Bungmati and Khokana

The 16th century Malla king who ruled Kathmandu from Patan, concerned that his subjects might move too far from the city to serve its defense, established two settlements Bungmati and Khokana near the Karya Binayak shrine, amid fertile fields. During a major drought, the king sought the blessings of the rain god, Machhendranath, at a temple in India, inviting the deity to come and settle in the Valley. He built a shrine at Bungmati where, some time in the last decade of the 16th century; it became the custom to keep the image of the Rato Machhendra during winter, moving it back to Patan by palanquin in summer. The village is noted for its strongly stated, shikhara-style Rato Machhendranath temple. The adjacent Lokeshwar shrine contains an image of Bhairav's massive head in full, demoniac fury. Yet another shrine of Karya Binayak stands on a tree-clad hill and beyond that, 10 minutes walk away, is a brick-paved village famous for the manufacture of mustard oil, Khokana. It has a temple dedicated to the nature goddess, Shukia Mai, or Rudrayani. Rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake, its main street is noticeably wider than in similar villages.