Budhanilkantha Temple

Budhanilkantha, at the northern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, enshrines a monumental stone image of Vishnu reclining on a bed of coiled serpents within a recessed pond. Carved from a single block of basalt more than a thousand years ago, the five-metre figure floats as if resting on the cosmic ocean. It is among the valley's most important Vishnu shrines, drawing large crowds during the Haribodhini Ekadashi festival. Visitors approach the sunken tank to view the sculpture up close, a striking example of Licchavi-period stonework.