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PATAN DURBAR SQUARE


Patan is also known as Lalitpur which means the city of arts. It is located across the river Bagmati which is 5 km south of central Kathmandu. This city founded in 3rd century A.D. by King Veera Dev has a distinction of being the home of the finest crafts and is considered oldest of all three cities of Kathmandu valley. Most of the monuments in this square date back to the medevial Malla period from 16th to 18th century and the monuments in the area are mostly credited to King Siddhi Nar Singh Malla, Shri Niwas Malla and Yog Narendra Malla.

Main Chowks ( Courtyards): Patan Durbar Square consists of three main courtyards – Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk and mani Keshab Narayan Chowk which houses the Patan Museum. The Sundari Chowk built by King Siddhi Nar Singh Malla in 1647 A.D. contains the master piece of stone sculpture known as the Royal Bath and was used for performing ritual bathing.

Bhimsen Temple: The three- storied temple of Bhimsen located on the extreme north of the square with the magnificent golden balcony overlooking the square outside is very popular amongst the local merchant and trader communities. There are curio shops around the temple.
Vishwa Nath Temple: This two- storied temple dedicated to Shiva located near the Bhimsen temple is built in Pagoda style and houses a large phallic of Shiva and the temple is guarded by two elephants.

Krishna Mandir: The temple of Lord Krishna built in the 17th century by King Siddhi Narshingh Malla is the first specimen of Shikhara style tempe entirely made of stone. I t is the only temple in Nepal with 21 golden pinnacles and contains engraved scenes from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Stone Column: The Stone Column of King Yog Narendra Malla in a praying posture to goddess Taleju is protected by a snake above his head and a bird is seen seated on the snake. Legend says that the King would be remembered and remain immortal as long as the bird does not fly from there. It is because of this believe that a window of the nearby palace is kept open for the spirit of the King to come and rest in the palace. A stone laocated nearby with the Garuda atop facing the Krishna Temple is another typical example of Nepali stone workmanship.

Harishankar Temple: This three-tier temple built iin 1704 A.D. is dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. This temple was built by the wives of King Yoga Narendra Malla after his death in his memory because of which this temple is also known as Sati temple.

Taleju Temple: There are prominent temples like the three- storied octangonal temple of Taleju Bhawani and Digu Taleju – the five Storied temple of the protective deities built by King Siddhi Narshingha Malla in 17th century. These temples are unique example of craftsmanship in wood.

Golden Temple: The tree- storied golden pagoda was built by King Bhaskar Verma in the 12th century and contains image of Amoghpash Lokeshwor, large prayer wheel and paintings of Buddha. The temple is located at a walking distance north from the main square.

Kumbheshwor: This five- storied temple dedicated to Shiva was built during the reign of King Jayastithi Malla in the late 14th century. It is few minutes walk north from the main square. A religious fair is held during Janai Purnima (August). There is also a famous Banglamukhi temple nearby.

Mahaboudha: Thousand images of Buddha are found in the temple made of fine quality bricks. The temple was constructed in the 15th century by an architech named Avay Raj and is located eastwards within walking distance from the main square.

There are many other shrines, sculptures, stupas scattered in an around the square and provide a unique experience to visitors and art lovers.