KVPT’s Patan Darbar Earthquake Response Campaign - Work to Date - September 2016

Harishankara Temple
A hybrid deity, the ten-armed
Vishnu, identifiable by his crown,
with the attributes of Bhairava,
and in the aggressive posture of
Bhairava and carried by the mounts
of Bhairava, occupies the blocks
(dyakva) on both sides of the
door jambs above the threshold.
Adalbert Gail (1984) called these
guardian figures pseudo-Bhairavas
in order to overcome the obvious
discrepancy which may reflect the
fusion of Vishnu and Shiva in Harishankara.
Usually, the cult figure
is divided vertically; in this case the
division is horizontal.
Photographs Indra Shilpakar, April 2014
Top
Eastern doorway, from right to left:
Vishnu / Krodha Bhairava on a pair
of Garudas and Vishnu / Asitanga
Bhairava on a pair of lions.
Bottom
Southern doorway, from right to
left: Vishnu / Samhara Bhairava on
a pair of Vetala and Vishnu / Ruru
Bhairava on a pair of dogs.
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