Ukubāhāḥ monastery, (in) Patan, Bagmati Zone, NP

Raw data

"Not far from the royal square of the old city of Patan in Nepal (fig. 1) is an active Buddhist institution, a monastery in name but one that no longer houses celibate monks. Among several popular names, the most favored is Uku, to which Nepalese append bāhāḥ or bāhāl (from vihāra, Sanskrit for monastery). One of the few essentially physically complete and active monasteries among more than 150 that once crowded the small city (fig. 2), Ukubāhāḥ also bears a formal Sanskrit name, Śivadeva saṃskārita Omkulī Śrī Rudravarṇa mahāvihāra. It incorporates the names of two former Nepalese kings, Śivadeva II (r. 694–705) and Rudravarma II (r. 1167–1174), the one said to have founded the monastery, the other to have restored it. […]" - Slusser (2009)
Input by: tmciolek, Feb 8, 2010

"Probably founded in the 5th or 6th c. the Uku Bahal (or Rudravarna Mahavihara) is one of the oldest monasteries in Patan. The courtyard contains an assortment of different kinds of bronze-work, by courtesy of the numerous bronze foundries located here in the eastern corner of the city. This most curious of collections includes dorjes (thunderbolts), bells, flags, Garudas, peacocks, lions (almost Victorian in style) and the statue of a Rana general. Note also the fine 13th c. roof struts on the right-hand side of the court." - 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 2 km from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Ukubahah monastery, NP.

General location of the Ukubahah 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%20Ukubahah%20monastery,%20NP)&ll=27.6667,85.3333&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Ukubāhāḥ monastery - Slusser (2009)

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

  • Patan cluster of monasteries

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

  • Mahayana

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • MBM chrono-tag 0400-32p 0433-66p 0467-99p 0500-32p 0533-66p 0567-99p - tmciolek 28 Dec 2012
  • 0400-32p 0433-66p 0467-99p 0500-32p 0533-66p 0567-99p 0600-32c 0633-66c 0667-99c 0700-32c 0733-66c 0767-99c 0800-32c 0833-66c 0867-99c 0900-32c 0933-66c 0967-99c 1000-32c 1033-66c 1067-99c 1100-32c 1133-66c 1167-99c 1200=> dated-el

12. Date-intermediate

  • Active between 690 and 890 CE - Slusser (2009)

13. Date-late

  • Still active in early 2000s - Slusser (2009)
  • MBM chrono-tag 1200=> - tmciolek 28 Dec 2012

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • Very close links of architectural and decorative styles to Jokhang monastery in Lhasa - Slusser (2009)

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • Archaeological, architectural

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

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License