Nepal: An Indian snack vendor in front of the Hindu Dattatreya Temple, Tachupal Tol, or Dattatreya Square, Bhaktapur (1997)

The main feature of Tachupal Tol is the Dattatreya Temple. This three storey temple was initiated in 1427 by King Yaksha Malla, on the site of an ancient shrine marking the spot where a famous spiritual teacher had died. Yaksha Malla’s construction was originally only a kind of mandap, similar to the Kasthamandap in Kathmandu; and, in common with the Kasthamandap, it was supposedly built from the wood of a single Sal tree and used for the obscure rites of Tantric sects.

In 1558, Vishva Malla renovated the mandap and added a building which was to house an image of Dattatreya, the 'Lord of the Trinity'. Dattatreya is a rare amalgamation of Hinduism’s foremost deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, into a single form. Nevertheless, a Garuda is set high on a pillar facing the temple indicates that the locals considered Dattatreya primarily a manifestation of Vishnu.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

Rainer Krack

Credit:

Pictures From Asia