|
Situated in the
heart of the city constitutes
the focus of visitor's
attraction. The Square is full
of ancient palaces, temples and
shrines, noted for their
exquisite carvings. The Patan
Durbar square consists of three
main chowks or court- yards, the
Central Mul Chowk, Sundaru Chowk
and Keshav Narayan Chowk. The
Sundari Chowk holds in its
centre a masterpiece of stone
architecture, the Royal bath
called Tushahity.
Krishna Mandir
Built in the seventeenth
century, the temple of Lord
Krishna holds a commanding
position in the palace complex
of Patan. It is suposed to be
the first specimen Shikhara
style architecture in Nepal. It
is the only temple in Nepal
having 21 spires and is
completely made of stone.
Mahaboudha
A little further east from Patan
Durbar Square lies this Buddhist
temple made of clay bricks in
which
thousands of images of Lord
Buddha engraved. The terra-cotta
structure is one of the
fourteenth
century Nepalese architectural
masterpieces.
Hiranya Verna Mahavihar
Located inside, Kwabadehal, this
three storey golden pagoda of
Lokeshwor (Lord Buddha) was
built in the twelfth century by
King Bhaskar Verma. Inside the
upper storey of the pagoda, are
the gold- en image of Lord
Buddha and a large prayer wheel.
Kumbheshwor
This fine tiered temple of Lord
Shiva was built during the reign
of King Jayasthiti Malla. A fair
is held here on the Janai
Poornima day in August.
Jagatnarayan Temple
Situated at Sankhmul, this tall,
imposing temple of Lord Vishnu.
The temple has many fine images
of stone and an artistic metal
statue of Garuda on a stone
pillar.
Rudra
Verna Mahavihar
This unique Buddhist monastery
con- tains fine and amazing
collection of images and statues
in metal,
stone and wood. It is believed
that the Kings in the ancient
times were crowned in this
monastery. Many of the treasures
offered by the devotees can be
seen here even today.
The
Ashokan Stupas
There are four ancient stupas
popularly believed to have been
built in 250 B.C. by Emperor
Ashoka at the four corners of
Patan. The four stupas are
situated in Pulchowk, Lagankhel,
Ebahi and in Teta respectively.
These stupas give evidence to
the city's ancient religious
importance.
Achheswor Mahavihar
It was established towards the
beginning of the seventeenth
century by one Achheshwor by
building a
temple to house and idol of Lord
Buddha. The Mahavihar has
recently been reconstructed.
Situated
behind the Ashokan Stupa at
Pulchowk, the Mahavihar commands
a beautiful view of the
Kathmandu
Valley.
Temple
Of Machhendranath and Minnath
The pagoda of Red Machhendranath
built in 1408 A.D. is situated
in Tabahal. For six months the
deity is taken to its other
shrine in Bungmati. The temple
of Minnath is situated in Tangal
on the way to Tabahal.
The
Zoo
Situated at Jawalakhel, the zoo
has many animals, birds and
reptiles in its collections
mostly representing the
Himalayan fauna. There is a
beautiful pond built in 17th
A.D.
Patan
Industrial Estate
Patan industrial Estate is
situated at Lagankhel in
Lalitpur (Patan) near Sat Dobato.
This industrial
Estate is well known for Nepali
handicrafts such as wood
carvings, metal crafts, carpets
and thangka
paintings. For the convenience
of the tourists there is a
shopping arcade where all the
handicraft
products of the Estate are
exhibited in the shopping
arcade.
Bajra
Barahi
Situated in a small woodland
park, it is about ten kilometers
south of Patan near the village
of Chapagaon. A visit to Tika
Bhairav and Lele from here is
worthwhile.
Godavari
Situated at the foothills of
Phulchowki, Royal Botanical
Garden has a splendid natural
beauty. The road from Patan city
runs to Godavari to the
south-east, passing through the
small, old towns of Harisiddhi,
Thaiba and Badegaun. It is the
only in Nepal, is open daily
including Saturdays and
government holidays.
Phulchowki
Located about ten kilometers
south-east of Patan, this
mountain, 2758 m. high, is a
good spot for hiking. A Buddhist
shrine is situated on the top of
the hill which can be reached
through a jeep able road.
|
