5. Mahabuddha Temple

Mahabuddha temple is a Buddhist temple made up of terracotta, situated in the heart of kathmandu valley. 8 kms southwest from Tribhuvan International Airport. This 500 year old temple can be taken as the treasury of Nepalese art and craft.

The Mahabuddha temple is a great pilgrim for the Buddhist practitioners. Buddhists from all over the world come, worship the Buddha and feel eternal peace and satisfaction. The temple has proven to be a wonder to the cultural and archeological tourists.

This ancient historical temple is constructed under a typical architectural style called "Shikhar saili". The temple is build up of terracotta, each consisting Buddha images and other arts. Such terracotta is made up of very special material composing extracted clay, herbs and others to make the terracotta strong and pure, These terracotta are rather attached to each other with norma mud or cement but with a special mixture of different herbs etc. called "vajra". The temple composes of thousand Buddha statues. So it is even called "sangetongu" in Tibetan language meaning "temple of thousand Buddha". The temple is probably the best and first temple built up of terracotta in the country.

On the ground floor of the temple the icon of shakyamun Buddha displaying earth touching gesture is established. On the first floor Amitabha Tathagata is installed. Similarly, on the second third fourth and fifth floor Panchajinalaya Svayambhu Chaitya, Dharmadhatu Mandala, Vajradhatu Mandala, and sunyaniranjan Chaitya are established respectively. The temple is surmounted by Usnish Cudamani suvarna chaitya the total height of the temple is about 60 feet.

In this locality , the temple of Akasha Jogini Shree Vidhyadhari Devi is already exist where the lord of knowledge Manjushree also  present before the construction of Mahabuddha temple the old manuscript of Pragyaparmita is also preserved here and daily recited . Because of these three auspicious aspects it is believed that the people of this locality could gain popularity in the field of Silpa Vidhya Knowledge. The five sons of Pt. Abhaya Raj Shakya or their family members carry out the daily rituals worships of the Vidhyadhari and Mahabuddha temple for one month turn by turn