The Jagannath Temple, also known as Char Narayan, is a historic monument in Kathmandu’s Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square. Initially believed to have been built by King Pratap Malla (reign 1641–74), its origins were later traced to 1563 during King Mahendra Malla’s reign (reign 1560–1574), as evidenced by inscriptions.

This Newar-style temple is built of brick and wood, featuring a central shrine surrounded by an ambulatory. Its design includes blocked passageways that separate the shrine from the main structure and four corner towers forming a pancayatana layout with shrines for Vishnu, Mahadeva, Ganesa, Surya, and Durga. The two-tiered roofs are supported by 48 intricately carved wooden brackets depicting Vishnu’s 24 forms, although some carvings are now damaged. Below the brackets are friezes of erotic scenes, which, though originally painted, are now monochrome.

The temple’s purpose has evolved over time. The central deity, a four-headed Chaturmukhi Vishnu statue from 1563, represents Vishnu’s manifestations. During Pratap Malla’s rule, additional statues of Krishna (Jagannath), Subhadra, and Balabhadra were added, mirroring the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, India. This transformation likely served to create a local equivalent for Nepalese pilgrims unable to reach India’s distant Char Dham sites.