Sikhamu Bahal (Shreekhanda Tarumula Mahavihar)

Sikhamu Bahal, formally Shreekhanda Tarumula Mahavihar, is the sole representative of the bahal tradition in the Layaku Puin (Durbar Square) quarter of old Kathmandu. Its location near Maru Tole and Basantapur places it in one of the most historically significant areas of the city.

The monastery is associated with Lila Bajra Bajracharya, one of the four legendary Bajracharya masters who are credited with shaping the distinctive form of Vajrayana Buddhism practiced in the Kathmandu Valley. This connection to one of the foundational teachers gives Sikhamu Bahal special significance in the religious history of the city.

As the only bahal in the Durbar Square quarter, Sikhamu Bahal occupies a unique position — visitors exploring the palace complex and its surrounding Hindu temples can step into an entirely different religious world just steps away. The contrast between the grand royal architecture of Durbar Square and the intimate courtyard scale of the bahal illustrates how Buddhist and Hindu traditions coexisted as parallel urban systems in medieval Kathmandu.

The surrounding Maru Tole area was historically the woodcarving quarter of the city, and the monastery's wooden elements reflect this neighborhood specialty.