Among the places of interest in Kathmandu, there is one place which you must see and that is the Matsyendranath Mandir, Kathmandu. Those of you who are going for a sightseeing tour in Kathmandu should not miss the opportunity of visiting the Matsyendranath Mandir, Kathmandu.
The entrance of the Jana Bahal, i.e. the abode of Matsyendranath Mandir in Kathmandu can be easily recognized. You would find a column between Indra Chowk and Asan Tol. This column has two statues of Buddha on it sitting back to back and by this you can identify the White Matsyendranath Temple. You would find a mandala which means a magic diagram on the pavement near the column of Buddha.
This shrine of White Matsyendranath was built by Gunakama Deva in Kathmandu. He brought this cult of worshipping Matsyendranath from Patan but in Patan, Matsyendranath is worshipped in red form in contrast to the white deity in Kathmandu.
Though this cult of White Matsyendranath started much later than the red one that is worshipped in Patan, with time Matsyendranath Mandir, Kathmandu got more importance.
The White Matsyendranath is regarded as a form of Padmapani Lokeshvara. The Matsyendranath Mandir, Kathmandu was first built in Jamal but during the time of Yaksha Malla in the 15th century it was brought to Jana Bahal. This is a two storied temple with a wrought iron grill gate having floral decorations separating the main structure from the courtyard. In the first floor of the temple you would find paintings of 108 incarnations of Matsyendranath. The roofs of both the floors are decorated with gilded work. When you are inside you can only see the white face of the Matsyendranath since the other parts of the deity are covered with jewelry and clothes. You would find the Green Tara and the White Tara on both the sides of Matsyendranath.
A devastating fire in the year 1917 destroyed the buildings on the southern side of the courtyard and was later renovated in typical Rana style. Inside the portal of the courtyard bhajans are sung every morning and evening.
The Matsyendranath Mandir, Kathmandu is visited by lots of pilgrims since he is known as the protector of human beings against any form of disease. A jatra is organized in honor of Matsyendranath every year. This jatra gives the old and the sick people who cannot visit the Matsyendranath Mandir, Kathmandu a great opportunity to worship Him.
On the day of the jatra White Matsyendranath is taken out for a tour in a big chariot. The wheels of the big chariot, on which the chariot moves, represent the four Bhairavas. With the deity of White Matsyendranath, the deities of dikpala and the other deities are also displayed. Other important deities follow the Matsyendranath in their respective chariots.
Those of you are planning to visit Kathmandu, for them the best time to visit the Matsyendranath Madir, Kathmandu is during the Shivaratri festival. On the day of Shivaratri, Matsyendranath receive the tantric bone ornaments. Matsyendranath changes to Shiva on this particular day.
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