Patan

Patan is 15 minutes drive from Kathmandu. Lalitpur, the city of beauty is separated from Kathmandu only by the Bagmati River and is the second largest town in the valley. Lalitpur is fragmented from other cities due to its substantive architectural ancient masterpieces. Patan's central Durbar Square is absolutely packed with temples: it's an architectural center point with a far greater concentration of temples per sq.m.

Patan Durbar Square
Patan is located 7 km away from Kathmandu. This city has many temples and shrines, noted for their fine carvings, palaces from 15th to 17th century, Hindu and Buddhist, monuments built during the Malla dynasty. The most important area with many monuments is the Patan Durbar Square. The key attractions are famous Krishna Temple with 21 golden pinnacles, Royal Taleju Temple etc. It was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Monuments in 1979.

Krishna Mandir
Krishna Mandir which is one of the grandeur of the square was built in 1637 by the king Siddhinarsingh Malla. The entire temple is constructed from the stone. Golden Temple which is the unique Buddhist Monastery was founded in the12th century which is a large rectangular building has three roofs and a copper gilded facade with the images of Buddha and Avalokitesvara where there are Buddha images and illustrations on the walls. The square has been unrestrainedly adorned by the Bhimsen Temple, Manga Hiti, Vishwanath Temple, Jagannarayan Temple, Golden Temple and numerous. Take the pleasure of discovering this Patan Durbar Square which has been entitled in the World Heritage Site.

Hiranya Verna Mahabihar: -
Located inside kwabadehal, this three storey golden pagoda of Lokeshwor (Lord Buddha) was built in the twelfth century by king Bhaskar Verma. Inside the upper storey of the pagoda, are the golden image of Lord Buddha and a large prayer wheel.

Rudra Verna Mahabihar: -
This unique Buddhist monastery contains fine and amazing collection of images and statues in metal, stone and wood. It is believed that the Kings in the ancient times were crowned in this monastery. Many of the treasures offered by the devotees can be seen here even today.

Kumbheshwor Temple: -
This fine tiered temple of Lord Shiva was built during the reign of King Jayasthiti Malla. A fair is held here on the Janai Poornima day in August.

The Ashokan Stupas: -
There are four ancient stupas popularly believed to have been built in 250 B.C. by Emperor Ashoka at the four corners of Patan. The four stupas are situated in Pulchowk, Lagankhel, Ebahi and in Teta (way to Sano Gaon) respectively. These stupas give evidence to the city's ancient religious importance.

Temple of Machhendranath and Minnath: -
The pagoda of Red Machhendranath built in 1408 A.D. is situated in Tabahal. For six months the deity is taken to its other shrine in Bungmati. The temple of Minnath is situated in Tangal on the way to Tabahal.

Mahaboudha: -
A little further east from Patan Durbar Square lies this Buddhist temple made of clay bricks in which thousands of images of Lord Buddha engraved. The terra-cotta structure is one of the fourteenth century Nepalese architectural masterpieces.

Bungamati: -
The twin villages of Bungamati and Khokana date from 16th century and typical ancient Newar Villages. This villages are located south of Kathmandu down a rutty road dotted with chaityas, appropriate for an ancient procession route. Bungamati is famous as the winter home of the Red Machhendra god of Patan who resides every winter in a powerful, Shikhara-style temple. Its spacious courtyard is often used for spreading grain to dry in the sun and where chicken-farming is strictly forbidden.

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