Durbar Square

Kathmandu


Kathmandu’s Durbar Sq was where the city’s kings were once crowned and legitimised, and from where they ruled (durbar means palace). As such, the square remains the traditional heart of the old town and Kathmandu’s most spectacular legacy of traditional architecture. The square bore the brunt of Kathmandu's 2015 earthquake damage. Half a dozen temples collapsed, as did several towers in the Hanuman Dhoka palace complex, but it's still a fabulous complex. Reconstruction will continue for years.

Although most of the square dates from the 17th and 18th centuries (many of the original buildings are much older), a great deal of rebuilding happened after the great earthquake of 1934. The entire square was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1979.

The Durbar Sq area is actually made up of three loosely linked squares. To the south is the open Basantapur Sq area, a former royal elephant stables that now houses souvenir stalls and off which runs Freak St. The main Durbar Sq area is to the west. Running northeast is a second part of Durbar Sq, which contains the entrance to the Hanuman Dhoka and an assortment of temples. From this open area Makhan Tole, at one time the main road in Kathmandu and still the most interesting street to walk down, continues northeast.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kathmandu attractions

1. Maju Deval

0.01 MILES

This 17th-century temple was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. All that remains is the temple's nine-stage ochre platform.

2. Trailokya Mohan Narayan Temple

0.01 MILES

This small five-roofed temple dating from 1680 was completely destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. All that remains is the fine Garuda kneeling before it,…

3. Ashok Binayak

0.02 MILES

At the top of Maru Tole, surrounded by the rubble of the temples that used to surround it, this tiny golden shrine is one of the four most important…

4. Gaddhi Baithak

0.02 MILES

Dominating the eastern side of Durbar Sq, this white neoclassical building lost large chunks of its once elegant facade during the earthquake and is…

5. Kumari Bahal

0.02 MILES

At the junction of Durbar and Basantapur squares, this red-brick, three-storey building is home to the Kumari, the girl who is selected to be the town’s…

6. Shiva-Parvati Temple

0.02 MILES

Looking north from the plinth of the wrecked Maju Deval, a pair of much-photographed white images of Shiva and his consort look out from the upstairs…

7. Krishna Narayan Temple

0.03 MILES

This three-tiered Narayan (Vishnu) temple to the west of the Shiva-Parvati Temple was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. A pile of bricks sits unattended…

8. Kabindrapur Temple

0.03 MILES

This wooden temple, also known as the Dhansa Dega, is an ornate 17th-century performance pavilion that houses the god of music.