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| Bhaktapur Durbar Square |
Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the plaza in front of the royal palace
of the old Bhaktapur Kingdom, 1400m above sea level. It is
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is located in the current town of Bhaktapur,
also known as Bhadgaon, which lies 13 km
east of Kathmandu.
While the complex consists of at least four distinct squares (Durbar Square,
Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square and Pottery Square), the whole area is informally known as
the Bhakapur Durbar Square and is a highly visited site in the Kathmandu Valley.
The Durbar Square proper houses the 55-window Palace which was
constructed by King Jitamitra Malla and was home to royalty until 1769. It is
now a national gallery. Close by is the Golden Gate which leads into Mulchok
Court which is home to the Taleju Temple. This temple, like others in the main
towns of the Kathmandu Valley, is dedicated to the goddess Taleju Bhawani and
includes shrines to both the Taleju Bhawani and Kumari. Entrance to the temple
is restricted and the living goddess strictly cannot be photographed.
The Durbar square is surrounded by spectacular architecture and
vividly showcases the skills of the Newari artists and craftsmen over several
centuries. The royal palace was originally situated at Dattaraya square and was
only later moved to the Durbar square location.
The Durbar square at Bhaktapur was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1934 and hence appears more spacious than
the others, in Kathmandu and Patan.
Originally, there were 99 courtyards attached to this place, but
now only 6 remain. Before the 1934 earthquake, there were 3 separate groups of
temples. Currently, the square is surrounded by buildings that survived the
quake.
On 25 April 2015, another major earthquake damaged many buildings in the square.
The main temple in Bhaktapur's square lost its roof, while the Vatsala Devi
temple, famous for its sandstone walls and gold-topped pagodas, was demolished
by the quake.
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