Temple · Hindu
Krishna Mandir
कृष्ण मन्दिर
Lord Krishna (with Radha and Rukmini)·Built 1631–1637 AD by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla·Lalitpur
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.
Dedicated to
Lord Krishna (with Radha and Rukmini)
Period
Built 1631–1637 AD by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla
Hours
6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Patan Durbar Square
Krishna Mandir is the architectural jewel of Patan Durbar Square and the first purely stone shikhara-style temple ever built in Nepal. Commissioned by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla in 1637 AD after a dream in which Krishna and Radha appeared before him, the temple took six years to complete.
The three-tiered structure rises in elegant proportions, crowned by 21 golden pinnacles (shikharas) that catch the light at every hour. The ground floor enshrines Krishna with Radha and Rukmini, the second floor is dedicated to Shiva, and the third to Lokeshwar (Avalokiteshvara) — a beautiful example of Nepal's syncretic tradition.
What makes Krishna Mandir truly exceptional are its arcaded galleries with continuous stone bas-relief carvings. The first-floor frieze depicts scenes from the Mahabharata while the second illustrates the Ramayana, creating what is essentially a stone comic strip of India's two great epics. Each panel is labelled in Newari script, making the temple an open-air library of mythology.
Every year on Krishna Janmashtami (August–September), thousands of devotees queue through the night to worship, and the temple is illuminated with hundreds of oil lamps — one of the most spectacular sights in the Kathmandu Valley.
- Built by Siddhi Narsingh MallaBuilt 1636/37
Raised the celebrated stone shikhara Krishna temple on the Durbar Square.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
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.
Hari Shankar Temple
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.
Bhimsen Temple
A three-story pagoda at the northern gateway to Patan Durbar Square, dedicated to Bhimsen — the Mahabharata warrior venerated as patron deity of Newar traders and merchants.
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'.
Coda
Continue the Pilgrimage
Part of
Patan Durbar Square
Planning this visit? Local operators publishing trips here can arrange it.
Elsewhere in this region
Help us get it right
Know Krishna Mandir better than we do?
We write from research and reporting, and the ground changes faster than we can keep up. If something here is out of date, or you have been and would tell it differently, we would rather hear it.