Bhimsen Temple

Bhimsen temple is situated in the northern part of Patan Durbar Square. The temple consists of three storeys and is dedicated to Bheema, one of the five Pandavas from Mahabharata, who was known for his strength and bravery. In Newar, he is traditionally worshipped as the god of business and trade. There are many temples in Nepal dedicated to Bhimsen but the one in the Patan Durbar Square attracts people the most because of the draws and carvings of the temple which describes Bhimsen as the man with super strength who is crushing an elephant with a knee or lifting a horse in the air. The non-Hindus are not allowed to go inside the temple but can view the wild-eyed statue of Bhimsen by climbing up to the top level of this temple. 

The architecture of this temple is slightly unusual which makes it different from the other temples in Patan. The temple was built by Srinivasa Malla in 1680 but it had to be rebuilt in 1682 due to the destruction of the temple caused by a fire. The temple went through renovations again after the earthquake that took place in 1934 and again in 1967. And again, major damage was caused to the Bhimsen Temple by the 2015 earthquake.