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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.
PATAN DURBAR SQUARE:
 Patan
is probably one of the oldest Buddhist cities in the world. It is
believed that the city was founded in the 3rd century A.D. Patan
is situated on a plateau across Bagmati river. The city is famous
for its finest traditional crafts and rich artistic heritage.
Patan is designed and built after Buddhist Dharma Chakra. It is
surrounded by 4 Stupas in 4 corners of Patan, one at each corner
of its cardinal points. These stupas are said to have been built
by the famous Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. It is also said
that the ancient city got its name Lalitpattan after the Lalitadhara
forest was cleared by king Biradava. It must be remembered that
the name of Patan used by Newars in Yala. It is said that King Yalamber
named this city after himself. Before Malla Dynasty ascended the
throne in 1480 the Muslim Emperor Sam Suddin Iliyas destroyed the
temples and monuments of Patan. When King Siddhi Nar Singh Malla
ascended the throne in 1618, he started to rebuild the city and
Shrinivas and Yog Narendra Malla made further contributions to it.
These days one can see the beautiful palace complex and squares
built during the Malla period.
Things to visit are:
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Krishna Temple
The Krishna Mandir is dedicated to lord Krishna and was build
by Siddhi Narsingha Malla in 1637. Many writers have considered
this temple as and ornament of Patan. This temple was built in
Shikhara style, which is considered to be of Indian influence
in Nepal. The temple is three storied and important scenes from
the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics have been carved inside the
temple. The statue of Krishna lies in the first floor and only
Hindus are allowed to go in. It is one of the most visited temples
in Patan. On the occasion of Krishna Janmasthanmi (Lord Krishna’s
Birthday), thousands of devotees come to the temple. The other
importance of this temple is a statue of Garuda)(the vehicle of
Krishna or Vishnu) in front of the temple.
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Golden Temple
The Golden Temple or Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is the richest temple
in Patan. The temple is just two minutes walk towards, the north
of the Durbar Square. The temple, built in the 12th Century, is
popular among the Buddhists of Patan. At the main entrance two
lions are guarding the temple. The building has three roofs with
copper golden facades. Inside the temple, there are images of
Buddha and Boddisattvas. In the courtyard, there is a small temple
with beautifully decorated pinnacle.
Other interesting things to see here are Mulchowk, Jagat Narayan
Temple, Big Bell, Pillar of Yognarendra Malla, Hari Shanker temple,
Vishwanath temple, Bhimsen temple, Marga Hiti, and Mani Mandap,
Café Pagoda, Kumbheswor Temple, Rato Machhendra Temple, Minnath,
Rudra Varna Mahavihar and so on.
BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE:
Durbar Square is an assortment of pagoda and shikhara-style temples
grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The
square is part of a charming valley as it highlights the idols of
ancient kings perched on top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities
looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in very place
- struts, lintels, tympanums, gateways and windows - all seem to
form a well orchestrated symphony.
Places to Visit
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The Lion Gate
The massive gate that dates back to 1696 AD is guarded by two
huge statues of lions at the either sides. The dreadful stone
image of Lord Shiva and the fearful image of Ugrachandi attract
the tourists from far off.
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The Golden Gate
(Sun Dhoka)
The Golden gate is said to be the most beautiful and richly moulded
specimen of its kind in the entire world. The door is a embellished
with monsters and mythical creatures of marvellous intricacy.
The Golden Gate was erected by King Ranjit Malla and is the entrance
to the main courtyard of the Palace of fifty-five windows.
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The Palace of
Fifty Five Windows
This magnificent palace was built during the reign of King Yakshay
Malla in 1427 AD and was subsequently remodeled by King Bhupatindra
Malla in the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls with their
gracious setting and sculptural design, is considered as a unique
masterpiece of woodcarving.
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The Art Gallery
The Art Gallery contains ancient paintings belonging to the Hindu
and Buddhist traditions of various periods and descriptions. The
gallery is particularly famous among researchers on Hinduism and
Buddhism.
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The Statue of
King Bhupatindra Malla
This statue depicts King Bhupendra Malla in the act of worship
and is located on a column facing the palace. This is considered
the most magnificent statue among the many statues in the squares.
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Nyatapola
This is the most famous pagoda of Nepal, which was built in 1702
A.D by Bhupatendra Mala. This temple was dedicated to Siddhilaxmi,
the tantric mother goddess of supreme power. Nyatapola in Newari
means a five tiered symbolizing five basic elements - water, earth,
fire, wind and sky.
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Pashupati Temple
According to a folklore, a Bhaktapur native who was a great devotee
of Lord Pashupati, had a dream in which lord Shiva told him to
build a temple for him so that he could move into it. He obeyed
this command and thus the temple came into existence.
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Vatsala Temple
This 17th century stone temple, dedicated to a mother goddess,
is full of intricate works on stone.
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