File:Le temple de Changu Narayan (Bhaktapur) (8567815983).jpg

Summary

Sculpture Vishnu Vikrant (called in Nepal: Bishnu Vikrant) showing Vishnou (Bishnu in Nepal) in the form of his avatar: the Dwarf Vâmana (or Vikrantha) in the temple of Changu Narayan (7th century?)

The avatar of Vishnu the Dwarf is depicted as spanning the three worlds (the earthly world, the heavens and the world of the gods) that had been conquered by Bali, the king of the Anti-Gods. ___________

The Changu Narayan temple is considered the oldest in Nepal, it has a two-storey pagoda-shaped roof. It was rebuilt probably in the 17th century but with much older architectural and decorative elements.

This temple dedicated to Narayan is on top of a mountain considered sacred since 464 AD as evidenced by a written reference to this site that dates from the reign of King Licchavi Mandeva but the site was probably sacred since the 3rd century.

In Hindu cosmology, Vishnu when resting on the snake Ananta (Shesha) is called Nârâyana (Narayan) i.e. "Resting on the waters" or "Residence of Man" or "Remains of Knowledge". Nârâyana, which also means "Universal Refuge," is one of 24 images of Vishnu after the Rupa Mandana.

Copyright status:

Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Attribution: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France

Source:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/8567815983/