Budhanilkantha

     In the northern end of the valley, the seven-meter long sleeping Vishnu lies on a bed of a Naga serpent on a pond under a sun canopy. The eleven hoods of Naga form a pillow around Vishnu's head, and he lies with peaceful expression on his face. Non-Hindus aren't allowed down the steps to view the image up close, and even Hindu devotees that are allowed down the steps must only worship at the image's feet. Brahman priests are only allowed on the image, and every day they pile shalagram stones around the head and keep the image cool by dousing it with water. At the end of the daily worship, they place a cloth upon Vishnu's brow to check for perspiration under the hot sun. On the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight, and on the special days of Harishayani in early summer and Haribodhini in the fall, special worship is performed for the Vishnu. During Harishayani, Vishnu withdraws to sleep on the Naga, and during Haribodhini, after the monsoons, he wakes up. 

     Inscriptions imply that the image was made around 640, when certain rulers expressed their gratitude to local councils for providing labor to move a huge stone north-wards across their territory. The giant stone came from the southwestern corner of the Valley in a place called Khotka, a place where many stones have been collected to create images in the valley. The stone was moved to a site called Narasingh, and the image was formed around 641 by a sculptor who had also created a similar image in Balaju. There are two other similar, but smaller images found in the Valley that have been assumed to be replicas of the one at Budhanilakanatha, but no one knows for sure which is the original.

    During the Malla period, worship of Vishnu declined, because Shiva was getting so popular. King Jayasthiti Malla revived the popularity of Vishnu by claiming to be an incarnation of him. And as a result, because they claim the same thing even to the present day, the kings of Nepal are forbidden, on pain of death, to see the image at Budhanilkatha.