The most beautiful temples to visit Nepal

Stone inscriptions dating back to the ^7th century allow us to date Bungamati, which once housed a royal residence. Built in a shikhara style, this temple is very impressive and stands out from the Newar style. It protects the deity Rato Macchendranath for six months of the year. The rest of the time, the statue is housed in Patan. With its chörten and enormous prayer wheel, it's well worth a visit. Macchendranath celebrations culminate in a procession of huge carts.

This small hilltop pagoda, 6 km north of Abu Khaireni, attracts crowds of pilgrims from the Kathmandu valley, as it is of great importance in local spirituality. The shrine, whose current building dates back to the ^19th century, is dedicated to Bhagawati, a wrathful form of Parvati who is believed to grant wishes: married couples come here to obtain offspring. While Buddhists come here to pray peacefully to Drölma, the Green Tara, Hindus are obliged to perform animal sacrifices.

The temple of Maya Devi, the mother of the Buddha, is the spiritual center of Lumbini. Built on the site where Maya Devi gave birth, it features a series of ancient ruins (2,200 years old) currently being excavated. A sandstone sculpture depicting the birth of Buddha, donated by King Ripu Malla in the ^14th century, is now the object of devotion by the faithful. In front of the temple stands the column dedicated to Buddha by the Indian emperor Ashoka, who visited Lumbini in 249 BC. Standing 6 m high and made of pink sandstone, it is easy to spot.

Looking to escape the hustle and bustle of central Kathmandu? Take refuge in one of the city's oldest bahals, in Thamel. A bahal is a courtyard in a Buddhist monastery. A bahal is a courtyard in a Buddhist monastery, where you can enjoy a peaceful stop in front of a small stupa. Then take time to admire the interior of the Kichandra Bahal, starting with the central pagoda, the chaitya (sanctuary) decorated with standing bodhisattvas and the frescoed walls on the upper floor. One of these depicts Guru Mapa, one of Nepal's most odious ogres.

This temple, which is relatively difficult to find, is also colloquially called the Temple of a Thousand Buddhas. You will find there a replica of the temple of Bodhgaya, made in the 17th century with bricks: each one bears an effigy of the Awakened One, a particularity that gave the temple its name. Contrary to what one might think, the images of the Buddhas are not all identical, they differ according to the cardinal points. Chronicles have preserved the memory of Abhayaraja, the bronzer who financed this masterpiece with his own money. Following a marital conflict, the craftsman stayed for some time in Bodhgaya, where he learned how to melt copper coins. This art was developed during the reign of Amar Malla, king of Kathmandu, who was in great need of specialists in alloys at a time when the valley benefited from its monopoly on minting the coins circulating in Tibet. As in the time of Philip Augustus, the great art consisted in discreetly reducing the proportion of gold used in the manufacture of coins.

The houses that surround the temple are the stronghold of the bronze-makers and still belong to authentic descendants of Abhayaraja. The shops offer bronze statuettes and information on the different stages of their manufacture according to the lost wax technique. A fireclay mould is cast on the wax model. When heated, the wax melts and leaves a hollow shape that is filled with an alloy of molten metals. A long finishing work follows.

Heading west towards Tangal Tol via a street that joins the main axis linking Durbar Square to Lagankhel, you will arrive at the temple complex of Macchendranath the Red, Patan's most popular god. Revered by Hindus and Buddhists in many ways, this god responsible for rain and fertility enjoys a special status. He resides in Bungamati half the year: during ceremonies, devotees bathe and dress him in great pomp, and processions of his chariot are the main festival of the city.

The Janaki Temple is a gigantic white marble building, dedicated to Sita and overloaded with arabesques, located in the city centre. Pilgrims flock here in their thousands on the anniversary of Sita and Rama's marriage in November-December or on the full moon of April during Rama's anniversary celebration. There is a small museum associated with the temple, where you can find an evocation of the life of Sita and Rama. Next to the Janaki Mandir is the Ram Sita Bibaha Mandap, a pagoda-shaped temple built on the site of Sita and Rama's wedding.