Situated below Shivapuri hill at the northern end of the valley,
Buddhanilkantha  temple  is  9  km  from  Kathmandu city. The temple 
consists of  a  pond in which lies a great stone figure of the Hindu 
god  Vishnu  reclining  on  the  coils of a cosmic serpent. The huge 
statue  of  sleeping Vishnu is carved from the single block of black 
stone  of  a  Type not found in the valley. It is believed that ages 
before the two hardworking farmers (husband and wife) discovered the
 statue when they were ploughing their field.

    Besides Budhanilkantha temple, there are other two sets of exact
ly  similar, but smaller statues of 'sleeping Vishnu' in the Valley. 
One  set  is in the Balaju garden and the other is hidden in the old 
garden of  Hanuman Dhoka Palace of Kathmandu city. A prophetic dream 
of  King  Pratap  Malla  generated the belief that the King of Nepal 
should never visit Buddhanilkantha temple on threat of death.He then
built the similar statue in two places