Bahal · Buddhist
Su Bahal (Jayamanohara Mahavihar)
जयमनोहर महाविहार❊सुबहाः
Shakyamuni Buddha·Medieval Malla period·Lalitpur
Jayamanohara Mahavihar (Su Bahal) is one of Patan's 18 principal bahals — the 'Monastery of Victorious Delight', a tranquil Buddhist courtyard.
Dedicated to
Shakyamuni Buddha
Period
Medieval Malla period
Hours
Dawn to dusk
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Patan Old City
Su Bahal, formally Jayamanohara Mahavihar — the 'Monastery of Victorious Delight' — is one of the traditional 18 principal bahals of Patan. Its evocative Sanskrit name speaks to the joy and liberation sought through Buddhist practice.
The monastery maintains the traditional Newar vihara courtyard plan, serving as both a spiritual center and living community for its Bajracharya and Shakya sangha. The central shrine houses Buddhist images and ritual objects used in the Vajrayana ceremonies that have been performed here for centuries.
Su Bahal sits within the compact urban fabric of medieval Patan, where dozens of bahals are woven into the residential neighborhood, each preserving its own artistic treasures and ritual traditions behind modest courtyard entrances.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Wan Bahal (Bajra Kirti Mahavihar)
Bajra Kirti Mahavihar (Wan Bahal) is one of the 18 principal bahals of Patan, with an inscription dating to 1441 CE confirming its medieval origins.
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.
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.
Ha Bahal (Ratnakar Mahavihar)
Ratnakar Mahavihar (Ha Bahal) is one of Patan's most significant bahals — the official residence of the living Kumari goddess of Patan, with exclusively Vajracharya membership.
Hiranya Varna Mahavihar (Golden Temple)
Patan's celebrated Golden Temple — a 12th-century Newar Buddhist bahal sheathed in gilded copper, with a rotating boy priest and an 800-year-old Prajnaparamita manuscript.
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