Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Overview

The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the last of Kathmandu’s three historic palaces. Bhaktapur, often spelled Khwopa or Bhadgaon, is a historic city about 12 kilometers east of Kathmandu. One of the outstanding examples of Nepali architecture and craftsmanship is the Durbar Square in Kathmandu. The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is made up of four squares: Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square, and Pottery Square. The Lions Gate, Golden Gate, Art Gallery, King Bhupatindra Statue, Nyatapola Temple, and fifty-five windowed Malla Palace are among the most renowned sites and monuments.

15 kilometers from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a museum of medieval art and architecture with many specimens of sculpture, woodcarving, and huge pagoda temples consecrated to many gods and goddesses. It consists of a collection of pagoda and shikhara-style temples arranged around a brick and wood palace with fifty-five windows. The square is one of the Valley’s most stunning architectural showpieces, highlighting Nepal’s old arts. The golden effigies of kings sitting atop stone monoliths, the guardian deities peering out from their sanctuaries, and the wood carvings in every location—struts, lintels, uprights, tympanums, doorways, and windows—all seem to compose a well-orchestrated symphony. Its main traditional industries are pottery and weaving.