patan

The next stop is Patan, Another main city center within the valley.  Otherwise known as ‘Lalitpur’ (Beautiful City), Patan is located roughly 4 km Southeast of Kathmandu near the Bagmati River.   Known for its fine arts, the numerous gulleys branching out from the center square of the former Durbar are lined with locally made metal statues, paintings, woodwork, jewelry, among other crafts.   Patan is a visual testament to both the Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions, especially from the Newar Malla dynasty, as the architectures of both are present throughout the city’s expanse.

As with the other main cities, Patan’s central group of famous structures are located in the Durbar Square.   Both the Royal Palace and the temple to the royal deity Taleju mark the entrance to the square.   Mostly built during the Malla reign from the 16 ^th to 18 ^th Century, the traditional Newari architecture adorn these structures with numerous courtyards throughout.   Aligning the royal palace is the impressive collection of artifacts specific to Nepal’s artistic history located in the Patan Museum.

Across from the Patan museum the Krishna Mandir is one of the more famous temples within the city.   Made out of stone with influences from the Moghuls of India, scenes from the Mahabarata and Ramayana are depicted in the carvings.   The temple is a pleasant, central area to rest and observe the daily activities in the square.   North of Durbar square, the five tiered temple of Kumbeshwar is said to be one of the oldest existing structures within Patan.   A popular location for personal worship, the ponds within the temple’s compound are said to be fed from the Gosainkunda Lake.   Shamans take an annual pilgrimage to the lake to secure powers from Shiva, and likewise will visit the Kumbeshwar temple during the Janai Purnima festival.  

Two of the more popular Buddhist structures within Patan are the Kwa Bahal and Mahabuddha.   The Kwa Bahal, commonly known as the ‘Golden Temple’ contains a well decorated large inner courtyard with numerous gilded and carved ornaments.   A Buddhist prayer hall and shrine occupies a section of the upper story looking down onto the courtyard.   In contrast, Mahabuddha is a large terra cotta structure designed after an original structure in Bodh Gaya, India, where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.   Located in a courtyard surrounded by residential and commercial buildings, the shikhara style structure is decorated with small seated Buddha images throughout, which has earned it the name “Temple of the Thousand Buddhas”.   Though affected by the 1934 earthquake, the temple was rebuilt and leftover pieces were fashioned into the adjoining temple of Maya Devi, the Buddha’s mother.