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BHAKTAPUR
Bhaktapur—locally known by Khwopa—is world renowned
for its elegant art, fabulous culture and indigenous lifestyle.
For its majestic monuments, colorful festivals and the native
Newars best known for their long history of craftsmanship, the
ancient city is also variously known as the "City of Culture",
the "Living Heritage" and "Nepal’s Cultural
Gem".
Bhaktapur, at 1,401 meters above sea level, spreads over an
area of 6.88 square kilometers and just 30 minutes drive from
the Kathmandu Valley. The people mostly lives here are newars.
The cultural life is so lively with the strong communities of
porters, goldsmith, woodcarvers and weavers. Bhaktapur city maintains
the true identity of its culture, tradition and its religion.
BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE
Bhaktapur Durbar Square is rich in art and architecture and listed
in World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Palace of 55 Windows built
during the period of King Bhupatindra Malla in 1754 situated to
the left as you enter through the city gate, inspires admiration.
The palace entrance, the Golden Gate known as Sunko Dhoka in Nepali
is a masterpiece in reposes art. In front of the palace building
is a medley of temples of various designs. Amongst the three Durbar
Squares in the Valley, the Durbar Square in Bhaktapur is the best
preserved one. Other notable monuments in and around the historic
Durbar Square are: the octagonal Chyasin Mandap, Siddhi Laxmi
Temple, Shiva Temple (Fasi-dega), Vatsala Temple, Bhandarkhal
Complex, Chatu Brahma Mahavihar, Indrayani Temple, Balakhu Ganesh
Temple, Tripura-sundari Temple and the Char Dham symbolizing the
four greatest Hindu pilgrimage sites. The square is one of the
most charming architectural showpieces of the Valley as it highlights
the ancient arts of Nepal.
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TAUMADHI
SQUARE
This square is the most important location for festivals
where a large number of people gather together. The short
narrow lane goes past the Thangka and handicraft shops leading
directly to the Taumadhi Square where you are dwarfed by
the tallest temple in Nepal. |
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NYATAPOLA TEMPLE
The Nyatapola Temple is the five storeys; 30m high temple
is the highest pagoda style temple in the valley. It was
built in 1702 AD. This temple presides over the Taumadhi
Square. It is the best example of traditional Newari temple
architecture. The stairway leading up to the temple is flanked
by guardian figures at each plinth level. The bottom plineth
has the legendary wrestlers Jayamel and Phattu, said to
have the strength of 10 men. On the plinths above are two
elephants, then two lions, then two griffins and finally
two goddesses.
The struts, doors, windows and tympanums—each embellished
with attractively carved divine figures—perfectly
portray the creative tradition of Newar craftsmen. The temple
is dedicated to Goddess Siddhi Laxmi, the manifestation
of female force and creativity. Thus, this temple has the
cultural, religious importance and rich in art and archaeological
point of view. |
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BHAIRAVNATH TEMPLE
Bhairavnath temple is triple roofed temple of gilded bust
of Bhairav, the ferocious manifestation of Lord Shiva. The
temple façade is guarded by tow brass lions and includes
an image of Bhairab on rattan with real dried intestines
draped across it. |
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DATTATREYA SQUARE
A fifteen minutes casual walk north-east of the Taumadhi
square brings you to the Dattatreya Square. This is a three-storey
pagoda style temple and is said to be the oldest in Bhaktapur
and is believed to have been built of wood from a single
tree in 1428 during the reign of King Yaksha Malla. In 1458,
Vishwa Malla is said to have renovated the structure. Originally
a single storey temple and only later became two storied
through additions. Stone figures of Jaya Mal and Patta,
two famous wrestlers are seen guarding the temple. It is
commonly believed that this temple is dedicated to the holy
trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and their idols occupy
the shrine. The Garuda made of stone, paying homage suggests
a Vishnu temple. Garuda is the vehicle of Vishnu and is
found in front of most Vishnu temples. The conch and disc
on pillars are recent additions and also indicate a Vishnu
shrine. The non-newar Brahmins of Indian descent are the
traditional caretakers of this temple. For sometime the
priests were Jha Brahmins but today Bhatta Brahmins have
taken over. A Giri priest conducts the daily prayers. During
Shivaratri festival in Feb / March, a crowd of devotees
flock the temple |
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CHANGU NARAYAN TEMPLE
Changu Narayan Temple is situated on a ridge overlooking
the Valley, about 12 km to the east of the city. It is dedicated
to the Hindu God Bishnu – the Preserver. One of the
finest and oldest specimens of pagoda architecture, the
temple is embellished with exquisite wood and stone carvings
and is said to be the oldest pagoda style temple in Nepal
built sometime back in 323 A.D. The sacred complex is a
World Heritage Site and from the temple one can see the
beautiful Manohara River flowing like a serpent through
green fields, and to the north on a clear day one can see
many Himalayan peaks and offers a panoramic view of the
surrounding at 125 meters. We can see the Newari culture
and tradition around Changu Narayan Temple.
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