4.1 Background: The Place, People and History

4.1.1 Geographic Location

The hill of Chobhar is surrounded by the river Bagmati in the east, the Dhonkhu rivulet in the south, Shikhu rivulet in the north and the palaeo-lake deposits of the Kirtipur terrace in the west. It has been geologically proved that the Kathmandu valley was once a lake. There were 3 islands in this lake. They are, at present called Swayambhu, Kirtipur and Chobhar. All three became cultural centers in the course of time. The cultural heritage of the former two sites Swayambhu and Kirtipur has been studied by two prominent researchers in this field. The hill of Chobhar is situated nearly 7 kilometers southwest of Hanumandhoka
Durbar Square of Kathmandu. The name of the hill is derived from Cho-bha. Cho means high hill and baha seems to be derived from the word baha in Newari. The
Newari word baha is itself a derivation of Sanskrit word Vihara or the Buddhist monastery. In this way Chobhar means a monastery on top of the hill. The Newars
still simply pronounce it Chobha. Indian language speaking people spell it asChaubhar. Chronicles and legends have given the hill a Sanskrit name KachhapalaGiri or Kachhapala Parvat meaning the hill of tortoise.

4.1.2 Geological Features

The hill raises upto 1407m from mean sea level and 87m from mean valley level. It is made up of calcitic limestones. It has a longest cave system in the Kathmandu
Valley. The hilltop is the continuation of the faulted geological hill running from Fulchoki, Sainbhu, Kirtipur, Naikap and Dahachok and it continues to the Lamidanda
to the west of the Kathmandu Valley, which finally dips to Trishuli River in Galchi. At Chobhar, the Bagmati River cuts into a gorge through which all the water from
Kathmandu Valley drains out. The incident is woven into a legend and it is said that Bodhisattva Manjushree cut the hill forming into a gorge. The legend further gives
Manjushree the credit for the foundation of the first settlement in the valley. It describes the settlement as Manjupattan, a town named after Manjushree. Same
story is again repeated in the Hindu tradition, which gives credit for the opening of the gorge to Lord Krishna. There exist different lakes (palaeolakes) below the hill of Chobhar. These lakes are believed to be the remnants of the geological phenomenon. According to Niels Gutschow, the water level of palaeolake was 1378 m from mid sea level. From this, one can assume that the islands of Swayambhu, Kirtipur and Chobhar were 32m, 40m and 35m above the water level respectively. The lingitic layer of Kathmandu valley is at 1320m contour levels, at present, which can be traced near the place where a crusher machine of the Himal Cement Factory was installed. The Himal Cement Factory was closed in 2058 Poush. The Chobhar hill is made up of porous limestone containing deep fissures and sinkholes and characterized by underground caves and streams. This is known as Karst to the geologists. There exists the only cave system in the Kathmandu valley. Three caves have been reported from this region, one in the right bank of Bagmati River and two in the left bank.

4.1.3 Present Population
The old settlement of Chobhar was encircled by a defense wall. Thus, it could be called as a fort village. The defense wall was pierced with two defense gates – one
in the north towards Kathmandu and Patan and another in the south towards seven villages of Kirtipur, Panga, Nagaon, Lhonkha, Chhugaon, Balambu and Satungal.
The fort was protected by the forest where the trees were prohibited to fell down. Majority of the people in Chobhar are Newars. They live in the defense village
clustered around the temple complex. Ethnically they are comprised of Jyapoos, Vajracharyas, Tuladhars and so on. Other locals include Chhetis as Karkis, Thapas,
Katuwals, K.C.s and Basnets. Few Brahmin castes are also the locals of Chobhar. But nowadays a large number of people from other ethnic groups live outside the
defense wall. They are spread all over the hill.

4.1.4 History
The history of the settlement of Chobhar is little known. The legends, however, do not miss to attest the significance of the gorge of the Kachchhapalagiri. Epigraphy,
sculpture and other material remains available in the Kathmandu valley dating to the 5th Century AD, mark the beginning of history there. However, in the course of her exploration, the researcher could find no epigraphy of that period. Nor a single piece of sculpture datable to that time has so far been reported from the Chobhar region. However, there are 5 monolithic votive Chaityas near the temple of Adinath. They appear stylistically to be the artwork created between the 5th century AD and the 8th century AD in the Lichhabi period. Similar votive chaityas are available near a Buddhist shrine or monastery elsewhere in the Kathmandu valley. The four of the five Chaityas of Chobhar are presently placed in the four corners of a bigger Chiatya of the later days. Nobody knows about their original sites. It could have helped one in determining the antiquity of the temple of Adinath if these Chaityas had not been removed from their original sites. At the same time one should not forget that a number of viharas mentioned in the stone inscriptions of the Lichhavi period have not been so far identified. The present temple of Adinath seems to be originally a monastery. It is said to be the Indradevasanskarita Suvarnagiri Mahavihara, literally meaning Vihara renovated by Indradeva. Indradeva was a ruling king of Nepal who ruled from circa 1126 to 1136 AD. He was a successor of Shivadeva (1099-1126AD). Shivadeva is said to have founded the city of Kirtipur, near Chobhar and constructed the temple of Bagh Bhairava there. A palm leaf manuscript dated 676 year of the Nepal era corresponding to 1558 AD refers to both the temple of Adinath and the settlement of Chobhar. This document also informs that the Chobhar area at that time was under the jurisdiction of Lalitpur. Lalitpur, however, formed a part of the kingdom of Kantipur. The ruling king was Ratna Malla, whose name has not been mentioned in the document. Instead, it mentions Mahapatras or local chiefs of Lalitpur. They were very powerful in Lalitpur at that time. They had divided Lalitpur into different administrative divisions for their own benefit. This fact has been revealed in the document. It also informs that all the concerned Mahapatras agreed to provide for the construction of houses in the Chobhar village. King Siddhi Narsimha Malla (1518-1660 AD) is said to have brought the Chobhar monastery into the federation of eighteen main monasteries of Lalitpur. The region west of the Bagmati river including Chobhar and Kirtipur came under the jurisdiction of the district of Kathmandu in 1962 AD.
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4.2 Speciality about Chobhar

4.2.1 Temples

i) Adinath Temple

The main shrine of the Chobhar region is the temple complex of Adinath. Adinath has several names including Matsyendranath and Anandadi Lokeshwara. Anandadi
Lokeshwara is one of the four shrines of the Newar Buddhism. The other 3 shrines are Bungama Lokeshwara in Bungamati in Lalitpur district, Shristikanta Lokeshwara
of Nala region and Janavaha Lokeshwara in Kathmandu. Lokeshwara at Nala and Chobhar is popularly known as Avalokitswara whereas the god of Bungamati and
Janavaha is often termed as White Matsyendranath and Red Matsyendranath respectively. Adinath is also known as different other names including Asana Lokeshwara.
However, the most popular name is Chobha dya literally meaning a god residing in Chobhar. As stated above, this shrine was originally a Vihar or Monastery. The
monastery has got different names such as Kachchhapalagiri Mahavihar, Suvarnagiri Mahavihar, Gandhavati Mahavihar and Asanalokeshwara Mahavihar.
Also in some of the inscriptions, it is called as Indradeva Sanskarita Mahavihar or a monastery renovated by king Indradeva, who ruled over the country between 1126 and 1136 AD. The temple of Adinath stands on the southern wing of the courtyard building. It stands on a double plinth. The main courtyard of the temple is sunk down to 30cms in average from surrounding level. The main entrance is guarded by two big mythical lions of stones and adorned with two Nepalese flags of copper sheets gilded with gold. There are two big bells near the flags next to the lions. The temple has 3 roofs. The lower roofs are covered with modern English tiles whereas the topmost roof is made of copper sheets. There is a gold gilded pinnacle from where 3 gold gilded Patas hung down to the eaves of the last roof on the top of
the highest roof. The lower ends of the Pata are depicted with the golden figures of Anandadi Lokeshwora. Only lower and topmost roofs have Halanpau with figures of
Chaturmaharajas, the four Buddhist divinities. They include Chaitya Raj, Dhwaja Raj, Khadga Raj and Bina Raj. The middle roof has different types of wooden vessels
hanging. They look foreign made. This particular addition appears to have been made for decorative purpose during the last renovation when the British tiles were
introduced last century.

The wall of the ground floor has outwardly been covered with the brass sheets in the pattern of bricks upto the entablature level. The figures of Yama and the Dhalinkhwa are also covered with the repouse carving is made of copper and gilded with gold. Similarly a gold gilded Torana depicts figures of the 5 premordial Buddhas namely Akshyobha, Ratnasambhava, Amitabh, Amoghsiddhi and Vairochana and their spiritual father Vajradhara in the centre. Front façade of the temple is covered with Dachiappa (telia) bricks while other parts of the walls are made of Ma appa (old type of general bricks). The front wall is pierced with an entrance through which the priest alone is allowed to go in. the devotees pray the god from outside and all the Prasad is given by the priest from inside. All the offerings are to be given to the priest and he in turn offers it to the god. No one should touch the priest. The temple is not quite similar to other pagoda temples of Nepal. Above the
entablature there is a wide Bimajhyal window at the centre flanked by two carved struts. A total of six struts are seen in the temple. We do not know if there were more of such struts before. The lower parts of the struts are carved with erotic figures. There is a nicely carved Pasukhajhyal in repouse. This is now covered with the pots and pans offered by devotees. The temple has a nice Torana above the central window among the series of 5 Pasukhajhyal windows. The southern facade of the temple seems to be rather erected on top of a Falecha structure. 3 bays (kavals) of Falecha could still be seen clearly. We donot know why it happened that way. The Falecha could have been constructed as a space for sitting and singing the ritual songs in evenings and morning. As in the course of time the poor pillars could not bear the heavy load of the super structure, the people filled in the gaps with bricks. Even the upper storey below the roof seems rather like a house facade with a Bimajhyal in the center followed by two Yakajhyals. TheBimajhyal has been carved with only a figure of Padmapani Lokeshwara at the centre. From this, it seems that the superstructure of the temple was raised over the monastic building in the course of time. The present temple was erected in the year 1641 AD. It was inaugurated by King Siddhinarsingh Malla (1618-1660 AD). His son Srinivas Malla was also present on that occasion. In the year 1658 AD an image of Yaksha was installed at the entrance of the temple. Dev Singh and others donated 2 figures of stone lions in the plinth of the temple in 1662. An illegible inscription dated 1664 AD has been found. But what was done that year is not clear. A gold gilded Mandala was offered to the god in 1665 AD.

In 1691 AD a Dharmashala building was erected in Dabutole of Chobhar. A Falecha was built in the year 1756 AD. For more than a century, no records are available. In 1875 AD two golden door leaves were added to the main entrance to the temple. ADharmadhatu Chaitya was erected by Mohanvir Singh Tuladhar of Kantipur in 1883 AD. In 1917, a silver pata and gold gilded Devchhatra of silver was offered to the temple by Tiriraj of Kantipur. In 1937 AD, a major donation was made to the temple by Harisiddhi Tuladhar of Katnipur. He covered all the east, north and west facade of the main temple with the brass sheets. He also embellished all the ends of the beams known as Dhalinkhwa in Newari, covered with the faces of different animal, demons and goblins. An embossed inscription on brass is carved all along the wall and in the west facade as well. They are cleaned every year to wipe out the dirt from the surface. In 1942, a Dharmadhatu is said to have been erected. But it could not be identified. There is about half a dozen of Dharmadhatu around the temple. In 1954 AD, passage from the gate to the temple complex in the north was paved withKotkha stone (a black basalt stone from the quarry of Kotkha region). The westernDharmashala in the complex was renovated and a Vajradhatu was erected on the half way up in the north side of the Chobhar hill in 1954. Again a Dharmadhatu was built in the south of the temple in 1954 AD. In 1961 AD another Dharmadhatu was erected to the south of the temple and northern portion of the western Dharmashala was renovated. A major donation and installment of Akshobhya icon, Padmapani and Manjushree along with Dharmadhatu Stupa and pavement of entire courtyard to the southeast of the main temple was made in 1963. It was donated by a Tuladhar family of Asokmandap of Asantole in Kantipur. In the following year in 1964 AD, the main gate in the north was constructed and aChaitya was erected by a Khadgi family. In 1970 AD, the bathing platform (Nhawandabu) was renovated with complete restructuring by Brikhaman family "because it was badly sunk and collapsed". An icon of Vashudhara was installed by Sanuman Shakya in the east of the main temple complex in 1973 AD.ii) Pots and Pans of Adinath Temple Complex It is curious to note that some temples of Kathmandu valley are decorated with different kinds of pots and cooking utensils hung all over their façade. These are offered by the devotees. The temple of Chobhar represents a good example of such offerings. These have been extended to all over the surrounding building of the rest house or the Sattal. When there is no more space to hang these utensils other sides of the temple walls have been used. It is a general practice to offer different things in the name of a temple. All such items are however, rarely exhibited. Such a rich exhibition of pots and kitchen-wares all over the temple walls can rarely be met with other temples. This peculiarity becomes a decorative motif of Chobhar temple. This however, seems to be an additional feature of this temple.
There is a faint memory among the people about the offerings of such pots and pans. The story goes like this:Once the population was infected with many types of epidemics and endemics.There was frequent occurrence of epidemics like smallpox, cholera, measles,tuberculosis, malaria and so on. There consequently many people were killed at anearly age in the locality. When people died before having any issue they werecremated. Wives of such persons usually performed Sati with the dead bodies oftheir husbands. Then the dowry (kwo sa) brought by the daughter-in-law during hermarriage left unused in the house. It would be painful for the family members to seethose utensils at home. They offered these utensils to the temple. The practice ofSati came to an end but the offering utensils prevailed. This practice is known atpresent "Vasaja Chhayegu" meaning the offering utensils to the temple. Whensomeone dies leaving no issue, his/her such items are hung in the temples. If thedead persons had any religious manuscripts and books they would be given to thepriests or astrologers in the town. A manuscript can be seen hanging in this way inthe Indresvar temple at Panauti. There are more than 70 items of domestic utensils hung in the temple. They include
the following:

However, Swayambhu Purana gives different story about its origin. According to Swayambhu Purana, this temple is called Gandhesvar Vaitaraga. This is one among
the 8 shrines of god Vaitaraga in the Kathmandu Valley. The other 7 are:

i. Manichuda Vaitaraga in Manichuda
ii. Gokarna Vaitaraga in Gokarna, Kathmandu
iii. Kileswara Vaitaraga, Changu village in Bhaktapur
iv. Kumbheswara Vaitaraga, Kumbheswara in Lalitpur
v. Garteswara Vaitaraga, Panauti in Kabhre
vi. Fanikeswara Vaitaraga, Pharping in Kathmandu
vii. Vikrameswara Vaitaraga, Swayambhu in Kathmandu

Swayabhu Purana narrates a story about the shrine in Chobhar (Kachhapalagiri):The Odiyanacharya after mediating in Fanikeswara Vaitaraga (present Pharping
area) went northward and arrived in Kachhapalagiri. There he spread his elephanthide and sat in meditation after giving feast to all the gods. But he forgot to invite
Ganesh residing nearby region (Koyena Ganesh in Chobhar). Then Koyena Ganeshfelt insulted and, of course, got furious. Therefore he called his Ganas. His Ganas
were comprised of demons, goblins, insects and reptiles. They were ordered tocreate trouble to the Odiyanacharya. Immediately the Ganas took differentincarnations like mouse, serpents, crocodiles, snakes, demons and goblins. Theystarted to dig tunnels to come underneath the sacrificial ground thus causinglandslides, depressions and holes. But Odinacharya's meditation could not bedisturbed. The Ganas could cause no harm. Finally Ganesh himself went to harmOdiyanacharya. Seeing Ganesh coming towards him, Odiyanacharya prayedPadmapani (Karunamaya). Padmapani sent Kshitigarbha Bodhisatva to helpOdiyanacharya. Kshitigarbha Bodhisatva came down to Kachhapalagiri and createda divinity called Bighnantaka. Bignantaka immediately vanquished all the Ganas ofGanesh and rescued the Odiyanacharya from the trouble.The Bighnantaka advised the Odiyanacharya to pay respect to the owner of the area(i.e. Koyena Ganesh) if he wanted to accomplish his goals. Odiyanacharyaaccomplished his work peacefully. He did the same and established a shrine with theiconic presentation of Kshitigarbha Gandharveshwara Vaitaraga. It is believed that those who respect this Vaitaraga shrine with devotion would be cured from all sortsof diseases including leprosy. The temple is said to have been erected in the same place where Bodhisatwa Kshitigarbha appeared and disappeared again. The present temple, as is believed, was raised over to cover the site in order to save it from the people in Kaliyug and to keep worshipping the Bodhisatwa. Therefore the shrine is also called as Gandharveswar. Unfortunately, we cannot date the temple due to the aence of any inscription. There is a Dharmadhatu on the north of the temple, which was consecrated in the year 1960 AD. According to an old man, Jogdhan Gubhaju, this Dharmadhatu was erected here because of the lack of space in the courtyard to the south of main temple where stand four Sumeru Chaityas and three structures of Dharmadhatu. The fourth one brought here and erected. A pair of human statues belonging to a couple of devotees has been installed in the south of this temple. These statues have an inscription in their pedestal, but due to too much thick incrustation of oil and dust, the inscription is not readable.iv) Votive Chaityas As stated above, a number of Chaityas have been found in the Chobhar area. Five of them show the characteristic features developed in the Lichchhavi period (circa 5th– 8th century). Although small in size, they are the oldest monuments so far reported from the area. Two of them have two storeys and two have only one storey. All the four Chaityas have empty niches carved on all four sides. The patterns of carving are geese pattern and mythical animal pattern and in some foliage pattern as well. Remaining one has no carving at all but only shaped into a monolithic Chaitya. All are well polished. The Chaityas can well be compared with similar type of Chaitya from Musumbaha in Kathmandu, which have identically similar geese pattern, but the positions are slightly different. The geese turn back in Musumbaha example whereas in Chobhar it looks straight in front. The Kirtimukha in both of them are quite identical. Out of five, four Chaityas are placed on the plinth of the stupa located at a distance of 33 meters to the east of the temple complex. One is standing on a jalahari structure just outside the temple complex in the east. We can say nothing definitely about the original place of these votive Chaityas.

v) Jal Vinayak Temple Complex:
The fourth and largest Vinayak Ganesh is located outside Chobhar gorge where Bagmati, carrying all the water drained from the entire valley passes through the
narrow cut. According to legend, Manjushree of Tibet made this cut with his sword in order to drain the lake that covered the Kathmandu valley at that time.

This shrine consists of a square-based three storey temple in a courtyard surrounded by patis that date from Rana times. A number of stone terraces step down to the Bagmati where there are several attached circular ghats. The entrance to the sanctum of the temple is marked by a pair of lions and a low stone pillar which supports a brass figure of a shrew, Ganesh’s vehicle. The beautiful carved struts depict the Ashtamatrikas and the Ashtabhairabhs. In the centre of the
temple is an image of Ganesh on a large rock formation. According to the stone inscription, the temple was built on 1602. On the base of the temple, there is a stone
image of Kailash Parivar from the twelfth century. There are several eighteenth century stone images near the courtyard of the shrine: Sukhabati Lokeshwor,
Varuna, Vishnu, Surya, Shiva Parvati, Lakshmi Narayan, and Kalasha. The site is visited by people from all over the valley. It is believed that worship here
strengthens one’s character. The officiating priest is an Achaju. The main festival is held on the day of Marga Purnima.
Jal Vinayak or what is locally known as Koyena Ganesh is one among the four major Ganesh shrines (Char Ganesh) of Kathmandu Valley. Other three are Ashokavinayak or Maru Ganesh near Marusattal in Kathmandu, Suryavinayak or Inaya Ganesh in Bhaktapur district and Chandravinayak at Chabahil in Kathmandu.
They are regarded as the four divine guards of the Kathmandu Valley – Chandravinayak in the north, Ashokavinayak in the west, Jal Vinayak in the south and Suryavinayak in the east. The temple of Jal Vinayak has no icon in its sanctum sanctorum. Instead an unhewn piece of stone is worshipped there. Rest of other
three shrines has beautiful sculptures of the elephant headed god. They are executed according to the canon of a Ganesh image. Ashokavinayak is the guardian
deity of the ruling kings of Nepal. The temple of Jal Vinayak is erected on an elevated surface to the right of the Bagmati River immediately to the south of the Chobhar gorge. The stone raising out from the ground is worshipped. This has been covered by a huge oval shaped copper plate gilded with gold. The temple is raised over a single plinth and has a three-tiered roof. There is much space inside the temple, which serves as an ambulatory passage. The plan of the temple is rectangular. Its foundation bases are the brick quoins of the ground floor. It opens in all of its four walls. The main entrance is in the south. Other three openings in the east, north and west are covered with trellis. Only the topmost roof was made of copper sheets gilded with gold. Other two roofs were covered with tiles. According to the inscription on the eaves board, the golden roofing was done by Khadga Shamsher in 1873 AD. The temple again was renovated recently in 1999 AD. The cost was donated collectively by Helen Shah and Late Jayanti Shah. The lower tile roofs were then replaced with the copper sheets under the technical supervision of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust. The big iron beam in the second storey was added during that renovation. The big iron beam in the second storey was added during that renovation. The temple was strengthed then to stand against the earthquake as claimed by the restorer. The lower and middle roofs of the temple are supported by sixteen struts. The topmost roof has eight struts. The sixteen struts on the lower roof are adorned with the figures of Ganesh and his wife Riddhi. Similarly, sixteen struts of the middle roof are carved with the images of Bhairava and their consorts and two couples in each side totaling eight couples in entire middle roof. The struts of the topmost roof depict different goddesses, Devis. Thus the temple has a total of forty struts. All four corners usually should have figures of Simha, Shardula, Ajarakula and Mahanaga. Figures of two couples of lions and lionesses have been depicted in the corner struts of the temple of Jal Vinayak. The bottom part of the struts shows the erotic figures as usual. The Sattal or rest house, built by Khadga Shamser when his brother Bir Shamser was Prime Minister of the country, originally contained two meeting halls or Baithaks with fireplace at the centre. One was collapsed during the great earthquake of 1934. A photograph dating just after the earthquake is preserved in the Keshar Library collection in which the devastated southern wing is seen. The European style of the Sattal is typical of the period of Bir Shamser. It has the similarity with contemporary place structures of Seto Durbar, Kathmandu and Ranighat Palace of Palpa. There are some small shrines as well inside the temple complex. The two shrines house the goddess Saraswati in the southeast corner and a Shivalinga in the northeast corner. A purnaghata (gha: in newari) is placed in the eastern plinth of the temple and an icon of Shivaparvati. In 1734 AD, a two storeyed rest house for pilgrims (Chapala) was erected in the west of the temple complex. After 53years, the same rest house was renovated again and an image of Uma Maheshwor was installed by the family of the builder in 1787 AD. In 1846 AD, two brass flags were added near the entrance of the temple. A Falecha building in the west of the temple complex, was installed which houses the famous
icon of Shivabhaskaras along with nine other images. In 1873 AD, while renovating the upper roof, Khadga Shamser constructed the Sattals and Falecha in the temple
complex in the western neo-classical style. This is an example of the western architectural intrusion in the traditional temple complex of Nepal. After eight years in
1881 AD, a big bell was erected on the right side of the main entrance. This was again renovated adding eight more Dharnis of metal in 1908 AD by the family of the
same donor. In 1903 AD, an English suspension bridge over the Bagmati gorge was constructed. A notable offering was made by the Friends Circle of Patan in 1935 AD. These offerings include the installment of Torans in four sides of the temple and covering of all openings with trellis. The beautiful Torana in the south direction was stolen few years earlier. A nice shrew made of brass standing over a podium in front of the temple was offered by the Friends Circle of Haugal tole in Patan in 1936 AD. The shrew is the vehicle of Lord Ganesh. In 1947 AD, the inner wall of the sanctum sanctorium was decorated with white ceramic wall tiles. Finally in 1999 AD, Helen Shah and Jayanti Shah renovated the temple by replacing the tiles from the lower roofs by copper sheets. The temple is encircled with a neo-classical type of Sattal.the complex has assumed a unique looks as it shows both the traditional style of Nepal and the neo-classical style buildings of the west. The eastern wing of the Sattal has three storeys including the terrace. It faces the river. Other sides of the Sattal have a single storey, ground floor. The western half of the southern wing is being used by the temple keepers as their residence while the eastern half is used by the devotees as a place for singing Bhajans. The eastern wing seems to be in its original shape. Part of southern wing was brought to the present shape leaving large terrace on top in the east. The southern wing has still been in its original shape. The western and northern wing seems to be intact. The original material for roofing of all the Sattals and main temple was Jhingatis or the small Nepalese tiles, which were replaced by big English tiles after the great earthquake of 1934 AD. In the outskirt of the courtyard in the west there is a Sattal with nicely carved pillars,
which is a sure sign of richly carved Sattal with Sanjhyal and Tikijhyal on both sides.the Sattal was renovated lately in 1939 AD. But it is now again in a dilapidated -
condition. According to the inscription attached on the wall to the right of main entrance it was built in 1817 AD by the people of Patan. In front of the Sattal, there is a ditch worshipped by the people as god Kshetrapal. To the north is a Falecha facing south and is now used by a squatter hermit. There are nine images inside this Falecha. The images are thickly covered by the oil and thus difficult to recognize. However, an image of Suryabhaskara is a noteworthy example, which needs to be kept safely in other places of the temple or in a museum. The ghat in the bank of the river Bagmati, constructed by Khadga Shamser is now left hung due to the deepening of the level of Bagmati river. The water is now flowing more than 2 meters below the ghat.

vi) Vishnu Devi Temple

This site consists of a small walled compound with the two storey Vishnu Devi temple in its centre. The temple, however, is somewhat dwarfed by a huge tree growing near it. The temple has a well carved torana depicting Vishnu Devi. Inside the sanctum are free-shaped stones worshipped as the ashtamatrikas. In the courtyard surrounding the temple are images of Garuda, Saraswati, a shivalinga, a stone pillar with a Vaintej image, and devotees. An inscription on the pillar bears the date 1675. Adjacent to the temple is one of the important cremation grounds not located near a river. After starting the fire, the people must leave and return the next day to collect the ashes. During Mangsir-Sukla-Nawami, the site is visited by the nearby inhabitants who specifically worship Vishnu Devi, also called Vishnu Devi Jatra.

4.2.2 Buddhist Monasteries

i) Mahabodhi Dharmavikash Dwip

A new Tibetan Gomba is erected to the east of the Adinath temple recently. The Gomba is constructed in such a point that one can see the entire view of the cities of
Lalitpur and Kathmandu. The entire Chobhar hill is now predominated by this monastery because it is located on the topmost elevation of the hill. The monastery
faces east and it is a three storey building. It belongs to the Ka-rgyu-gpa sect of Lamaism. The name of the Gomba is Mahabodhi Dharmavikash Dwip and the abbot’s name is Sumanbikas Dhar, a Newar monk. The total of 15 monks and nums live there. The main diety in the Gomba is Shakyamuni Buddha. Icons of Sahasrabhuja
Lokeshwara and Padmasambhava are also kept in the hall. The praying hall is nicely painted with the figures from the stories of Jataka and Tibetan scriptures. They are framed with the mantras written in Ranjana script. The entrance is guarded with the paintings of four guardian deities, Chaityaraj, Dhwajraj, Binaraj and Khadgaraj. The wall to the right side of main entrance to the praying hall shows a grand painting of Kalachakra. The ceilings of the monastery are also not left vacant. They are painted with different symbols, patterns and Tibetan mantras including “Om Mane Pame Ho” There are a huge praying wheel to the east and a Sumeru Chaitya in the east and north of the main Gomba building. The Chaitya is an admixture of Tibetan and Newari style. Lower half of the Chaitya resembles the Tibetan style and upper half is similar to the Chibhas of Newars.

ii) Sulakshan Kirti Vihar

This vihara lies on the entrance of Chobhar near Sundari Ghat.

iii) Shree Kirti Vihar
This vihara lies on Nayabazar Kirtipur. It is notable by its very distinctive architectural spires. It is Thai style Buddhist temple. A Buddhist Institute and International Retreat Centre, Drubyud Dargye Nunnery is also located here.

4.2.3 Icons

i) Chun Devi

Chun Devi is a small walled compound area consisting icon of many stones lying west of Chobhar hill. People used to go to Adinath and come to Vishnu Devi via
Chun Devi. In the courtyard, there are images of Shiva, Ganesh, Krishna etc.

ii) Vasuki Nag
This is nothing but the stone icon worshipped as Vasuki Nag on the bank of Bagmati River in between Chobhar gorge and Jal Vinayak Temple. When Kathmandu was a
lake, Manjushree from Tibet made the flow of water by cutting through his sword which led to the formation of Chobhar gorge. Two snakes (Nag) namely Vasuki Nag
and Karkotak Nag were there in the lake. After the drainage of water from lake, Manjushree kept Vasuki Nag in that stone which is till now worshipped as the icon of
Vasuki Nag. The interesting feature of that stone is that when the monsoon begins and the Bagmati used to flood, the water level of Bagmati never drops down until
and unless the flooded water drowns the peak of Vasuki Nag icon.

4.2.4 The Caves of Chobhar

Chobhar cave is a unique and only cave system in Kathmandu valley. Therefore it should not be excluded from any historical, cultural and architectural study of Chobhar as it has influenced the society one-way or other. The passages of the cave have been cleaned and steps are hewn out by the people in many places. Therefore it is very much important with the socio-archaeological point of view. Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage centres in Kathmandu valley including the Chobhar caves. Other centres are Vajrayogini in Sankhu (Dorje Phambu), Nagarjun hill, Pharping area (Hyang Lhasi) and Chobhar hill (Twang reng). Due to the lack of the knowledge on Tibetan script and ancient Tibetan language, detailed study on different important sites is lacking. The Tibetan monks refer to the caves of Chobhar as Twang-reng-fu (Twang reng cave). Geologists and other scholars from Czechoslovakia, India, USA, Japan, Austria and Germany did explore and wrote something on Chobhar caves. German speleogist H.D. Gebauer wrote an article on the yearly publication of “Hoelle” published from Austria. According to H.D. Gebauer, the total length of the cave exceeds 1250 meters and is superimposed with three layers (one on top of another cave). This is the 3rd longest cave in South Asia. In his words: The small hillock between the road and the river Bagmati conceals the secondlongest cave system of Nepal and the 3rd one of the whole Indian sub-continent – theChakratirtha Paramhamsa Gufa. The area although narrow is one of the most important Karst formations in Nepal. Here, the clues to the oldest history of Kathmandu valley and Kathmandu itself can be found if scientific exploration and excavation could be conducted. The scenic, scientific and historic values can make Chobhar gorge on of the most remarkable tourist spots in Kathmandu valley. It can draw at least the domestic tourist if not the international one. There are two caves in left bank of Bagmati River. One is Twang-reng-fu and is only 23 metres long and another is Chakubha Gufa with longer passage but filled with river pebbles and sands. Both of them measure about 120 metres. To 30 metres inside the cave is a small pond with Lingama. Many people go up to this place and return. The German explorers have mentioned that they had found a skeleton of about 40- 50 years old man from the hinter-most part of the cave. The man entered the cave 200years ago and died there according to the carbon dating of the skeleton. The cave has different names. They are:

- Chakratirtha Paramhamsa Gufa
- Chakhunti Bakhunti
- Twang Reng Gufa
- Chobhar Gufa

4.2.5 Taudaha Pokhari

As mentioned earlier, when Manjushree cut the Chobhar gorge with his sword, there were two snakes in the Kathmandu valley which was supposed to be a lake before. One of them was Vasuki Nag which was kept in the bank of Bagmati river near Jal Vinayak Temple. The other was Karkotak Nag for which Taudaha Pokhari was developed. It was made by Lord Krishna digging three dadus of mud. The mud was thrown there, where Bosan Danda lies presently. This implies that the depth of
Taudaha is equal to the height of Bosan danda which is below Champadevi. Taudaha Lake is one of the tectonic lakes in the midland. It has religious, cultural, historical, aesthetic, recreational as well as geographical importance. Many people come to Taudaha for research and study. In winter, the bird watching group visit
Taudaha for studying about birds. In summer, many tourists visit Taudaha for recreation. As such it has tremendous potentiality to attract tourists. 4.2.6 Khani Area
This place was a continuous hill earlier, but later when Himal Cement Factory blast the hill for mining the stones, then the area was named Khani. Most of the shootings
of Nepalese Movies and music videos are done here. The rock climbing can also be done there which may attract adventure tourists

4.2.7 Chihan Danda

This place is famous for its height from where the panoramic view of Kathmandu, Patan, Kirtipur and surrounding areas can be seen. This may be developed as view
point.

4.2.8 Chobhar Gorge

Chobhar is famous for its gorge, which is said to have been cut by Manjushree to drain the water out from the Kathmandu valley which was supposed to have been a
lake. The scenic, scientific and historic values can make Chobhar gorge one of the most remarkable tourist spots in Kathmandu valley. Also, rock climbing can be
performed there for adventure tourism. 4.3 Different Potential Aspects of Tourism in Chobhar From all these potential places of Chobhar to attract tourists, we can conclude that many forms of tourism can be performed in Chobhar.

ð Village Tourism: Chobhar village has great potentiality to be developed as a model village just like Sirubari, and developed for village tourism.
ð Eco-tourism: The lovely pine forest of Chobhar, the wetland i.e. Taudaha, the Bagmati river, the flora and fauna living there, clean and healthy environment
are important components. They can be preserved and conserved for ecotourism. ð Adventure Tourism: Rock Climbing in Khani area, Chobhar gorge has great
potentiality to be developed for adventure seeking tourists.

ð Trekking: Trekking from Chobhar to Champadevi is one of the best routes of Kathmandu valley for short trek.
ð Biking: Cycling from Chobhar to Bosan Danda is very interesting.
ð Ethnic Tourism: It is a latest concept of tourism. The Newari culture of Chobhar can be a great attraction for number of ethnic tourists because they are rich in their culture and have preserved their heritage, traditions till now.
ð Pilgrimage Tourism: The number of shrines, Buddhist monasteries and icons lying in Chobhar are of great importance to many Hindus and Buddhists. Chobhar has tremendous potentialities for pilgrimage tourism which can be proved by more than fifty thousands of people visiting Chobhar on the month of October/ November when there is a month long festival and Nirjala Vrata (fasting done with not drinking even a drop of water) in Adinath. In each and every fest and festivals of Chobhar, anyone can see thousands of visitors visiting to watch it out. ð Recreational/ Leisure Tourism: Chobhar offers many things as outstanding scenic beauty, clean green environment, locals with great hospitality etc which is the best for recreational tourism. Anyone can feel flying when being at Chobhar. The Chobhar gorge and Chobhar Bridge is heart beat stopping. The Khani area is also superb. The different shrines everywhere is also unique. The great recreation can be felt at Taudaha Pokhari.
ð Cultural Tourism: Cultural tourism involves visit to ancient monuments, places of historical importance. It enriches knowledge about different people and their culture. As such, the settlement pattern, lifestyle, dress, folk songs and dances and local cuisines of Chobhar are unique. The culture is dominated by Newari Culture. The art and architecture, sculptures etc are visible in Newar settlement on top of Chobhar hill. The fairs and festivals and their mode of celebration are also unique. The temples, monasteries and other different shrines have historical, archaeological and cultural importance. From all these, anyone can say that Chobhar offers a huge potentiality for cultural tourism.
ð Agri-tourism: Agri-tourism is a new concept in Nepal by which many benefits can be achieved, which may lead to the economic development of the country. Chobhar has one large area on the way to Chobhar Gate called Central Horticulture Centre, in which various types of vegetables, fruits andother products are produced. This area is a perfect destination for agritourists.