File:Budanilkantha Temple Budanilkantha Kathmandu Nepal Rajesh Dhungana (9).jpg

English: The famous Budhanilkantha temple located in Budhanilkantha municipality of Kathmandu. In the middle of a small pond at the foot of the hill north of Shivpuri from Kathmandu, a very beautiful black stone idol of the great Lord Narayan Budhanilkantha has been replaced. The top of the statue is surrounded by 11 Sheshnags. This idol is associated with the word Buddha by Buddhists, so Buddhists also reverently consider Budhanilkantha. Hindus worship Budhanilkantha as both Harihar i.e. Vishnu and Shiva.

The statue is believed to have been created in the mid-fifth century as a sculptural art of the Licchavi period. This is the largest statue of a sleeping Narayan. The face of Lord Buddha, the symbol of peace, is inscribed on the crown of this Narayan. For the same reason, the combined name of Buddha and Nilakantha is believed to have remained Budhanilkantha. According to the Devmala genealogy, King Suryaketu installed Narayan in these reservoirs after Sri Krishna Chakra opened the Bagmati, which had been closed by Mahendra Mardan at the end of the Vdaparayuga. Then for 28 years the Kirati king was famous. Later, during the reign of Suryavanshi king Vrishabhadeva, the reservoir of Narayan came to Shatrudra mountain and was buried. Later, when Bimbagupta moved the clay stone again, Kodali (Farmer Weapon) cut off his nose and hand a little. Then in the time of the Mallas, King Pratap Malla established a reservoir Narayan at Bhandar Khal in Hanumandhoka, so Lord angry dreamed that your saints would never come here again, if they came, they would die. The legend about the origin of these Narayans is that when the valley was invaded by the Indian Muslims around 1406 BC, the Hindus had covered the Hindu idols with mud to protect them. Unable to locate the buried idols, a farmer dug a field for planting and the edge of a spade hit a rock. The temple attracts a large number of devotees during the month of Kartik, especially the Ekadashi of Chartumas and especially Harishayan and Harivodhani Ekadashi, as well as during the months of Kartik and Baishakh. The daily Nitya Puja and Aarti Pujari are performed by Panchopachar and on special festivals Shodashtepachar. It is said that this temple was preserved on the day of Ashadh Shukla Vadadashi in the year 652 BS by the joint efforts of King Shivadev I and Mahasamanta Anshubarma. It is mentioned in the inscription that this pond was preserved even during the time of Jai Prakash Malla.

There are temples of various deities in this temple complex and there are also wedding pavilions, pavis, pauas, dharamsalas etc.