Hiranya Varna Mahavihar

The Hiranya Varna Mahavihar features a gilded roof that glints above the surrounding courtyards of Patan. Local residents call it the Golden Temple, though it is a Buddhist monastery where monks have maintained continuous rites since at least the twelfth century. King Bhaskar Deva Varma founded the site, and the structure houses a massive prayer wheel and a life-sized statue of the Buddha. A young boy once climbed the temple walls to touch the golden spire, a prank that local folklore says angered the gods.