Bahal · Syncretic
Te Bahal (Rajakirti Mahavihar)
टे बहाल❊टेबहा:
Sankata deity / Buddhist-Hindu syncretic pantheon·5th century CE (Licchavi period)·Kathmandu
Kathmandu's largest open monastery courtyard, a Licchavi-era complex housing Buddhist shrines alongside Ganesh, Bhairav, and Matrika — a living museum of Valley syncretism.
Dedicated to
Sankata deity / Buddhist-Hindu syncretic pantheon
Period
5th century CE (Licchavi period)
Hours
Open courtyard (accessible during daytime)
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Near New Road, Dathu Puin, Old Kathmandu
Te Bahal, formally Rajakirti Mahavihar, is the largest open Buddhist monastery courtyard in Kathmandu. Located near New Road in the Dathu Puin (Midtown) quarter, this sprawling complex dates to the Licchavi period (5th century CE), predating the founding of Kathmandu city itself.
The courtyard is a remarkable showcase of Kathmandu Valley syncretism. Buddhist shrines share space with the Sankata deity — worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists — along with Ganesh, Bhairav, and Matrika figures. The oldest structure within the compound is Bandudatta Vihar, a Licchavi-period building that ranks among the most ancient standing structures in the Valley.
The Bhadrakali Dya Chen, a 17th-century Hindu shrine within the Buddhist monastery grounds, perfectly illustrates how Nepal's religious traditions have interwoven over centuries rather than remaining in separate silos.
Te Bahal is one of the 18 principal mahavihars of Kathmandu under the Acharya Guthi system. Despite its size and historical significance, it remains surprisingly overlooked by visitors, hidden in plain sight behind the busy commercial strip of New Road.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
Pyukha Bahal (Dharma Dhatu Mahavihar)
A quiet branch monastery in Pyukha Tole off New Road — formally Shree Dharma Dhatu Mahavihar, also called Ashok Chaitya Vihar — built around a large central chaitya crowned with Swayambhu-style Buddha eyes. A Nepal Sambat 667 (c. 1547 CE) inscription records its founding.
Sabal Bahal (Mantrasiddhi Mahavihar)
One of Kathmandu's eighteen Acharya Guthi bahals, Mantrasiddhi Mahavihar is a Newar Buddhist courtyard monastery near Indra Chowk, a short walk from New Road.
Mahankal Temple
A fierce Bhairav shrine in a three-storey white temple on the western edge of Tundikhel, drawing large Saturday crowds seeking relief from hardship.
Mu Bahal (Mulashree Mahavihar)
Reckoned the most artistic of Kantipur's 18 great bahals, Mulashree Mahavihar in Watu Tole enshrines Akshobhya Buddha and once held its own line of Kumaris — held to be the valley's strictest — whose seat is still worshipped in the courtyard.
Akash Bhairav Temple
A three-storey temple at Indra Chowk housing the 'Sky Bhairav' — a disembodied silver head worshipped as the Bhairav of the heavens.
Coda
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