Patan (Lalitpur), one of the three ancient cities in the Kathmandu valley, is located south of the capital and actually borders on it. Just like Kathmandu, Patan is located on the banks of the Bagmati River. The city is famous for its abundance of Hindu and Buddhist temples and monuments, as well as its traditions of bronze casting and wood carving. As in Kathmandu, the main historical square here is Durbar (palace) square, where the Royal Palace is considered the main attraction.. It consists of three main courtyards – the central Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk and Mani Keshab Narayan Chowk. In the center of Sundari Chowk is a remarkable monument of stone architecture – the Tushahiti Royal Bath. Between the central courtyard of Mul Chowk and Mani Keshab Narayan Chowk is the temple of Degu Taleju. Temple Taleju Bhavani, built by King Sri Niwas Malla in 1667, is located nearby and is an octagonal tower with a three-tiered roof. Built in the 17th century by the ruler of the Malla dynasty, the Hindu temple Krishna Mandir is one of the most important monuments of history and architecture on Durbar Square. It was the first temple entirely built of stone, besides containing 21 tombs. The friezes of the temple are engraved with texts from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, sacred texts for Hindus. The three-storey golden pagoda (Buddhist temple Hiraniya Varna Mahavihar), dedicated to the Buddha, is also located here. The walls of the pagoda, built in the 12th century, are decorated with golden bas-reliefs with the life of the Buddha, and on the third floor, on a pedestal, there is a golden Buddha statue next to a large prayer wheel. The Durbar Square and the neighborhoods adjacent to it are included in the territory included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
According to thesciencetutor, Kumbheshwor temple, located near the Golden Pagoda, was built in the 14th century with a height of only two floors, three more were completed during the reign of the king from the Malla dynasty in the 17th century. Later gold trim was added. There are only three five-tiered temples in the Kathmandu Valley, and Kumbheshwor is one of them. On the day of worship of Shiva (the festival of Janai Purnima in August), a fair is held here.
Near the Palace Square there is a Buddhist temple of the XIV century – Mahabuddha. It is built of clay bricks, each of which is decorated with a Buddha image. Located next to the temple, the Buddhist monastery Rudra Varna Mahavihar owns an interesting collection of metal, stone and wood art. It is believed that the coronation of the rulers of Nepal once took place here, hence the treasures donated to the monastery.
Machchendranath Temple, also located near Durbar Square, was built at the beginning of the 15th century. It is famous because the statue of the red Machchendra, the god of rain and the patron of the valley, spends 6 months a year here, and then for another six months the statue goes to Bungamati, a small city on the banks of the Bagmati River a few kilometers south of Patan. Minnath temple is located between the Machchendranath and Mahabuddha temples.. This small two-storey temple is dedicated to Yatadhara Lokeshvara, commonly called Minnath, which is a form of Avalokiteshvara.
Akkeshwor Mahavihar was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by Akkeshwor, who laid a temple here and placed a statue of Buddha in it. The Mahavihar has recently been rebuilt. It has 30 rooms, including a monastery, a research center “Dhyankuti”, a library and guest rooms. Akkeshwor Mahavihar is located in the Pulchouk area and certainly adorns the panorama of the city.
In addition, the only one in Nepal is located in Patan a zoo where you can get acquainted with representatives of the Himalayan fauna. The zoo adorns the pond, built during the reign of the kings of the Malla dynasty. It will be interesting to visit the Tibetan center where you can see how Tibetan carpets are spun, dyed and woven. There is also an interesting exhibition of Tibetan carpets. The Patan manufacturing center is located in the Lagankhel area, but don’t let the name fool you: here you can get acquainted with the life and crafts traditional for the workshops of Patan. For convenience, there is a shopping gallery in the center, where tourists can buy everything that is produced in the center: carved and cast figurines, paintings, carpets and much more.
Approximately 10 km south of Patan, on the top of a mountain, there is a place Pulchowki, which is great for day hikes and walks out of town. Climbing up the mountain, you can admire the rhododendrons of all possible colors. At the top of the mountain is a small Buddhist stupa. At the foot of Pulchowka there is a good place for picnics – Godavari. The Royal Botanic Garden of Nepal is located here.
