Sightseeing of Patan Durbar Square and Surroundings
Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square is an exemplary collection of old palace complex, an incredible museum, Hindu temples and Buddhist bahi and bahals which were once a center for religious and cultural practice in Patan.
Sightseeing in Patan and surroundings is a popular tour of Patan which is a town located on the south east of Kathmandu. As Kathmandu valley houses three different durbar square, Patan is one of the beautiful durbar squares. It has very beautiful palace complex with courtyards. Beside the palace it has lots of temples which are dedicated for different Hindu god and goddess. Besides the palace complex the tour will take to one of the tallest and oldest temples of Patan, Kumbheshwor which dates back to end of 14th century. Some temples are still under renovation. The palace complex houses a beautiful museum with collection of old statues, arts and wood carvings. The tour also takes to one of the richest Buddhist temples in Patan popular by the name Golden Temple. As the temple looks like gold from outside even it is made from copper but gold plated. Besides the monuments discovering the lifestyle of the people there is also an asset of doing the sightseeing of the area. The royal garden of the past which is located behind the palace is also a fascinating place to lost oneself in peace out of hustle and bustle of the streets. If one loves the chaos, one must go to see the local market located at the opposite side of Durbar Square towards Macchendrabahal.
The wood carvings inside the courtyard of the palace are of unparallel beauty where one can stroll for hours observing the miniature details of the figure. The hand postures and number of hands representing deities’ powerful manifestation is a fascinating explanation for non-Hindus.
As Patan is a center for Buddhism, there are lots of Bahals and Bahi’s which are treasures of value for the society and people living there. Wandering around these bahals gives exposure to Vajrayana Buddhism and the practice done by local peoples. Every Bahal and Bahi have their own rules and houses the principal deities of the Bahal or Bahi. There are occasional festivals when these bahals organize a mass worship and accumulate the main sculptures at one place so the public people can participate in this type of worship at one place.
One of the active temples in Patan, Kumbheswor is the tallest temple which got the renovation after the earthquake. Nearby Kumbheshwor a Bagalamukhi temple is of great importance now a days. Different types of religious functions are organized here every day. The special day to visit the Bagalamukhi temple is Thursdays.
One can even observe the stone face of Lalit who founded Lalitpur which is now named as Patan and also observe his Nal which was used to carry Macchendranath from India to save people from drought. Every year there is a festival for Machhendranath in Patan which is the longest festival. They assemble the chariot which is 65 feet high and draw the chariot on different streets of Patan carrying Red Machhendranath who is considered as God of rain. Macchindrabahal in Patan is the winter residence of Machhendranath. The summer residence is located at another small town of Bungmati on southern part of Patan.
Golden temple in Patan is one of the most popular Buddhist temples of Patan having unique culture as they have main priest of the temple a small boy who is always less than 12 years of age. The golden temple which is located in Kwabahal is the richest among the bahals of Patan and houses a beautiful image of Buddha Shakyamuni made out of copper and oxidized to give a great look. The rats are sacred here and there is a belief that if they do any mistakes in the temples the rat will take away the key of the temple and hide it.
There is another bahal which is popular by the name Rudravarna mahabihar near by the Maha Boudha temple in Patan. Mahaboudha temple of Patan is unique to its kind and made out of terracotta and every individual brick has a statue of Buddha so the temple is also popular by the name 1000 buddha temple. Normal tour itinerary does not go there unless people ask to visit this particular temple and it is also hidden in tiny streets with lots of tall buildings surrounded.
There is various sightseeing of Patan with or without other places. One can check our day tour page and look for the best itinerary according to the need, desire and time frame.
Write a Comment