Bhaktapur Tourist Attractions
Bhaktapur or Bhadgaon as the city is also
known, is a museum of medieval art and architecture
with many fine examples of sculpture, woodcarving
and colossal pagoda temples consecrated to different
gods and goddesses. The city is shaped like
a conch shell-one of the emblems of the god
Vishnu and was founded by King Ananda Deva in
A.D. 889. The city is 1,402 metres above sea
level. Pottery and weaving are its major traditional
industries, The city lies fifteen kilometres
to the east of Kathmandu.
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 architectural
showpieces of the Valley as it highlights the
ancient arts of Nepal. The golden effigies of
kings perched on the top of stone monoliths,
the guardian deities looking out from their
sanctuaries, the wood carvings in every place
struts, lintels, uprights, 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 A.D. 1696, this gate is guarded
on either side by two huge statues of lions.
Alongside, there are two stone images of Bhairav
(the dreadful aspect of Shiva) and Ugrachandi
(the consort of 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 also embellished with mythical
creatures of marvellous intricacy, In the
words of Percy Brown, an eminent English art
critic and historian, the Golden Gate is the
most lovely piece of art in the whole Kingdom:
it is placed like a jewel, flashing innumerable
facets in the handsome setting of its surroundings.
The gate was erected by King Ranjit Malla
and is the entrance of the main courtyard
of the Palace of Fifty five Windows.
The Palace of Fifty five Windows
: This magnificent palace was built
during the reign of King Yakshya Malla in
A.D. 1427 and was subsequently remodelled
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
to be 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 showing King Bhupatindra
Malla in the act of worship is set on a column
facing the palace. Of the square's many statues,
this is considered to be the most magnificent.
Siddha Pokhari : This is
a big rectangular water pond located near
the main city gate. It was built during the
reign of King Yakshya Malla in the early fifteenth
century and is associated with a number of
myths, From this spot a wide range of snowy
peaks is visible on clear days.
Batsala Temple : The stone
temple of Batsala Devi has many intricate
carvings. It is most famous for its bronze
bell, known to local residents as 'the bell
of barking dogs' as when it is rung, all dogs
in the vicinity begin barking and howling
! The colossal bell was hung by King Ranjit
Malla in A. D. 1737 and was used to sound
the daily curfew. It is nowadays rung every
morning when the goddess Taleju is worshipped.
Pashupati Temple : This temple
is a replica of the famous temple on the Bagmati
river in Kathmandu and is widely noted for
the erotic carvings in its struts. It was
built by King Yakshya Malla.
Nyatapola Temple : This five-storey
pagoda was built by King Bhupatindra Malla
in A. D. 1702. It stands on five terraces
on each of which squat a pair of figures:
two famous wrestlers, two elephants, two lions,
two griffins and Baghini and Singhini the
tiger and the lion goddesses. Each pair of
figures is considered ten times stronger than
the ones immediately below, while the lowest
pair, the two strong men Jaya Malla and Phatta
Malla, were reputedly ten times stronger than
any other men. This is one of the tallest
pagoda temples in Kathmandu Valley and is
famous for its massive structure and subtle
workmanship
Bhairav Nath Temple : This
is another pagoda style temple dedicated to
Lord Bhairav, the dreadful aspect of Shiva.
It stands a short distance away from the temple
of Nyatapola and was originally constructed
by King Jagat Jyoti Malla on a modest scale.
It was later remodelled by King Bhupatindra
Malla, a zealous lover of the arts, into what
is now a three storey temple.
Dattatraya Temple : The temple
of Dattatraya is as old as the Palace of Fifty
five Windows. Consecrated by King Yakshya
Malla in A. D. 1427, this temple, according
to popular belief, was built out of the trunk
of a single
