Nepal: Bhaktapur – Nyatapola Temple
This is the most magnificent temple in Bhaktapur and perhaps on the whole Nepal. It’s located on a different square, away from the central Durbar Square. It is the tallest temple in town and is built as a five-story pagoda by Nepali King Bhupatindra Malla in 1701. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Siddhi Lakshmi. The temple itself rests on four levels dedicated to Ganesh. Stairs lead up past lions and elephants to the platform with panoramic view of the square and city below. Miraculously, the temple survived both 1934 and 2015 earthquake, despite being the tallest and perhaps the most precariously looking structure – dozens of other temples were flattened. Needless to say, this is now the subject of many miraculous explanations.
