Manakamana Temple

As the name suggests people worship this goddess to fulfil their wishes.

Manakamana Temple

As the name suggests (‘Mana’ means heart; ‘kamana’ means wish) people worship this goddess to fulfil their wishes. It is believed that once a year same goddess from the famous Manakamana temple in Gorkha comes here and grants wishes to the devotees.
To the west of the main temple complex where the Red Machhendranath temple is situated, there is another small enclosed courtyard where the temple of Manakamana is situated. This small compound has the characteristics of a ‘baha’ compound with residential houses around it. There is torana above the main door which portrays an eight-handed and four-faced deity. In front of the shrine is an octagonal, votive stupa dated 829 NS.

Currently, this temple houses two mask-like idols of Aaju and Aji. These idols are taken out of the temple only during the Aaju/Aji Jatra or the Manakamana Jatra. This could be some form of ancestral worshiping as ‘Aaju’ ‘Aji’ also conveys the meaning of great grandparents.
The main entrance of the temple remains closed throughout the year except during the festival and special puja. There is a legend popular among the locals that explains how the Goddess Manakamana came to the Bungamati and locals kept it inside this temple for three days.