Temple · Hindu
Naradevi Temple
नरदेवी मन्दिर
Naradevi / Sweta Kali / Nyata Ajima·Traditionally associated with the 9th century and the era of Gunakamadeva·Kathmandu
An old inner-Kathmandu goddess temple near Durbar Square, worshipped as Sweta Kali and known to Newars as Nyata Ajima.
Dedicated to
Naradevi / Sweta Kali / Nyata Ajima
Period
Traditionally associated with the 9th century and the era of Gunakamadeva
Hours
Dawn to dusk; festival timings vary
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Naradevi, old Kathmandu
Naradevi Temple is one of the important goddess shrines of old Kathmandu, tucked into the dense historic neighborhoods a short walk northwest of Kathmandu Durbar Square. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Naradevi, also worshipped here as Sweta Kali, and is known in Newar tradition as Nyata Ajima.
The temple is generally described as an old Kathmandu shrine with strong tantric associations. Published accounts place its establishment in the early city-building period of Kathmandu and connect it with Gunakamadeva, the ruler traditionally credited with founding the old city. The structure is recognized for its multi-tiered pagoda form and its continued importance in local ritual life.
Naradevi is not a monument experienced in isolation from its neighborhood. Its significance is tied to the living sacred geography of the inner city, where goddess shrines, processional routes, and caste-based ritual communities still shape the urban fabric. Dashain-period worship and the Khadga Jatra traditions associated with the temple make it one of the more historically resonant non-UNESCO shrines near the old palace core.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Yetakha Bahal (Bhaskarakirti Mahavihar)
Home to the oldest known wooden torana in the Kathmandu Valley (radiocarbon-dated 900-1030 CE) and stunning yaksha struts — a vast monastery courtyard hiding in plain sight near Durbar Square.
Itum Bahal (Keshchandra Mahavihar)
Kathmandu's largest Buddhist monastery complex with hidden courtyards, brass plaques depicting the Gurumapa legend, and a golden window relic.
Taleju Temple
The tallest temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square — a 36-metre triple-roofed pagoda dedicated to the tutelary goddess of the Malla kings, open to Hindus only on Dashain's ninth day.
Hanuman Statue (Hanuman Dhoka)
The standing stone figure of Hanuman draped in a red cloak at the entrance to the old royal palace — the image that gave Hanuman Dhoka its name.
Swet Bhairav
A giant gilded head of White Bhairav hidden behind a lattice screen for most of the year, dramatically revealed only during the eight days of Indra Jatra.
Coda
Continue the Pilgrimage
Guides that feature this place
Planning this visit? Local operators publishing trips here can arrange it.
Elsewhere in this region
Help us get it right
Know Naradevi Temple 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.