Guṅgaḥ Cibhāḥ

Curated by Pabitra Bajracharya

Guṅgaḥ Cibhāḥ
photo by Yogesh Budathoki, May 2026

Guṅgaḥ Cibhāḥ (DANAM ID: THI0260) is located in Pācho Ṭola, Thimi, and is named after its unique arrangement of nine caityas built on a single plot. At the centre stands a large copper-clad stone caitya, locally known as the Svayambhū Caitya, surrounded by eight smaller caityas. The complex also includes the shrine of Akṣobhya (Navacaitya Vihāra), a Bhajana Sataḥ, a Mahākāla caitya, and a Nāsaḥdyaḥ shrine with the footprints of Mañjuśrī. Although tradition associates the site with a former pond called Durupukhū, archaeological evidence indicates that Guṅgaḥ Cibhāḥ predates 1723 (NS 843), when an inscription records the construction of the adjacent Bhajana Sataḥ and the establishment of a guthi for its maintenance during the reign of Raṇajita Malla. The central caitya was clad in copper in 1937 (VS 1994), Navacaitya Vihāra was established in 1963 (VS 2019), and the main caitya was restored in 2012 (NS 1132). Although once identified as one of Thimi's nine bāhāḥs, local tradition does not recognise Navacaitya Vihāra as such. Guṅgaḥ Cibhāḥ remains an important Buddhist ritual centre. Annual worship is performed by the Prajāpati community on Kārtika Pūrṇimā, while daily worship at Navacaitya Vihāra is maintained by a local Vajrācārya family. The Bhajana Sataḥ also hosts regular dāphā bhajana during Guṃlā and other annual religious observances. DANAM database.