Untitled

[emilybwest]

The Durbar Square of Patan is comprised of temples along with a palace. The Durbar square went into construction during the Malla period. There are two kings who are famously responsible for the development of the palace and its surroundings. The first king built the Vishvanath and Krishna Temples and enlarged the palace. His son, the second king, rebuilt the Vishwanath temple and the Mani Mandapa, and established the Bhimsen Temple. This king's son also contributed to features of the square by erecting a large statue of himself with a bird perched upon his head. This statue was tragically destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, which was a big deal for many local legends.

The Vishwanath temple is also a hindu temple, and is dedicated to Shiva. The temple is currently under construction due to the 2015 earth quake, but its main structure still stands. It is a two-tiered pagoda, built in 1627, and features ornate woodcarvings-particularly on the torana (pediment) above the colonade. There are two large elephant statues guarding the temple and inside the temple, there is a giant lingam that can be seen. There are two legends surrounding the temple.

The Bhimsen Temple is a Hindu temple that is dedicated to the god of trade and business. Bhimsen was one of the 5 Pandevas brothers, from a Hindu epic. This temple is 3 stories, and an unusual rectangular shape. It has been restored many times, and is currently being repaired due to the 2015 earthquake. It is a temple that non-hindus are allowed to enter when opened, and can climb to the upper level to view a statue of Bhimsen. The wooden panels on the south side of the temple depict events in Bhimsen's life. The struts are sprayed gold, and the struts supporting the first balcony show Bhairav, Shiva, and Ganesh.

The first legend states that the first builder and king will remain with his people and not enter heaven until the elephants walk down to drink the water. The second legend states that when the elephants walk down and drink from the Dhara water, the stone sparrow atop the statue kings head will fly away and the valley will be filled with water (but the statue is now gone due to the earthquake).

The Krishna Mandir is another Hindu temple that is also under reconstruction due to the 2015 earthquake. It was said to be built because of a dream. The temple is carved from stone, amd shows clear influence of Indian temple design. It is the earliest stone temple in Nepal. The temple is a 3 tiered northern indian style shikhara. Non-Hindus are not permitted to entering to view the statue of Krishna. A festival in honor of Krishna's birthday takes place here during August or September. Another temple we visited that is no longer standing is the Char Narayan Temple. This temple represented the 4 principal forms of Vishnu. The former two middle struts show the boar and the man-like incarnations of Vishnu. The base of the struts had erotic carvings, and this location had a raised platform is used for masked dances during the october-november months. Along with temples, there is a palace located in the Durbar square. This was the location of the former royal palace complex, and there are 3 main courtyards.   The Manikev Chok is the site of the earliest Malla palace in Patan. Inside this chok is a small museum. The Mul Chok, also known as the Main Courtyard. Inside this temple, there is a secret temple to Taleju. The largest and tallest temple visible from the courtyard is Degutale, another form of Taleju. The last courtyard is of Sundari Chok. This Chok is guarded by large stone images of Hanuman, Narasungh and a 5 headed Ganesh. This was formerly the location of a Buddhist Monastery. The principle feature of this chok is a sunken bath called Tusa Hiti. There is a mini temple at the head of the bath. The bath is surrounded by a holy serpent. The golden sprout has images of Vishnu and Lakshmi riding Garuda. The walls are covered with beautiful stone carvings of many tantric divinities so the kings taking baths could more easily do devotions.

[emilybwest]

Taumadhi Tole

Taumadhi Tol is a square in the middle of Bhaktapur and is front of our first hotel. There are three different squares Bhaktapur and of them Taumadhi Tol is one meant for everyday use. One of the most important festivals that takes place at Taumadhi Tol is Bisket Jatra in early spring, in which people from the upper and lower halves of Bhaktapur attempt to pull a rath to their side of the town. Hutt notes that it is “a ritual center which affirms the unity of the town.” Taumadhi Tol was built by Jagajjyotir Malla in 1614. it is surrounded by three pagoda temples Nyatapola, Bhairav Temple and Cafe Nyatapola.

Bhairavnath Temple was a single story temple when it was built, also built by the aforementioned Mallas. In  1717 the Mallas restored the temple and added  two more stories. In the 1934 earthquake the locals rebuilt it.The temple is to Bhairav.  Temples to him must be rectangular. A popular tradition is that Shiva once came to observe Bisket Jatra, he was received and beheaded thus the temple is also known as Kashi Vishvanath.

Nyatepola Is the other temple that is at Taumadhi Tol. Nyatepola was built in 1702 by King Bhupatindra Malla. When the temple was being built King Bhupatindra set an example to his subject by carried three bricks by himself, and the people brought together the material to built it in five days. They also had to make seven more brick factory to get the material in a reasonable fashion.It is the tallest temple in Nepal. To enhance the durability king Bhupatendra Malla had guardians be placed on every level of the structure's base. On the first level is two statues with a likeness of to Rajput warriors, Jaimal and Phatta who defended a famous 16th century fort. On the second level are two elephants, followed by lions, griffins and "Baghini" and "Singhini", the tiger and lion goddesses. Bhairav has said to be troublesome to the ruler and he advised the square needed to be balanced by a goddess. This one is to Siddhi Lakshmi.She is one of the scariest godesses ever. When she goes anywhere Shiva carries her.

Til Mahadev Narayan is a small but is surprisingly important considering how it is hidden in a small court yard. This site in particular has been used since 10 AD. Surrounding the temple is two pillars that have Vishnu's discus and his conch. A discus is more or less a teardrop shaped sharp frisbee. At the bottom of the pillars are turtles that represent Vishnu when he assisted in the churning of the ocean. Also inside the courtyard is a shiva lingam protecting the gate. Inside the temple is a plaque Vishnu and Statues of Skandha on peacock, Saraswati, and standing Vishnu and Lakshmi figures.