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Patan Durbar Square

Patan Durbar Square

Patan Durbar Square

Durbar square is a generic name used in the context of ancient sites of Nepal. It is a name given to the plaza or areas in a certain place of old palaces. In Kathmandu valley, there are three durbar squares, viz. Kathmandu Durbar square, Patan Durbar square, and Bhaktapur Square. Patan Durbar Square is a royal region of the ancient Patan region which now lies in Lalitpur. It is enlisted in the UNESCO world heritage site.

Patan is considered to be a very prosperous city of the ancient period. Though there is no clear fact about its origin, it is believed that the region was built when Malla kings ruled Patan. The major architecture of the durbar square dates back to the 1600s when kings Siddhinarsimha Malla built this region. Also, the kings Purandarasimha, Sivasimha Malla, and Yoganarendra Malla are believed to have brought major changes to the durbar square. It is a center of both Hinduism and Buddhism with 136 courtyards that are locally called as “Bahals” and 55 major temples.

Temples:

Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar square region is considered to be the most important temple here. It was built by King Siddhi Narasimha Malla in 1637 in Shikhara architecture. The temple has several carvings on its stones about the stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Inside the temple, is the sculpture of Lord Krishna with Radha and Rukmini.

Other major temples of this region are Bhimsen temple, Taleju Bhawani temple, and Vishwanath temple. All of these are of different architecture are have their own historical and cultural importance.

Courtyards:

There are three major courtyards in Patan Durbar square, viz. Keshav Narayan Chok, Mul Chok, and Sundari Chok. These are built-in special architecture. Keshav Narayan Chok is located inside the Patan museum area which was the ancient palace of the Kings. Mul Chok is the central courtyard of the Patan Durbar square area. Taleju temples surround this courtyard and there is Vidya temple at the center of the courtyard. On its south, there is Sundari Chok.

Patan Museum:

Patan Museum displays the traditional sacred art of Nepal with its pure form of architectural setting. It has been built in an old residential court of Patan Darbar, one of the royal palaces of the former Malla kings of the Kathmandu Valley. This museum has the things and sculptures that are ancient to eastern civilization and are thousand of years old.

This is a place with major historical and cultural importance. Its architecture is considered to be unique in the whole world. Be sure to take a tour of this place if you’re in the valley!