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 the 3rd century A. D. by King Veera Dev has a distinction of being the home of the finest crafts and is considered the oldest of all three cities within the Kathmandu valley. Most of the monuments in the square date back to the medieval 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.

Prominent monuments / sites:

Main Chowk (courtyard): Patan Durbar Square consists of three main courtyards – Mul Chowk and Mani Keshav Narayana Chowk which houses the Patan Museum. The Sundari Chowk built by King Siddhi Narshing Malla in 1664 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 squar 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 as large phallic of Shiva and is guarded by two elephants.

Krishna Mandir: The temple of Lord Krishna built in the 17the century by King Siddhi Narshingh Malla is the first specimen of Shikhara style temple entirely made of stone. It 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. Legends say that the King would be remembered and remain immortal as long as the bird does not fly away from there. It is because of this belief 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 pillar located nearby with the Garuda atop facing the Krishna Temple is another typical example of Nepali stone workmanship.

Jaganath Temple: Also known as the Char Narayan temple and one of the oldest, this temple is located south of the Krishna temple. The temple is guarded by two lions and half human from sculpted in stone.

Harishankar Temple: This three-tier temple built in 1704 A. D. is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. This temple was built by the wives of King Yog 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 octagonal temple of Taleju Bhawani and Digu Taleju – the five storied temple of the protective deities built by King Siddhi Narsingha Malla in 17the century. These temples are unique examples of craftsmanship in wood.

Golden Temple: The three 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 the Lord Shiva was built during the reign of King Jayastithi Malla in the late 14th century. It is a few minutes’ walk north from the main square. A religious fair is held during Janai Poornima (August). There is also a famous Banglamukhi temple nearby.

Mahaboudha: Thousand images of Lord Buddha are found in the temple made of fine quality bricks, the temple was constructed in the 15th century by and architect named Avay Raj and is located eastward  within the walking distance from the main square.
There are many other shrines, sculptures, stupas scattered in and around the square and provide a unique experience to visitors and art lovers.

Glance of Nepal