Things to do in Patan
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Old Town Walking Tour
The Patan Tourist Development Organisation has developed a fascinating walk that winds its way through the complex interlinked courtyards and laneways of the old town. The walk starts at the Patan Dhoka, ends at Durbar Sq and takes about an hour. The route gives a great insight into the communal lifestyle and traditional structure of Newari villages, with their many bahal (courtyards), hiti (water tanks) and tun (wells).
It's great fun diving through the tunnelled passageways into hidden courtyards.
The walk is described in more detail in a recommended small booklet entitled Patan Walkabout (Rs 100). The booklet is hard to find these days but you might be able to get a pho…
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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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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.
Accordingly, a door and window of the palace are always kept open and a hookah (a water pipe used for smoking) is kept ready for the king should he return. A rider to the legend adds that when the bird flies off, the elephants in front of the Vish…
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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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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.
It was severely damaged during the conquest of the valley by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768 and also by the great earthquake of 1934, but it remains one of the architectural highlights of the valley, with a series of connecting courtyards and three temples dedicated to the valley's main deity, the goddess Taleju.
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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.
The square rose to its full glory during the Malla period (14th to 18th centuries), and particularly during the reign of King Siddhinarsingh Malla (1619-60). Patan's major commercial district, the Mangal Bazar, runs to the southern edge of the square.
The entry fee is payable at the southern end of Durbar Sq. For repeated visits to Durbar Sq ensure that your visa validity date is written on the back of your ticket.
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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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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.
Back in main Durbar Sq the blocked-off entrance to Sundari Chowk is guarded by stone statues of Hanuman, Ganesh and Vishnu as Narsingha, the man-lion. The gilded metal window over the entrance from the square is flanked by windows of carved ivory.
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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.
The bench to the side of the gate is a favourite of Patan's retirees.
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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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Zoo
Nepal’s only zoo is in the southwestern part of Patan by the Jawalakhel roundabout. Although there is definitely room for improvement, the animals live in better conditions than you might expect and there are always crowds of local kids being wowed by such exotic creatures as elephants, tigers, leopards, hyenas, guar, deer, blue bulls, gharials, giant tortoises, langur monkeys and some very noisy hippos. Stoners routinely get freaked out by the giant 60cm-long squirrels.
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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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Mahaguthi, Durbar Sq
One of the best of the 'crafts with a conscience' is Mahaguthi, which was established with the help of Oxfam. It has three shops and sells a wide range of crafts produced by thousands of people across Nepal. It's a one-stop shop for beautiful hand-woven dhaka weavings, Nepali paper, pottery, block prints, woven bamboo, pashminas, woodcrafts, jewellery, knitwear, embroidery and Mithila paintings. The main showroom is in Kopundol.
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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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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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Durbar Square
The ancient Royal Palace of Patan faces on to a magnificent Durbar Square. This concentrated mass of temples is perhaps the most visually stunning display of Newari architecture to be seen in Nepal. Temple construction in the square went into overdrive during the Malla period (14th to 18th centuries), particularly during the reign of King Siddhinarsingh Malla (1619–60).
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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.
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Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal)
Also known as the Hiranya Varna Mahavihara, this unique Buddhist monastery is just north of Durbar Sq. The monastery was allegedly founded in the 12th century, and it has existed in its current location since 1409. Entry is via a narrow stone doorway to the east or a wooden doorway to the west, inside one of the interlinked bahal on the north side of Nakabhil.
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