Chilancho Stupa

The Chilancho Stupa was built in 1514 CE by Mahapatra Jagatal Varma. Most of the religious symbols resemble the Swayambhu stupa as Buddhist monuments, but it has its own unique architectural features. A group of Newari women sang a religious song, BAJAN, in the morning. The stupa is surrounded by old Newari houses and monasteries.

After having some wonderful time at Chilacho stupa, we went forward to Lohan Dega through the west gate and followed the route down and then right side, reaching Lohan Dega in 5 minutes.

Lohan Dega

Lohan Dega is a Shikhara-style temple associated with a Buddhist deity but worshiped by both Buddhist and Hindu devotees. The temple dates back to 1663 CE.

We took the alley towards the west side of the temple, and a continuous walk led to Dev Pukkar. On a midway, divert to the right side to have a quick look at two giant Buddha statues in a standing position.

Dev Pukkar

There is a beautiful pond surrounded by a busy stall held by local markets of vegetables and clothes. To the north side is Narayan Temple, with inside statues of Lord Vishnu.

At the back of the Naryan temple is a courtyard of the Bagh Bhairab temple with two different gates.

Bagh Bhairab Temple

Entering the main gate shows a large courtyard with many small temples of different gods and goddesses. To the end of the road starting from the door is a giant three-story rectangular-based temple of Bag Bhairav. The temple has a wonderful wood and metal craft of Hindu deities. Non-Nepalese are not allowed inside the main temple sanctum, where there is the statue of Bagh Bhairab (facing part of the mythical tiger). The weapons collected from the war during the 18th century are hung outside the third floor of the temple. The view of Kathmandu Valley from the back of the main temple is awesome. We had spent most of our time here as there was lots to see.

Uma Maheshwar Temple

Leaving the Bagh Bhairab temple and turning to the right leads us to the Uma Maheshwar Temple. In a way, there is a Kritipur Durbar Square, but don’t expect like the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. There used to be one time, but right now we saw only local houses with a Ganesh temple to one side of the square. From the Ganesh chaitya, take a right and then a left from where there is a straight staircase directly to the Uma Maheshwar Temple.

This temple was initially built in 1663 CE, but frequent renovation was done due to natural calamities. The temple is spotted on the highest point of Kritipur Hill, from where it serves as a great viewpoint of Kathmandu Valley and the neighboring valley, which falls to the back. Uma Maheshwar is a three-story temple built on a square base. Four different deities to four directions with a good place to rest after climbing up 50 meters of stairs. The temple is decorated with beautiful wooden struts and pillars.

Shri Kirti Vihar

Before taking leave from Kritipur, there is a beautiful monastery named Shri Kirti Vihar built in Thai style. This vihar lies to the right side of the road when you are initially about to reach Nayabazar. It was built in 1975 CE for the Buddhist school of Theravada. 

Conclusion

Kritipur town sightseeing is a half-day tour. If you want to extend your trip or you have enough time, then you can also visit Chobar Danda and the Manjushree Park, which are not far away from Kritipur. If you are already exhausted and want to spend more time relaxing, then we suggest you try Newari traditional dishes, a full palette of varieties that makes everyone drool.