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.

A Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, tops the torana (the carved pediment above the temple door) and is shown here disposing of a number of serpents, which are the Garuda's sworn enemies. The four-headed and 10-armed figure of the goddess Taleju Bhawani is featured directly over the door. Taleju Bhawani is the family deity of the Malla dynasty and there are temples to her in the royal palaces in Kathmandu and Patan as well as Bhaktapur.

The Golden Gate opens to the inner courtyards of the palace, but you cannot proceed further than the ornate entrance to colourful Taleju Chowk (1553). Non-Hindus can check out the nearby Naga Pokhari, a 17th-century royal water tank encircled by a writhing stone cobra (naga). The nagas rise up on scaled pillars and water pours from a goat's head that protrudes from the mouth of a makara (crocodile demon). The tank was traditionally used for the daily ritual bath of the goddess Taleju.