An exhaust gas purifying catalyst according to the present invention is provided with a base material 10 and a catalyst-coated layer 30. The catalyst-coated layer 30 is provided with a lower layer 34 and an upper layer 32. The upper layer 32 contains Rh and/or Pt as a noble metal catalyst. The lower layer 34 contains Pd as a noble metal catalyst. The lower layer 34 is provided with a front-stage lower layer 34a positioned on an upstream side and a rear-stage lower layer 34b positioned on a downstream side. The front-stage lower layer 34a is a Ce-free layer that does not contain a Ce-containing oxide. The rear-stage lower layer 34b is a Ce-containing layer that contains a Ce-containing oxide with a pyrochlore structure.