The area of Narayan Than in Bethanchowk Rural Municipality, located in the southern part of the Mahabharat mountain range, is a historical attraction associated with the royal family during the Mallakal era.
The center of the municipality can be reached from Dhunkharka in about 4 hours on foot, and there is also a motorable road to Narayan Than. After reaching the area by vehicle, a 45-minute walk or so leads to Narayan Than. This region has been of both tourist and religious importance since medieval times.
The Center for Culture and Archaeology conducted a study for three months gathering information about the historical significance of this area. In Mahabharat Danda, there is a temple of Narayan in a cave-like structure, with a temple of Ganesh to its west. The idol of Sobhithra Ganesh is about 13 inches tall.
In the same courtyard, there is a temple of Vishnu to the south. This temple is about 10 feet tall and houses the stone image of Vishnu sitting on a seat with a conch, discus, club, and lotus in his 23-inch tall hands. There is another idol of Vishnu about 21 inches tall along with an idol of Lakshmi, 23 inches tall.
This temple is situated facing the north. A large slate has been erected to the northeast of the temple. Next to the platform, there is a statue of Vaiva Swami 1008 Raghavendra.
According to local scholar Gyanknowledge Acharya, around the year 2042, Vaishnav Guru Raghavendra Acharya visited this place and conducted special prayers and religious programs. His statue is made based on this belief.
Historical sources mention that during the time of King Bhupatindra Malla of Bhaktapur, the royal mother Bhojukaji, Riddhilakshmi, and Chauchara Lakshminarayan had come to observe the artwork.
At one point, when she stayed in Patan, she went to the Pashupati region. There, she requested the Pashupati priest Raghavendra Swami to accommodate her, but he refused. However, Lakshminarayan sent soldiers, and Maharaja Mahipatendra brought him to his knees. After this incident, she left the Kathmandu valley and sought refuge in Narayan Than, as mentioned in the book by Krishna Prasad Parajuli.
The historical records are unclear about whether she lived in a cave and meditated in the Mahabharat Danda area, as some historians suggest. Nonetheless, the temple-like structure of the cave is currently seen with three broken pillars that seem to have been used for a pedestal of some idol.
The Garud pillar in front of Vishnu has been constructed prominently. Some fragmented pieces of polished and unpolished soil pots and bowls are also found around. A cave about 20 meters to the south is also present. The entrance to this cave seems to have been dug up and formed from the ground. However, about a decade ago, this cave was not mentioned in the book by Krishna Prasad Parajuli.
Before the time of Jayajyoti Malla, this region was the territory of the kings and queens. After Jayajyoti Malla’s reign, he was exiled from his kingdom, and he came to Narayan Than to live in the same region, as recorded by Krishna Prasad Parajuli in his book. However, other historians suggest that Bhupatindra Malla, during his reign, left the region between his son’s rule and handed over the kingdom’s responsibility to him. Nevertheless, the exact historical accounts of Bhupatindra Malla’s reign are uncertain.
This regions historical and political importance is evident in the transitions of royal dynasties over the medieval period. After Jayajyoti Malla, Bhupatindra Mallas rule and his connection to the same area as his dream and refuge make this area historically significant.
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