Kwa Bahal monastery, (in) Patan, Bagmati Zone, NP

Raw data

Kwa Bahal, in Patan = "richest Buddh vihara Patan’s: 3.cent Hariti, 9.cent bronzes, second floor Tibet gompa" - Gross (1999) [i.e. his website The Monuments of Kathmandu Valley - Plans and Tables of the Monuments of its Principal Towns and Sites.]
Input by: tmciolek, 20 Nov 2009.

"The so-called Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal or Hiranyavarna Mahavihara) is the richest monastery in Patan, the chief source of its wealth being trade with Tibet. A free-standing shrine with a gilded roof tapering to a gajur (bell-shaped top) occupies the center of the temple court. Beyond it the broad-fronted three-storied temple with its gilded and silvered façades stands in all its splendor. […]
Around the courtyard, […], runs a raised veranda, its railings hung with oil lamps and prayer wheels. Guarding the corners are four magnificent bronze Bodhisattvas, of which three, including the unfortunately damaged 9th or 10th c. image in the north-west corner and the image in the north-east corner with a figure of Amitabha embellishing the ornate crown, are statues of Padmapani Lokeshvara. The fourth, in the south-east corner, is a statue of Manjushri which, like the third Padmapani Lokeshvara in the south-west corner, is believed to date from the 14th c.
[…] Maintaining a long standing tradition arising from Patan's close and venerable links with Tibetan Buddhism, the upper floor of the north wing is occupied by a Tibetan gompa (monastery) with typical wall and ceiling paintings. […]
The monastery's devotional image, a large silver figure of Aksobhya, is said to have been recovered from the ruins of an old monastery. […]
The monastery's foundation is nowhere documented but is thought to have been in either the 11th or the 14th c."
http://www.planetware.com/patan/matsyendranath-area-nep-cn-pm.htm
Input by: tmciolek, 28 Dec 2012.

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 28 Dec 2012

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 20 km from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Kwa Bahal monastery, NP.

General location of the Kwa Bahal monastery, NP.
Lat 27.6667 Long 85.3333
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2009.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=27.6667+85.3333+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Kwa%20Bahal%20monastery,%20NP)&ll=27.6667,85.3333&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en

Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Kwa Bahal monastery

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Nepal:Bagmati Zone

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

  • Pathan monastic cluster

6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village

7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

8. The settlement's coordinates

9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • MBM chrono-tag 1000-32p 1033-66p 1067-99p - tmciolek 28 Dec 2012
  • 1000-32p 1033-66p 1067-99p 1100-32p 1133-66p 1167-99p 1200=> dated-el

12. Date-intermediate

  • [missing data]

13. Date-late

  • MBM chrono-tag 1200=> - tmciolek 28 Dec 2012

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • Archaeological, art history.

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

end of page

1000-32p1033-66p1067-99p1100-32p1133-66p1167-99p1200=>2kmdated-elkmuralsnepalplacesouth-asiatrad.vajrayana
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