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Bhimsen Temple
At the northern end of Durbar Sq, the Bhimsen Temple is dedicated to the god of trade and business, which possibly explains its well-kept and prosperous look. Bhimsen, a hero of the Mahabharata, was said to be extraordinarily strong. Look out for the place settings with bowls, spoons and cups nailed up on the roof struts as offerings.
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Bishwakarma Temple
Walk south from Durbar Sq, past several brassware shops and workshops. There is a small bahal almost immediately on your right (west) and then a laneway also leading west. A short distance down this lane is the brick Bishwakarma Temple , with its entire façade covered in sheets of embossed copper. The temple is dedicated to carpenters and craftspeople and, as if in proof, you can often hear the steady clump and clang of metalworkers' hammers from nearby workshops.
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Degutalle Temple
The five-storey Degutalle Temple , topped by its octagonal triple-roofed tower, is on the northeastern corner of Durbar Sq. The larger, square, triple-roofed Taleju Temple is directly north, looking out over Durbar Sq. It was built by Siddhinarsingh Malla in 1640, rebuilt after a fire and rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake, which completely demolished it. The goddess Taleju was the personal deity of the Malla kings from the 14th century, and Tantric rites were performed to her in this temple.
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Durbar Sq
As in Kathmandu, the ancient Royal Palace of Patan faces on to Durbar Sq and this concentrated mass of temples is undoubtedly the most visually stunning display of Newari architecture to be seen in Nepal.
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Golden Gate
The northern courtyard of the Royal Palace and museum - the Keshav Naryan Chowk -is entered from the square by the Golden Gate . Completed in 1734, this is the newest part of the palace. The courtyard is entered through a magnificent gilded door topped by a golden torana (portico above the door) showing Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh and Kumar. Directly above the golden door is a golden window, at which the king would make public appearances.
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Golden Temple
Also known as the Hiranya Varna or Suwarna Mahavihara, this unique Buddhist monastery is just north of Durbar Sq. Legends relate that the monastery was founded in the 12th century, although the earliest record of its existence is 1409. The doorway, flanked by gaudy painted guardian lions, gives no hint of the magnificent structure within.
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Haka Bahal
Take the road west from the southern end of Durbar Sq, past Café de Patan, and you soon come to the Haka Bahal , a rectangular building with an internal courtyard. Traditionally, Patan's Kumari (living goddess) is a daughter of one of the priests of this monastery.
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Hari Shankar Temple
This three-storey temple to Hari Shankar, the half-Vishnu, half-Shiva deity, has roof struts carved with scenes of the tortures of the damned - a strange contrast to the erotic scenes on the Jagannarayan. It was built in 1704-05 by the daughter of King Yoganarendra Malla.
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Jagannarayan Temple
The two-storey brick Jagannarayan Temple is dedicated to Narayan, one of Vishnu's incarnations. Dating from 1565, it is reputed to be the oldest temple in the square, although an alternative date in the late 1600s has also been suggested. The temple stands on a brick plinth with large stone lions, above which are two guardian figures. The roof struts are carved with explicit erotic figures.
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King Yoganarendra Malla's Statue
Immediately north of the Hari Shankar Temple is a tall column topped by a figure of King Yoganarendra Malla (1684-1705) and his queens. The golden figure of the kneeling king, atop a lotus bud and protected by the hood of a cobra, has been facing towards his palace since the year 1700. On top of the cobra's head is the figure of a bird; legend has it that as long as the bird remains there the king may still return to his palace.
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Krishna Mandir
After you enter Durbar Sq, the third temple you reach is the Krishna Mandir , which was built by King Siddhinarsingh Malla. Records indicate that the temple was completed with the installation of the image on the 1st floor in 1637. With its strong Mughal influences, this stone temple is clearly of Indian design, unlike the nearby brick-and-timber, multiroofed Newari temples.
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Krishna Temple
The attractive, octagonal stone Krishna Temple , also known as the Chyasim Deval, completes the 'front line' of temples in the square. The stairway to the temple, which faces the palace's Sundari Chowk, is guarded by two stone lions. The temple was built in 1723 and, like the square's Krishna Mandir, is a stark contrast to the usual Newari pagoda temple designs.
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Kumbeshwar Temple
Directly north of Durbar Sq is Kumbeshwar Temple , one of the valley's three five-storey temples. The temple dominates the surrounding streets and is said to date from 1392, making it the oldest temple in Patan. The temple is noted for its graceful proportions and fine woodcarvings and is dedicated to Shiva, as indicated by the large Nandi, or bull, facing the temple.
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Mahabouddha Temple
Despite its height, the Mahabouddha Temple is totally hidden, in a courtyard dwarfed by residential buildings. The shikhara temple takes its name from the terracotta tiles with which it is covered, each bearing an image of the Buddha. It's modelled on the Mahabouddha Temple at Bodhgaya in India, where the Buddha gained enlightenment.
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Manga Hiti
Immediately across from the Bhimsen Temple is the sunken Manga Hiti, one of the water conduits with which Patan, and even more so Bhaktapur, are so liberally endowed. This one has a cruciform-shaped pool and three wonderfully carved stone makara (mythological crocodiles) head waterspouts. Next to it is the Mani Mandap, twin pavilions built in 1700 and used for royal coronations.
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Minanath Temple
South of Durbar Sq is a two-storey Minanath Temple dedicated to the Buddhist Bodhisattva who is considered to be the little brother of Rato Machhendranath. The Minanath image is towed around town during the Rato Machhendranath festival, but in a much smaller chariot (look out for the epic chariot runners).
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Mul Chowk
The palace's central courtyard, Mul Chowk , is the largest and oldest of the palace's three main chowks (squares). Unfortunately, it's open haphazardly at best, generally when you slip the caretakers some baksheesh (a tip). Two stone lions guard the entrance to the courtyard, which was built by Siddhinarsingh Malla, destroyed in a fire in 1662 and rebuilt by Srinivasa Malla in 1665-66. At the centre of the courtyard stands the small, gilded Bidya Temple.
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Patan Museum
The section of the palace around Keshav Narayan Chowk (the former residence of the Malla kings) has been superbly renovated and houses one of the subcontinent's finest museums. There have been some modern elements added to the building as part of the renovations, and the result is a beautiful synthesis of old and new.
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Rato Machhendranath Temple
South of Durbar Sq, on the western side of the road, is the Rato Machhendranath Temple . Rato (Red) Machhendranath, the god of rain and plenty, comes in a variety of incarnations. To Buddhists he is the Tantric edition of Avalokiteshvara, while to Hindus he is a version of Shiva.
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Royal Palace of Patan
Forming the whole eastern side of the Durbar Sq is the Royal Palace of Patan . Parts of the palace were built in the 14th century, but the main construction was during the 17th and 18th centuries by Siddhinarsingh Malla, Srinivasa Malla and Vishnu Malla. The Patan palace predates the palaces of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.
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Sundari Chowk
South of Mul Chowk is the smaller Sundari Chowk , with its superbly carved sunken water tank known as the Tusha Hiti. Unfortunately the courtyard is currently closed. Behind Sundari Chowk, and also not open to the public, is the Royal Garden and Kamal Pokhari water tank. The area is slated for renovation as a park by Unesco.
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Taleju Bell
Diagonally opposite Taleju Temple in the palace complex, the large Taleju Bell , hanging between two stout pillars, was erected by King Vishnu Malla in 1736. An earlier bell, erected in 1703, was then moved to the Rato Machhendranath Temple. Petitioners could ring the bell to alert the king to their grievances. Shop stalls occupy the building under the bell platform, and behind it is a lotus-shaped pool with a bridge over it.
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Uku Bahal
This Buddhist monastery near the Mahabouddha Temple is one of the best known in Patan. The main courtyard is absolutely packed with interesting bits and pieces - dorjes, bells, peacocks, elephants, Garudas, rampant goats, kneeling devotees and a regal-looking statue of a Rana general. The lions are curious, seated on pillars with one paw raised in salute, looking as if they should be guarding a statue of Queen Victoria in her 'not-amused' incarnation rather than a colourful Nepali monastery.
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Uma Maheshwar Temple
En route from Kumbeshwar Temple to Durbar Sq, the small and inconspicuous double-roofed Uma Maheshwar Temple is set back from the road on its eastern side. Peer inside the temple (a light will help) to see a very beautiful black-stone relief of Shiva and Parvati in the pose known as Uma Maheshwar - the god sitting cross-legged with his shakti (consort) leaning against him rather seductively. A similarly named temple near the Golden Temple has a similar statue.
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Vishwanath Temple
South of the Bhimsen Temple stands the Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva. This elaborately decorated two-roofed temple was built in 1627 and has two large stone elephants guarding the front entrance. The pillars are particularly ornate. Shiva's vehicle, the bull, is on the other side of the temple, while inside is a large lingam. The temple has been restored in recent years.
