Bahal · Buddhist
Jayakriti Mahavihar (Thatu Bahi)
जयकृति महाविहार❊थतु बही
Padmapani Lokeshwora·Licchavi era (renovated NS 794)·Bhaktapur
A Licchavi-era monastery in Bhaktapur's Itachhen quarter, host of the major Samyak Dan festival and home to ancient chaityas and a Panchabuddha gate.
Dedicated to
Padmapani Lokeshwora
Period
Licchavi era (renovated NS 794)
Hours
Dawn to dusk
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Itachhen, west of Na:Pukhu
Jayakriti Mahavihar, locally known as Thatu Bahi, is one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in Bhaktapur with origins in the Licchavi era. Located in the Itachhen quarter west of the historic Na:Pukhu (Guhyepokhari) pond, the monastery preserves Licchavi-period chaityas and a Panchabuddha gate — evidence of its great antiquity.
The monastery was renovated by Jaya Ratna Bajracharya in Nepal Sambat 794, at which time it received the formal name Jayakriti Mahavihar. The central deity is Padmapani Lokeshwora, a form of Avalokiteshvara shown holding a lotus — one of the most beloved figures in Newar Buddhist devotion.
Jayakriti Mahavihar's most important role in contemporary Bhaktapur is as host of the Samyak Dan festival, a grand communal ceremony where images of Dipankara Buddha from bahals across the city are brought together for collective worship and ritual gift-giving. The festival transforms the normally quiet monastery into a vibrant gathering point for the city's entire Buddhist community.
The monastery's position alongside other Bhaktapur bahals in the Samyak procession route reveals the interconnected network of Buddhist institutions that underlies the city's seemingly Hindu-dominated public culture.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Taleju Bhawani Temple
The holiest shrine of Bhaktapur's Malla kings, hidden within the Mul Chowk palace courtyard and accessible only to Hindus — guarded by the magnificent Golden Gate.
Vatsala Durga Temple
A striking white stone shikhara temple in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, famous for its 'barking bell' that is said to make dogs howl when rung.
Yaksheshwor Mahadev Temple (Pashupatinath of Bhaktapur)
Bhaktapur's own Pashupatinath — a 15th-century two-tiered pagoda modelled after the famous Kathmandu temple, with erotic carvings and a four-faced Shivalinga.
Mangal Dharmadweep Mahavihar (Jhaur Bahi)
A 13th-century monastery in Bhaktapur's Golmadhi Tole featuring rare wall paintings of various Buddhas and a Dipankar Buddha dressed in distinctive blue garments.
Chatur Varna Mahavihar
Bhaktapur's most visited mahavihar near Durbar Square, built in 1492 with a fascinating mix of Buddhist and Hindu guardian figures.
Coda
Continue the Pilgrimage
Part of
Bhaktapur Durbar Square
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