MAHABUDDHA TEMPLE

Mahabuddha Temple, located in Lalitpur (Patan), was built in 1601 as a part of Uku Bahal Monastery and is said to be a copy of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India. It is said that the head priest of the empire, Abhaya Raja, visited Bodhgaya in the 1560s, and was moved by the spiritual and architectural impact the temple had on him. Hence, he brought a model of the shikhara of the temple with him and recreated it in Patan. While at Bodhgaya, he learnt the art of minting coins. On his return he was appointed coin maker of the empire.

 

The construction of the Mahabuddha Temple in Patan is said to have begun around 1564. But Abhaya Raja died before the temple could be completed. It was further accomplished by his descendants, under the rule of the Malla dynasty, and finally consecrated in 1601. 

 

The temple is now in a dense vicinity, surrounded by buildings on all sides. While the entrance today is from a narrow passage from the street, the original entrance was characterised by a pillared porch that opens up to the circumambulation space of the temple, which is also the central courtyard. Built on a raised platform, the shrine of the Shakyamuni Buddha forms the centre, while two narrow staircases on the sides of the porch lead to the shikhara tower. The temple was damaged in the 1934 earthquake, but was restored to its original form soon after. While reconstructing, bricks were left over. The artisans used the spare bricks to construct a small shrine dedicated to Mayadevi, the mother of Buddha. 

 

Throughout the temple, intricate details in the woodwork and carvings are seen along with sculptures depicting Buddhist and Hindu deities and mythological scenes. A unique feature of the temple is the terracotta brickwork. Each brick in the temple, from top to bottom, has an engraving of Buddha, which makes it impossible to count the total number of carved Buddhas in the temple. The temple is also called "the temple of a thousand Buddhas."

 

The temple is a novel example of an intricate display of terracotta work. Nestled within the dense, narrow streets of Lalitpur, the Mahabuddha Temple suddenly emerges like a quiet revelation.