-tiered pagoda dedicated to an unusual composite deity: Hari Shankar, a form that is half Vishnu (Hari) and half Shiva (Shankar). This theological merging of Hinduism's two great gods into a single image is relatively rare, making the temple theologically unique within the Kathmandu Valley.
Built in 1704–1705 AD by Yogamati, the devout daughter of King Yoganarendra Malla, the temple stands on the eastern side of Patan Durbar Square near the Royal Palace. Yogamati was a significant patron of Patan's religious architecture, also commissioning the octagonal Chyasin Deval nearby.
The temple is perhaps best known for its remarkable roof-strut carvings, which depict vivid and sometimes shocking scenes of sinners being tortured in various hells — a moral catalogue of punishments for transgressions. These carvings served as moral instruction for the community and remain some of the most graphically detailed woodcarvings in the valley.
The temple faces the famous Yoganarendra Malla pillar, where a brass statue of the king sits atop a tall stone column with a cobra hood above his head and a small bird perched on top — legend holds that as long as the bird remains, the king may yet return.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Jyo Bahal (Jyoti Varna Mahavihar)
Jyoti Varna Mahavihar (Jyo Bahal) is one of the 18 principal Newar Buddhist monastery courtyards of Patan, whose name evokes 'radiance' or 'light'.
Krishna Mandir
Nepal's finest stone shikhara temple, built in 1637 by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla — a three-tiered masterpiece with 21 golden pinnacles and exquisite Mahabharata and Ramayana bas-reliefs.
Vishwanath Temple
A handsome two-tiered Shiva pagoda in Patan Durbar Square, guarded by stone elephants and adorned with erotic roof-strut carvings in the classic Newar tradition.
Chyasin Deval (Octagonal Krishna Temple)
A striking octagonal stone shikhara at the entrance to Patan Durbar Square — built as a memorial to the queens of King Yoganarendra Malla who committed sati upon his death.
Jagannarayan Temple (Char Narayan)
One of the oldest temples in Patan Durbar Square, this 1565 two-tiered Vishnu pagoda anchors the southern end of the temple row with erotic roof struts and ancient stone carvings.
Coda
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Part of
Patan Durbar Square
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