Patan Durbar Square

Patan is probably one of the oldest Buddhist City 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. Another name of Patan, is Lalitpur. This city is known for its finest traditional crafts and rich artistic heritage.

Patan is designed and built after Buddhist Dharma Chakra. It is surrounded by 4Stupas as 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 see here are:

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.

Golden Temple:
The Golden Temple or Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is the richest temple in Patan. The temple is just tow minutes walk towards, the north f the Durbar Square. The temple, built in the 12th Century, is popular among the Buddhists of Patan. At the main entrance tow 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.

Kathmandu durbar square

Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the major attractions in Kathmandu Valley. The word Durbar Square translated in English as Palace Complex. The Durbar Square, with its old temples and palaces, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people.

Interesting things to see here are:-

Kumari (The Living Goddess) Gar:
At the West end of the square, is a beautiful house full of woodcarving of different God and Goddesses. This Palace is three storied and in this palace, lives the very famous living Goddess Kumari. Both Hindus and Buddhists equally venerate her. For Hindus she is the reincarnation of Hindu Goddess Kali. She is equally worshiped by Buddhists because she is chosen from Buddhist family. This shows the harmony between Buddhist and Hindus in Nepal.

Kastha Mandap:
One of the popular temples of Kathmandu Durbar Square is Kashamandap locally knows as Maru Sattal. It is believed that the name of Kathmandu City is derived from the name of this temple. Kastha means wood and Mandap means pavilion. And it is said that this temple is built by one single Sal (sorea robusta) tree. At the center of this temple, one can see the statue of a Hindu God Gorakhnath and in the four corners of the temple one can see Ganesh Statues.

Maru Ganesh:
Small yet the most visited temple of Kathmandu is Maru Ganesh. The people of Kathmandu valley believe that the four Ganesh in four corners of Kathmandu valley protect the peoples living in Kathmandu. Every day people go to worship this temple and especially on Tuesdays one can see a long queue of people waiting for hours to worship. Tuesday is considered the day of Ganesh.

Other interesting things to see here are Mahadev Temple, Shiva Parvati Temple, Bhagwati Temple, Old palace, Saraswoti temple, Krishna Octangular Temple, Big drums, Kal Bhairav, Jagannath Temple, and Taleju Temple etc..

Bhaktapur Durbar square

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara – style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The square is one of the most charming valley as it highlights the ancient of the 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.

The main items of interest in the Durbar Square are:-

The Lion Gate:
Dating as far back as AD 1696 this gate is guarded on either side by huge statues of lions. Alongside, there are two stone images of (the dreadful aspect of Shiva) and Ugrachandi (the consort of the Shiva in her fearful manifestation).

The Golden Gate:
The Golden Gate is said to be the most beautiful and richly moulded specimen of its kind in the entire world. The door is surmounted by a figure of the goddess Kali and Garuda (the mythical man – bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It is embellished with mythical creatures of marvelous intricacy. In the words of Percy Brown, and eminent English are critic and historian, the Golden Gate is the most lovely pieces of are in the whole Kingdom; it is places like a jewel, flashing innumerable facets in the handsome setting of its erected by King Ranjit Mala and is the entrance of the main courtyard of the palaces of Fifty – five windows.

The Palace Of fifty – five Windows: This magnificent palace was built during the reign of King Yakshay Malla in AD 1427 and was subsequently remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls with their gracious setting and sculptural design, is a balcony with fifty-five Windows, considered a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.

The Art Gallery: The Art Gallery contains ancient paintings belonging to the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of various periods and descriptions. This gallery is open everyday except Tuesday.

The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla: This statue shows king Bhupatindra Malla in the act of worship is set on a column facing the palace. This is considered the most magnificent statue amongh the many statues in the squares.

Dakshinkali

Dakshinkali
The temple of Dakshinkali is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali and is one of the most popular places of worship in Kathmandu. Located 22 km from the city center on the southern rim of the valley past Pharping village, the shrine is especially crowded on Tuesdays and Saturdays when animal sacrifices are offered to the deity. According to a mythology the Goddess Durga has killed the demon and drank the blood of animals. This is the reason blood is scarified to her. The temple was built by Pratap Malla during 17th century, but the construction, seems to be very new. The preparation before and after the offering is very interesting to see.

On the way back, we stop at Chobhar gorge. Legend has it that Manjushree cutout the gorge to drain out Kathmandu valley was then a lake. There is a small but picturesque temple of Adinath on the top of a hill. From this top one can have a completed view of snowcapped mountains peaks.

Manakamana Temple(The Goddess of fulfilling the pray)

Manakamana
The temple and small village of Manakamana is situated atop the 1302 metre hill that lies just north-east of the town of Mugling, some three and a half hours by bus east from Pokhara, or about the same time by bus west from Kathmandu. A cable car runs from the cable station of Cheres, just 5 kms east of Mugling to Manakamana in fifteen minutes. It is an exhilarating ride as you pass the river and up two ridges to the top. If you want, you can return by walking down the former well-used track down to its exit on the Gorkha road, just 1 km north of the town of Abu Khareini.

The cable car operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., stopping for lunch break from 12.00 p.m. to 13.30 p.m. On Saturdays and holidays it starts operations an hour earlier. The cost is a hefty 10 U.S. Dollars plus 14% tax for foreigners, and R250 plus tax for Nepalese citizens. This is a return fare. Single fares only apply to a sacrificial goat (R140). Hindu devotees believe that a visit to this temple will bring good luck, so expect to see many animal sacrifices at the temple entrance.

There are many simple hotels and lodges in the village, all charging about R100 to R400 per room. Some even advertise hot water in attached bathrooms, but many are run down as there was a hotel building rush a few years ago and now that the cable car operates most people do not spend the night in the village. In the quietest months most restaurants will be closed and food will consist of momos or daal bhat only.
In theory it is possible to walk from Gorkha to Manakamana, passing along the hill-top ridge through forest and paddy, although you would probably need a guide. When I tried to hire a guide for this walk two years ago, the would-be guides were concerned about swollen rivers. So probably this is a walk for the dry season, although it should be an exciting walk of about seven hours or so.

Added note: When the cable car opened in 1998 it was with the understanding that the local people would benefit. Numbers of people visiting the sacred temple have doubled but people walking up the path from Abu Khareini have dwindled to almost zero and scores of lodges and tea houses have lost almost all their business. Perhaps empowered by the Maoists' show of strength against big business, in late August 2001 people from the village stormed the cable car offices and destroyed the computers and ticketing machines. For the first time since they had started operating, the cable cars were silent for almost one week. Even though you can now buy only a return ticket on the cable car, you might like to consider walking up or down the path one way and buy a meal or stay overnight in a lodge en route to help the dwindling trade of people who built their business without the concept that a giant like a cable car industry could destroy them.