Description of Tourist sites in Bhaktapur
Durbar Square :
Bhaktapur Durbar Square is one of the seven UNESCO world heritage sites located in Kathmandu Valley. This spectacular square, a capital of Malla Kingdom till 1769, is an open museum itself. Victorian illustrations show that it was once packed with monasteries, temples and artistic buildings, almost one third of which were destroyed by the disasterous earthquake of 1934. The square still holds mesmerizing palaces, pagodas, shikhara-style temples as well as Buddhist monasteries exclusively architectured. While you pace through Durbar Square, you will be compelled to feel the touch of mediaeval excellence.
Approaching Durbar Square through the huge white gate, on your left you will notice a pair of lion statues guarding supposedly one of the entrances to the royal complex. Between them lies two master pieces of stone sculptures, Bhairav the fierce form of Shiva and Durga a fiersome manifestation of Goddess Parvati, which date back to 1701 A.D. It is believed that the unfortunate sculpture had his hands cut off afterwards, to prevent him from duplicating his masterpieces.
In front of these statue of Bhairav and Durga, there are a series of temples, which represent the four highest Hindu pilgrimage sites – Jaganath, Kedarnath, Rameswor & Badrinath. Then Malla kings had them constructed for those who could not afford to visit the original sites in India.
Another pair of lion statues and stone sculptures of Hanuman (the god of strongly) and Narshinga (on incomating of lord Vishnu) can be seen at the entrance of the National Art Gallery, which is suituated on the middle north side of the Square. The Gallery is worth visiting for its exclusive collection of Buddhist Paubha (Thankas) paintings, palm leaf manuscripts as well as metal and stone statues.
The whole block on the North side of the Square is the main palace complex. It used to consist 99 different courtyards within. The main entrance to this palace complex is the master pieces among all you see in Bhaktapur. Through this Golden Gate you may entrer to discover the courtyard of Taleju Temple, the royal bath and what used to be the residence of Malla kings.
Next to the Golden Gate is the most talked about 55 windows palace of king Bhupatindra Malla. The series of intricately carved woodcarving windows on the second floor is the speciality of the structure. The whole of these windows have been pulled in by more than 2 feet to the present level during reconstruction after the earthquake of 1934.
Right in front of the Golden Gate you can see this impressive statue of king Bhapatindra Malla on a high stone column. The gold gilded statue in the position of worship is the centre of apraisal for every visitor.
In front of the palace lies a large bell erected by king Ranjit Malla in 1737. Beside the big bell stands Shikhara style Durga temple, completely built out of stones in 1727 by Jaya Ranajit Malla. On the lower frlank of this Vatsala temple lies another small bell erected by king Bhupatindra Malla. It is popularly known as the ‘Braking bell’ because dogs bark and whine at its sound. Unfortunately it is now broken.
Chasilin Mandap is another finest and uniquely octagonal structure in the Square. Completely destroyed by the earthquake in 1934, it was rebuilt only in 1989 using much of its original remains with the support from the German Government.
At the southeast corner of the palace stands the stone temple of Goddess Siddhi Laxmi. Locally known as “Lohan Dega”, the Sikhara style temple is marbled for the array of structures, as never seen else where, along the sides of its steps. In the middle of the eastern side of the Square there are two rather lost looking large stone lions standing on their own. Once there was a temple called “Lanpang Dega”, also destroyed during the earthquake.
As the central attraction of the second part of Durbar Square stands a large white “Phasi Dega”, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. From here you will be able to have a good view of Bhaktapur itself.
Going back to the main Durbar Square, in front of the Art Gallery is a long but narrow building called “Pahan Chhen” (Literally meaning Guest House) which adds to the beauty of the Square.
To the east of “Pahan Chhen” lies the beautiful two storied Pagoda Temple of Lord Shiva. Built by Yakchya Malla in the 17th Century, the replica of Pashupati Nath Temple in Kathmandu, is decorated beautifully with sculptures and erotic carvings on the wooden planks under its roofs. 
Museums in Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur is an paradise for Art lovers. The whole city could be a live museum itself. If we had enough resources we could have many more specialized museums; Museum of traditional Dances, Museum of Traditional Instruments, Costumes, Ornaments etc. We can still offer to our beloved guests three specialized museums.
The National Art Gallery :
Located at Durbar Square has magnificent collection of ancient thanka painting (Paubha) and various classic and medieval masterpieces in wood, stone and metal. Being actually housed in the ancient palace you can also get the chance to marvel the original masterpiece of wall paintings on the walls of the Malla palace. Established in 1960, the Gallery is a place to be while in Bhaktapur.
The wood carving museum :
The woodcarving museum is housed in a 19th century building, known as Pujari Math specially built for the priests of those periods. The ‘Math’ itself is elegant in its architecture with enumerable intricately carved wooden doors and windows including the famous Peacock Window. This Museum situated at Dattatraya Square displays an array of wooden objects which also portray the changing social outlook of Bhaktapur.
The Bronze and Brass Museum :
Right opposite to the Wood Carving Museum in another ‘Math’, the Bronze & Brass Museum displays heterogeneous ceremonial and household metal ware. The collection of objects, such as ritual lamps, hanging lamps, ceremonial Jars, water vessels, cooking pots, oil pots, ink pots, etc., which were used in the ancient and medieval periods.
Taumadhi Square
Taumadhi Square, just half a minute walk form the Durbar Square is the square that divides the ancient town into upper and lower halves. The biggest festival of the town-Bisket Jatra, schedules every year in April – starts from this very square. The square is dominated by many mesmerising temples and other medieval architecture Nyatapola – temple. Bhairav-temple and Teel Mahadev Narayan temple are the major structures. Being centrally located a lot of local activities depicting local life-style and culture can be observed here throughout the day.
Nyatapola Temple
The Nyatapola temple lies in the south of the square is named after its physical structure (five tiers of roofs) is the tallest temple in the valley and certainly one of Nepal’s most stupendous monuments. The temple founded by king Bhupatindra Malla in 1702 A.D, is dedicated to Goddess Siddhi Laxmi - the Goddess representing the most powerful female force. It has its own legend behind its construction, which goes as follows.
Once the God Bhairava of the Bhairava temple (the next tallest temple in the square) became troublesome to the king in some typically ill-defined manners and he was advised that the Bhairava of the square needed some female deity to maintain a balance with the power of terrifying Bhairava. Thus, the king himself got involved, as advised by then astrologers, in the construction of the temple. It is believed that the goddess Siddhi Laxmi has a calming effect on the Bhairava.
The temple was so well constructed that even the earthquake of 1934 A.D. caused only a minor damage to it, where as the temple of Bhairava was completely destroyed. The temple stands above the five-stage plinth and rises over 30m above the top plinth. Pairs of guardian figures flank the stairway that ascends the plinth. It is believed that every pair of these guardians is ten times more powerful than the pair immediately below. At the bottom of the stairway lies a pair of 2m high stone statues of the legendary Rajput wresters-Jaimal and Pata; a pair of elephants, a pair of lions, a pair of griffons and a pair of tantric goddesses known as Singhini and Toyahagrini placed one pair above the other in the same sequence.
The temple rich in its craftsmanship is one of the best samples of traditional Nepalese architecture and is admired by every visitors, foreign and locals alike. The municipality renovated the roofs of the temple recently. We are celebrating the third centaury of Nyatapola temple this year in March.
Dattatraya Square
Like the other Squares, Dattatraya Square is another open museum that contains innumerable monumental masterpieces of woodcarvings. The square originally known as “Tachupal” verbally meaning the ‘grand rest house’ - alone consists seven ‘Math’s, among a dozen existing in Bhaktapur. Bhimsen-temple, the famous Peacock window, the Bronze and Brass Museum, the woodcarving Museum and Dattatraya temple are the additional major attractions of the square. Dattatraya square probably is the original center of Bhaktapur, in the initial periods of it’s founding.
Dattatraya Temple
Dattatraya Temple built in 1427 A.D. by king Yakshya Malla and his son Raja Malla is the only temple in Nepal that is dedicated to the God Dattatraya – the combined incarnation of three supreme gods of Hinduism; Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. According to the legend, an influential and highly respected Indian ‘yogi’ returning from his pilgrimage, died here. (Nepalese have the culture of considering visitors as Gods and treating them likewise. Specially ‘yogis’ (traveling saints) are highly respected as learned ones.) So the shrine was built in his memory by then rulers as a tribute. It is believed that the temple as a whole was built using timber from a single tree.
Originally the temple was only two storied. Additional construction was done latter on. The main beauty of the temple is its unique architectural design and the intricate woodcarvings artistically decorated all over the structure. An wooden figure, the figure of Dattatraya can be seen overlooking the square from the central window of the second floor. Probably a way of giving the impression that God is watching us all.
The additional attractions of the shrine are displayed at and about the front. At the entrance the temple is guarded by two large stole sculptures of Jaiput wrestles Jaimala and Pata as in Ngatapola temple. By the sides of these sculptures a conch & a “Chakra” (a discus like weapon) the attributes of Vishnu is displayed above 3m high stone pillars. A Beautiful Gold gilded metal statue of Garuda - the vehicle of Lord Vishnu is positioned at the front of the temple on top of another stone column. One might also be interested in the wood carved erotic panels around the temple, which still is used for sheltering yogis and pilgrims.
Pottery square
Bhaktapur has two famous pottery squares. One is located at Talaco towards the
southern part of Durbar Square and another one at Suryamadhi, to the east of Dattatraya square. Many potters can be seen working on their traditional wheels and thousands of finished and semi-finished clay products lie about in beautiful rows under the sun. Potters and their families can be observed busy in preparing the lumps of black clay for the final shaping, mending some of the raw clay products or adding finer craftsmanship onto the half done articles. If one is lucky, one can even see how they burn these clay products in the open traditional kilns for days before the final products are ready. Within the Talaco pottery square two important temples of Vishnu and Ganesh can also be seen erected in a very traditional way. Where as in the other pottery square the shrine of Wakupati Narayan with beautiful wood carving windows, stone sculptures and a sample piece of Pagoda temple can be observed. It is the local belief that everyone entering the temple premises must sit some where, for at least a while, for good luck !
Beyond regular tourist routs
Bhaktapur, even as being the smallest among three cities in the valley consists of numberous magnificent Hindu and Buddish monuments that represent the ancient glory of the city.
Khancha – Pukhu
Khanchu – Pukha located to the south of Dattatrya square is one of the amazingly architectured pond. The unique importance of the pond is in its perfectly displaying the image of the Nyatapola temple. Though being situated at a distance over 500m from the temple and densely packed tall houses stand between them, the beautiful reflection can still be viewed and enjoyed.
Hanuman Ghat
It is a religious site for Hindus and Buddhists alike. River banks often used by local people for washing purposes are called ‘Ghat’. People (specially elderly people) have the practice of visiting such ‘Ghat’ areas in the early mornings to wash themselves purifying their bodies. Then they go about visiting temples and images of gods and goddesses; a process of purifying ones mind and soul. ‘Ghat’s usually have one or more crematory where the dead bodies are burned to ashes and the ashes inturn are thrown into the river as a part of Hindu/Buddhist cultural rite. It is a popular practice among the locals to have a small temple built or an image of a god or goddess established in and about such Ghat areas in memory of those who has died. That is probably why these Ghat areas appear very very religions. Among several such ‘Ghat’ areas in Bhaktapur, Hanuman Ghat spreads to a larger area with many religious images, objects and structures scattered around in such an array that even a non-religious person would start feeling differently once visiting there. For tourists it is like walking about in elien land. The Largest Shiva Lingam in Nepal, temple of Ram, numerous stone sculptures, small stupas, shiva lingams and more can be observed in this ‘Ghat’ area. Visiting this place in the early mornings is recommended. One can observe haw a day begins for a religious and traditional Newars in Bhaktapur.
Dipankar Vihar
Buddhist monasteries or “Bihars” have their own importance in flourishing the Buddhist art and architecture of the medieval time. “Bihar” locally known as “Baha” in Newari dialect house the communities of celibate monks and are used as place to study and practise Buddist teachings.
Dipankar vihar is one of the nineteen Vihars that exist in Bhaktapur. It is typically designed and built in a three-storied Hindu “Agan-chhen” style-at Kwathandau, ward no 4. The finely carved windows, roof struts, golden peeping window on the 2nd floor, lower tiled roof and gold gilded upper roof with pinnacle made in a shape of a Chaitya are the features of the main building.
Enthroned inside the shrine, as the main deity, is Depankar Buddha, red-image in meditative mood & decorated with golden ornaments. Among the five Dipankar Buddhas of Bhaktapur the one here is regarded as the oldest, dating back to A.D. 1000. Number of prayer wheels surround the main shrine and a huge prayer wheel at the front enables visitors to pray at all time.
A small courtyard at the side of the shrine contains a cluster of Chaityas, a decorated deep-water spout, an ancient well, praying room and a Kumari house-house of the living goddess. There used to be a kitchen, meditation room and guest rooms outside the norther entry, where Tibetain monks used to take shelter. This Vihar is mostly crowded during the time of “Gunla” that occurs in mid July to mid August and in some annual ritual festivals.
Indra Varna Mahavihar
Among nineteen Bihars existing in Bhaktapur, Indra Varna Mahavihara one of the most important, was built by a Shakya monk-Dev Singh Bajracharya-during the reign of King Jaya Jaga Jyoti Malla in 1671 A.D. Located at about three-fourth way up from Taumadhi or Durbar Square to Dattatraya Square, the complex of the Baha is marked by two lion statues at the door steps that lead to the main courtyard of the shrine. The “Patinga Hiti” a traditional water spout, built well below road level, can be seen right in front of the entrance to the opposite side of the lane. The water spout serving under the ancient drinking water system in being used by the local populace till this date. The three storied newari style building decorated with small but beautifully crafted, gold gilt, antique windows, Tantric wood carving windows at its second floor, six finely carved struts supporting its roof two Torans with beautiful images of Buddha, ten prayer wheels for regular use and a typical pagoda style roof with gold gilted pinnacle are the adorable features of the main shrine. This beautiful architecture houses the image of Shakyamuni Buddha which is brought in the streets once a year on the Panjaran festival. Three Chaityas-Bajradhatu Chaitya, Dharmadhatu Chaitya and Shikharakut Chaitya belonging to Malla & Shaha dynasties can be seen beautifully placed in the courtyard right infront of the main shrine. Images of deities like Biswokarma, Ganesh, Mahakal, Agnikunda etc. add secred charms to the Baha.
Various rituals and functions are observed daily. Obviously there are many rituals celebrations that take place annually. The recommended time to visit this Vihar is during the time of Gunla, which occurs between mid-July to mid-August and during annual ritual festivals.
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