Vatsala is a mother who adores her children, Vatsa. The highest Shakta Tantric god is Vatsala. The Malla monarchs of the time were devout followers of the Tantra-dominated Shakta sect. When this occurs, it is known that the same deity is worshiped in a variety of Tantric incarnations to meet certain wants. These Vatsalas, also known as ‘Siddhilakshmi‘ / ‘Siddhi-Vatsala‘ and ‘Yantra-Vatsala,’ are examples of this.

The west-facing temple ‘Siddhilakshmi’ / ‘Siddhi-Vatsala’ and the crimson one-story temple behind it, the same west-facing temple ‘Yantravatsala’ In the year 816, King Jitamitra Malla of the then Bhaktapur kingdom commissioned both of these temples (1752 BS). The inscriptions on the façade of the Yantrakar Vatsala and its seat inside the Yantra-Vatsala temple confirm this (Bholanath Poudel, ‘Snehamandap,’ Purnima, 7/2022, pp. 48-50).

Yantra-Vatsala is an urn etched with a device on a gorgeous stone altar, at the top of the lotus flower, even inside the Yantra-Vatsala temple. According to the accounts of the same Yantra-Vatsala, the Yantra-Vatsala temple was enormous, white, and skyscraper-like. If you look closely at the existing architectural construction of this temple, you’ll see that the semicircular marble entrances all around it are enormous in comparison to the temple’s size, roof, walls, and so on. The temple was enormous and tall, as indicated in the inscriptions, and it belonged to Ajang of other Vatsala temples, according to this.

In the year 816, Bhupatindra Malla succeeded his father Jitamitra Malla, who had built this temple. He presented this bell to Siddhi-Vatsala 19 years after becoming king. Why did you make it available after such a long time and in the year 835? Even the giving of a little bell seems to explain why the Siddhagnikotyahuti Yajna was performed. According to the plague’s genealogy and other evidence, Bhupatindra Malla offered the bell at Siddhi-Vatsala temple not only in the month of Chait 836, but also 19 months before that, in the year when he offered the bell at Siddhi-Vatsala temple, with the goal of summoning an epidemic.

In 816 AD,  Siddhilakshmi / Siddhi-Vatsala statue was erected. The Siddhi-Vatsala temple, as well as the idol of Siddhilakshmi in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum, are unparalleled. Each of the underworlds has a saptapatal carved with kalashakriti on the seat of the Siddhilakshmi statue, and on top of that, each planet has a saptaloka carved in the same manner. The sword, a symbol of power, authority, and security, lies at the heart of Saptalok. On top of that, there’s Kamalasana. Bhairavnath sat shocked in Kamalasana, his legs wide out. In Bhairavasana, the almighty Siddhilakshmi is represented by five heads. Siddhilakshmi, who has ten arms, wields a variety of weapons.

The Shikhar-style Siddhi-Vatsala temple is an excellent example of architectural symbolic embellishment. From this perspective, this temple can be called the world’s only one-of-a-kind, one-of-a-kind temple that is rare and unmatched by any other temple. The magnificent pair statues on the left and right sides of the stairwells in each of the five-story belts serve as evidence for our claim.

A pair of male and female idols may be found in the first box of this temple, on the left and right sides of the stairwell. These wonderful men and women are dressed up and their lovely haircuts flow down to their knees, reminiscent of medieval aristocratic folk life influenced by the Mughal Era. They have strong and dignified attitudes on their faces.

The guy on the right is leading an Ajang dog with a chain in his right hand while holding the arm of a naked child with his left, while the lady on the left is leading an Ajang dog with a chain in her left hand towards the goal. Even joyful children with a smile on their faces are assured in their love for their parents. On the basis of the Ananda Ramayana, the naming of these idols is called as ‘Asitang’ or ‘Asitangasati’ in terms of idol symbols.

It is clear from this that Bhairav Bhairavi is not only these little idols, but also the temple’s guardians and other creatures.

A pair of horses, a pair of rhinos on the third level, a pair of islands on the fourth level, and a pair of camels on the fifth level may be found in the second belt of the Siddhi-Vatsala temple, on the right and left side of the stairs. Horses, rhinos, and other living creatures have been carved in wood, stone, metal, and other materials as sacred creatures from the dawn of humanity.

On the left and right sides of the steps of the Nepalese temple, lions, shards, elephants, and other animals may be observed, but horses, rhinos, islands, and camels have only appeared in this temple. These creatures are undeniably retained to add to the temple’s uniqueness.

The horns of rhinoceros are said to have therapeutic properties. Religious rites and ceremonies also make use of horn. Elephants and Horses were employed for vehicles, battle, transportation of products, religious and cultural purposes in the Nepal Mandal at the time, but the employment of camels, which are not indigenous in Nepal, is known to be uncommon.

Camels are not regarded sacred animals in Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal and India. It has a history of use in transportation, automobiles, and warfare. A camel statue looks to be in the Laxman temple in Khajuraho, central India (Trilokchandra Mujpuria, Sacred Animals of Nepal and India, M. Devi, Lalitpur: 2000, p. 113). Elephants and Camels were also objects of royal adoration. Compensation in the form of elephants and camels had to be considered whether the war was won or lost.

It was usual to provide as a present to develop diplomatic relations between the two states, according to the source material on the subject. In 834 BCE (1771 BCE), King Bhupatindra Malla of Bhaktapur donated two elephants, one camel, one camel and one elephant to King Bhaskaramalla of Kantipur. As a result, this temple’s camel has displayed the beauty, splendor, and affluence of Bhaktapur at the time.

The mythological animals inhabit the islands to the left and right of the temple’s fourth-floor stairwell. Bhairav is described as coating the island’s skin and chewing sukuti in the Durga Saptashati. It is well known that the island, which has a visage that resembles that of the ancient Yaksha, is thought to be a member of the lion family (Lion, Tiger, Shardul, Island). These islands also remind us of a few of islands in front of Bhaktapur Sallaghari’s Chongaganesh Temple, as well as various shrines in the Kathmandu Valley.

The huge earthquake of 1990 BS devastated the Siddhi-Vatsala temple as well as other Bhaktapur palace properties. During Juddha shamsher Rana‘s stint as Prime Minister, the temple and other properties were reconstructed within three years. It was similarly devastated by the huge earthquake of 2072. Following that, the Department of Archeology began reconstruction work in 2073 BS and finished it on December 7, 2075 BS, handing over the key to the Bhaktapur Municipality.

Vatsala temples may be found throughout Nepal Mandal. For the first time, such factual new information regarding these Vatsalas has been uncovered through compiling factual analysis from published and unpublished sources, as well as field surveys. This research also serves as a foundation for reworking some of our previous work. Research does not stop; rather, it begins where it finisBhaktapur Sallaghari’s Chongaganesh Templehes. This research is no different.

These Vatsala temples have created the sense that it is critical to consider legacy not only materially or immaterially, but also from a materialist perspective. These Vatsala temples in Bhaktapur are among the most stunning structures created during the experimental period of Shakta Tantric dominance. These heritages were created as a sign to exhibit the splendor of Bhaktapur state and all the devotees in the then Nepal Mandal, in the competitive era of generating artwork exceeding each other.