Bahal · Buddhist
Wan Bahal (Bajra Kirti Mahavihar)
बज्रकीर्ति महाविहार❊वंबहाः
Shakyamuni Buddha·Medieval (inscription dated 1441 CE)·Lalitpur
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.
Dedicated to
Shakyamuni Buddha
Period
Medieval (inscription dated 1441 CE)
Hours
Dawn to dusk
Admission
Free
Neighborhood
Patan Old City
Wan Bahal, formally Bajra Kirti Mahavihar, is one of the traditional 18 principal bahals of Patan. An inscription within the complex dates back to Nepal Sambat 561 (1441 CE), placing its documented history firmly in the late Malla period, though the monastery itself is likely much older.
The bahal follows the classic Newar Buddhist vihara layout — a tranquil courtyard enclosed by multi-storey residential buildings, with the main shrine housing images of Shakyamuni Buddha and associated Vajrayana deities. The sangha (congregation) of Bajracharya and Shakya families continues to maintain the monastery and perform traditional rituals.
Like many Patan bahals, Wan Bahal is hidden behind unassuming entrances in the narrow lanes of the old city, revealing its serene courtyard only to those who venture inside. The complex contains stone sculptures, metal statuary, and architectural details characteristic of Newar craftsmanship.
Folio III
Nearby Sacred Sites
Places within a short walk that help turn this stop into a small sacred cluster.
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.
Dau Bahal (Dattanama Mahavihar)
Dattanama Mahavihar (Dau Bahal) is one of the 18 traditional bahals of Patan, a Buddhist monastery courtyard preserving centuries of Newar heritage.
Bu Bahal (Yashodhar Mahavihar)
An ancient monastery named after Yashodhara, wife of the Buddha, historically notable as founded by a converted Brahmin reflecting the Valley's fluid religious boundaries.
Su Bahal (Jayamanohara Mahavihar)
Jayamanohara Mahavihar (Su Bahal) is one of Patan's 18 principal bahals — the 'Monastery of Victorious Delight', a tranquil Buddhist courtyard.
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.
Coda
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