Narayanhiti and Khasteebouddha

King Vikramaditya had built a sacred water spout (Narayanhiti) in Kathmandu, from which a stream of pure golden water flowed daily, and devotees who bathed there earned religious merit.

But in course of time, during the reign of King Vishwadev, that spout suddenly dried up completely. When the people were thrown into a panic for want of water, the king summoned the astrologers and sought their counsel. After studying the planetary positions, the astrologers said: "Your Majesty, unless a human sacrifice is offered of a great man endowed with the thirty-two marks, this spout will not flow again."

Deeming it better to give up his own life than to sacrifice an innocent subject, King Vishwadev devised a plan for his own self-sacrifice. He summoned Prince Manadev and gave him a secret command: "My son, tonight at midnight a demon will be lying asleep beside the spout of Narayanhiti, wrapped in white cloth. For the welfare of the people, without looking, strike off its head with a single blow."

Obeying his father's command, Manadev went to the spout at midnight and cut off the head of the person wrapped in white cloth. At once the golden water began to gush and flow from the spout. But the stone-faced naga of the spout turned its face away, crying, "Patricide!"

Looking up in alarm, Manadev saw that he had cut off his own father's head. Because of the great sin of patricide, that severed head stuck fast to Manadev's own hands and could not be removed.

For the expiation of his sin, Manadev went to Mount Manichud and took refuge with the goddess Vajrayogini. The goddess commanded him: "Set a bird free, and wherever that bird alights, build a great Buddhist chaitya there and perform your penance."

The bird flew to the eastern flatlands of Kathmandu and alighted there. Manadev began the construction of a chaitya at that spot. But because of the sin of patricide, a terrible drought fell upon the land for twelve years. Unable to obtain a drop of water, people spread white cloths over their fields throughout the night and at dawn wrung out the dew (khasu) to collect water, and kneading the mud they built the chaitya.

Because it was built from the water of the dew, that great chaitya was called 'Khasteebouddha' (Bouddhanath), and on this side the historic stone spout, whose naga had turned its face away, remained famous as 'Narayanhiti'.