Vishnu has many forms. Here he appears as Narayan, lying on the cosmic ocean; from his navel grows a lotus from which Brahma was born to create the universe.
For more than a thousand years this five-metre stone statue of the reclining Vishnu has lain in a pool at the foot of the Shivapuri hills. It is the largest Vishnu shrine in the country, and devotees still come every morning to honour the Creator of creators.
Walks we suggest
Budhanilkantha to Nagi Gompa
Nagi Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery perched on the forested hillside of Shivapuri National Park, about three kilometres above Budhanilkantha. The walk up takes around an hour and a half; it's steady but not hard, and the quiet of the forest is worth the effort. From the nunnery there are wide views over the valley.
