Religious, Spiritual sights in Patan
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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.
Standing in a large courtyard, the three-storey temple dates from 1673, although an earlier temple may have existed on the site since 1408. The temple's four carved doorways are each guarded by lion figures and at ground level on the four corners of the temple plinth are reliefs of a curious yeti-like demon known as a kyah. A diverse collection of animals (including peacocks, horses, bulls, lions…
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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.
The inner courtyard has a railed walkway around three sides and the entry is flanked by two stone elephants. Shoes and other leather articles must be removed if you leave the walkway and enter the inner courtyard. Look for the sacred tortoises pottering around in the courtyard - they are temple guardians. The main priest of the temple is…
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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.
The temple platform has two ponds whose water is said to come straight from the holy lake at Gosainkund, a long trek north of the valley. An annual ritual bath in the Kumbeshwar Temple's tank is claimed to be as meritorious as making the arduous walk to Gosainkund.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the Kumbeshwar T…
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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.
The 1st and 2nd floors of this temple are made up of a line of three miniature pavilions, from the top of which rises a shikhara-style spire. Musicians can often be heard playing upstairs.
Krishna is an incarnation of Vishnu, so the god's vehicle, the man-bird Garuda, kneels with folded arms on top of …
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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.
As you enter the main courtyard from the north look for the finely carved wooden struts above, on the northern side of the courtyard. They are said to be among the oldest of this type…
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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.
The palace's three Taleju temples stand around the courtyard. The doorway to the Shrine of Taleju or Taleju Bhawani, on the southern side of the courtyard, is flanked by the statues of the river goddesses Ganga, on a tort…
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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.
The three-storey temple has had a chequered history. Although it is not known when it was first built, an inscription records that it was rebuilt in 1682 after a fire. Restorations also took place after the great 1934 earthquake, and again in 1967. A lion tops a pillar in front of the temple, while the brick building has an artificial marble…
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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).
The quiet temple dates from the Licchavi period (3rd to 9th centuries), but has undergone several recent restorations and has roof struts carved with figures of multi-armed goddesses, all brightly painted.
There's a large well-used hiti (water tank) in front.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.
The building probably dates from 1585, but suffered severe damage in the 1934 earthquake and was totally rebuilt. Unfortunately, without plans to work from, the builders ended up with a different-looking temple and there were enough bricks left over to construct a shikhara-style shrine to Maya Devi, the Buddha's mother, which stands to the so…
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