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Bhairabnath Temple
The well-restored, triple-roofed Bhairabnath Temple (also known as the Kasi Vishwanath or Akash Bhairab; M045A) has an unusual rectangular plan and a somewhat chequered history. It was originally built as a one-storey temple in the early 17th century, but was rebuilt with two storeys by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1717. The 1934 earthquake caused great damage to the temple and it was completely rebuilt and a third floor added.
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Bhaktapur's Royal Palace
Bhaktapur's Royal Palace was founded by Yaksha Malla (1428-82) and was added to by successive kings, particularly Bhupatindra Malla. As with the old palaces of Kathmandu and Patan, visitors are restricted to certain areas. The palace suffered great damage in the terrible 1934 earthquake and only half a dozen of the original 99 courtyards survived.
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Bhimsen Temple
The two-storey Bhimsen Temple, variously dated to 1605, 1645, 1655 or 1657, is squat, rectangular and open on the ground floor. It's fronted by a platform with a small double-roofed Vishnu/Narayan Temple and a pillar topped by a brass lion with his right paw raised. Steps lead down behind it to the deeply sunken Bhimsen Pokhari.
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Brass & Bronze Museum
The Brass & Bronze Museum , houses poorly lit examples of metalwork and ceremonial vessels from around the valley. It is directly across the square from the Pujari Math.
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Char Dham
Four less significant temples crowd the western end of Durbar Sq. Together they are called the Char Dham, after the four Hindu pilgrimage sites of the same name, to provide a place of worship for those unable to make the pilgrimage to the real sites.They include the lopsided Rameshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva and the Bhadri Temple dedicated to Vishnu as Narayan.
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Chyasilin Mandap
This octagonal temple was one of the finest in the square until it was destroyed by the 1934 earthquake. Using some of the temple's original components, it was totally rebuilt in 1990; note the metal construction inside this outwardly authentic building ( M0464).
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Dattatreya Temple
The tall, square Dattatreya Temple was originally built in 1427, but alterations were made in 1458. Like some other important structures in the valley it is said to have been built using the timber from a single tree.
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Durbar Square
Bhaktapur's Durbar Sq is larger than Kathmandu's, much less crowded with temples than Patan's and less vibrant than either. It wasn't planned that way: Victorian-era illustrations show the square packed with temples and buildings, but the disastrous earthquake of 1934 destroyed many of them, and today empty plinths mark where temples once stood.
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Erotic Elephants Temple
Just before you enter the square, pause for a little bit of Newari humour. On your right, perhaps 70m before the main Durbar Sq entrance gate, is a tiny double-roofed Shiva Parvati temple ( M045E) with some erotic carvings on its temple struts. Among the series of copulating animals are elephants in the missionary position with their trunks entwined in pleasure! It's a hathi (elephant) Kamasutra.
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Fasidega Temple
The large, white, rather ugly Fasidega Temple is dedicated to Shiva and stands in the centre of the secondary part of Durbar Sq. There are various viewpoints around the valley - the Changu Narayan Temple is one of them - from where you can study Bhaktapur at a distance. In each case the white bulk of the Fasidega is always an easy landmark to pick out. The temple sits on a six-level plinth with elephant guardians at the bottom of the steps, and with lions and cows above them.
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Ganesh shrine
This shrine is on the northern side of Potters' Square, on a small hillock and near a pipal tree.
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Golden Gate & 55 Window Palace
The Golden Gate is generally agreed to be the single most important piece of art in the whole valley. The gate and palace were built by King Bhupatindra Malla, but were not completed until 1754 during the reign of Jaya Ranjit Malla, the last of the Bhaktapur Malla kings. The magnificent Golden Gate, or Sun Dhoka, and the entrance to the 55 Window Palace ( M0463) adjoin the National Art Gallery.
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Golmadhi Ganesh Temple
Where Main Road joins Golmadhi Sq ( M046A) the small, triple-roofed Golmadhi Ganesh Temple stands. Adjacent to it is a white chaitya. Down on the left is the well-restored façade of the Jhaurbahi Dipankar Bihar.
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Jaya Varahi Temple
This the red-brick temple has elaborately carved wooden toranas over the central door and the window above it. At the eastern end of the temple is the entrance to the upper floor, flanked by stone lions and banners. The two ornate windows, on either side of the upper torana, have recently been repainted their original gold. Nearby is a small Ganesh shrine, jutting out into the street and covered in bathroom tiles.
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Jeth Ganesh Temple
This is one of two small temples in Potters' Sq - the other being the solid-brick central Vishnu Temple - and is an indicator of how long the activity around the square has been going on. A wealthy potter donated the temple in 1646 and to this day its priest is chosen from the potter caste.
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Jyotirlingeshwar
The Jyotirlingeshwar is a shikhara -style temple that houses an important lingam. Behind the shrine is an attractive hiti, one of Bhaktapur's many sunken water conduits.
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King Bhupatindra Malla's Column
King Bhupatindra Malla was the best known of the Malla kings of Bhaktapur and had a great influence on the art and architecture of the town. Like the similar column in Patan's Durbar Sq, this one (built in 1699) was based on the original in Kathmandu but remains the most beautiful of the three. The king sits with folded arms, studying the magnificent golden gate to his palace.
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Lun Bahal
The Lun Bahal was originally a 16th-century Buddhist monastery that was converted into a Hindu shrine with the addition of a stone statue of Bhimsen. If you look into the sanctum, in the inner courtyard, you can see the statue, dating from 1592, complete with a ferocious-looking brass mask.
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Nasamana Sq
Nasamana Sq is somewhat decrepit but has a Garuda statue without a temple.
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National Art Gallery
The western end of the palace has been made into an art gallery. The entrance to the gallery is flanked by figures of Hanuman the monkey god and Vishnu as Narsingha, his man-lion incarnation. These guardian figures date from 1698 and Hanuman appears in Tantric form as the four-armed Hanuman-Bhairab. This part of the palace was once known as the Malati Chowk. Once paid, your entry ticket is valid for both the Woodcarving and Brass & Bronze Museums in Tachupal Tole.
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Nyatapola Temple
The five-storey, 30m-high Nyatapola Temple ( M0458) is not only the highest temple in Nepal, but also one of the best examples of traditional Newari temple architecture. The temple appears to soar above Bhaktapur's rooftops, with the snow-capped Himalaya as a dramatic backdrop.
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Pashupatinath Temple
This temple ( M0465) is dedicated to Shiva as Pashupati and is a replica of the main shrine at Pashupatinath. Originally built by King Yaksha Malla in 1475 (or 1482), it is the oldest temple in the square and is sometimes called the Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple.
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Potters' Sq
On the northern side of the square a small hillock is topped by a Ganesh shrine and a shady pipal tree. There are fine views over the river to the hills south of Bhaktapur. The square itself has two small temples: a solid-brick central Vishnu Temple and the double-roofed Jeth Ganesh Temple. The latter is an indicator of how long the activity all around the square has been going on - a wealthy potter donated the temple in 1646 and to this day its priest is chosen from the potter caste.
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Pujari Math
There are 10 buildings around the square that were originally used as maths (Hindu monasteries).The best known was the Pujari Math. It was originally constructed in the 15th century during the reign of King Yaksha Malla, but was rebuilt in 1763. German experts renovated the building in 1979 as a wedding gift for the then King Birendra. Until the 20th century, an annual caravan brought tributes to the monastery from Tibet.
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Salan Ganesh Temple
On the north side of Tachupal Tole is another open area, with the small Salan Ganesh Temple, dating from 1654. The open temple is ornately decorated, but the image is just a rock with only the vaguest elephant-head shape. To one side of the temple is the Ganesh Pokhari, a large tank.
