Changu Narayan Temple stands on a hilltop called Changu, about 7 miles (12 km) east of Kathmandu. The infobox lists Haridatta Barma as creator, but the article gives no detail on him and names no architect or client. It dates the temple to the fourth century, though the Manadeva inscription pillar in the courtyard is dated 464. The temple is a pagoda in traditional Nepali style, with two levels of pitched roofs, and UNESCO listed it in 1979 with the Kathmandu Valley.
The walls have an inner face of sun-dried brick and an outer face of fired brick, on a plinth about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. Life-size pairs of lions, griffins and elephants guard the four entrances, and the ten incarnations of Vishnu are carved on the roof struts.
Several idols were stolen between 1975 and 2001. The 2015 earthquake destroyed the temple, and reconstruction with a Chinese team took five years.
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