Valley Tour
KATHMANDU DURBAR SQUARE:
Listed
as one of the eight Cultural World Heritage site by UNESCO, Kathmandu
Durbar Square is a cluster of ancient temples, palaces, courtyards
and streets that date back to the 12th and 18th centuries. The square
is known to be the social, religious and urban focal point of the
Capital City.
The Palace Complex was the Royal Nepalese residence until the 19th
century and is the site of important ceremonies, such as the coronation
of the Nepalese monarch. The palace is decorated with elaborately-carved
wooden windows and panels.
Things to visit are:
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Taleju Temple
The temple is a famous Hindu and Jain religious site. The three-tiered
temple is the first to be erected with more than two roofs and
raised on a tall stepped platform. It is said that the temple
was built in the shape of a yantra on the advice of the Taleju
Goddess herself and that she appeared to the King at the dedication
ceremony disguised as a bee.
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Mahendreshvara
Temple
The simple yet beautiful temple was built by King Mahendra Malla
and is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Shiva in the form of Pashupati.
The temple was destroyed in a 1934 earthquake and rebuilt thereafter.
The temple is a memorial to its founder.
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Jagannath Temple
The Jagannath Temple is recognized as the finest of the group
near Hanuman Dhoka. Exquisite wood-carvings embellish the doors,
windows and roof struts, depicting a panoply of gods from the
Hindu pantheon. Originally dedicated to Vishnu the shrine was
later re-dedicated to Jagannath.
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Degutale Temple
The temple was built by Shivasimha Malla honoring the Mallas'
family deity, Degutale. It resembles Taleju's shrine but with
a tower-like base in place of the stepped platform. The worship
of Degutale has its origins in a nature cult, the images being
pieces of rock which the Newaris set up and worshipped.
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Hanuman Dhoka
Palace facade turns at right angles between the Degutale Temple
and the Taleju Mandir. This way is created Hanuman Dhoka (Hanuman
is a monkey god). Hanuman idol placed in the dhoka has been anointed
with mustard oil and vermilion through the centuries.
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Nasal Chowk
Nasal Chowk takes its name from the little statue of the dancing
Krishna in the shrine on the east side of the court. In Malla
times the podium in the center of the court was used for dancing
displays. The Shah kings would be crowned in Nasal Chowk.untill
Nepal was a Kingdom.
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Mul Chowk
As the occasional abode of the goddess Taleju, the court is barred
to visitors, though it is often possible to peep in through the
gate and have a look at the exquisite beauty of the palace. The
Chowk is opened to Hindus once a year when, on the ninth day of
the Dasain Festival, hundreds of buffaloes and goats are sacrificed
to the goddess.
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Bhandarkal
Bhandarkal is a botanical garden created by King Pratap Mall in
the mid 17th century. With its diverse flora, Bhandarkal is a
treat for nature lovers and ecologists. The garden has been named
after a seven-storied palace that possesses a statue of the Sleeping
Vishnu, Jalashayana Narayan.
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Vilas Temple
Between the Lalitpur and Basantpur Towers can be seen the magnificently
carved façade of the three-storied Vilas Mandir, of a richness
truly befitting a Temple of Luxury.
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Trailokya Mohan
Narayan Temple
The three storied temple has the figure of Garuda placed in its
front and incarnations of Lord Vishnu within the temple. It was
built by Prithvi Bendra Malla in 1680.
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Shiva Temple
The Shiva Temple in Darbar Square is a replica of the Jaisi Deval
and was built by Riddhi Lakshmi in 1690.
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Shiv Parvati
Temple
The long low building on the northern side of Durbar Square contains
the beautiful shrines of Shiva and Parvati. This somewhat unusual
building is believed to date from the time of Bahadur Shah. It
is probably a reconstruction, the stepped platform on which it
stands being considerably older than the temple itself.
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Manju Deval
Dedicated to Shiva the large three-storied Manju Deval on its
unusually high stepped base seems to dominate Durbar Square. It
was built in 1692 by the mother of Bhupatindra Malla of Bhaktapur.
Inside the temple there is a Shiva lingam. The small shikhara
(temple tower in the North Indian style) at the foot of the steps
honors Kam Dev, Shiva's shakti.
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Kumari Bahal
The house of the Living Goddess, the Kumari Bahal looks like the
monastery that was constructed in 1757 by Jaya Prakash Malla.
Inside it lives the young girl who is selected to be the town's
living goddess, until she reaches her first puberty and reverts
to being a normal mortal.
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Kasthamandapa
Kasthamandap or house of wood is the building which gave Kathmandu
its name. Legend narrates that the whole building is constructed
from a Single Sal tree. At first it was a community hall where
local people gathered for important ceremonies but later it was
converted to a Temple of Gorakhnath. The image of Gorakhnath glitters
at the center of the building.
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Ashok Binayak
Shrine
The Ashok Binayak Shrine is the principle shrine of Lord Ganesha
in the Kathmandu Valley. The stone image of Lord Ganesha stands
beneath a golden replica of the Ashok tree which once shaded the
shrine and eventually gave it its name.
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Simha Sattal
Simla Sattal is located at the southern end of the Kathmandu Durbar
Square. The residential style temple contains the Garuda Narayan
figure, strange looking effigies and a little shrine of Harikrishna.
