A stroll through Bhaktapur

My destination this week was the smallest of the three Kathmandu Valley towns, Bhaktapur, the city(pur) of devotees (Bhakta) – also called as Bhatgaon or Bhadgaon, Khoprin, Khvapa or Khopah. It might be smallest but is certainly the best preserved and the oldest of the three cities. Traditionally, this town was amongst the main towns straddled on the trade route between Tibet and India. However, changes in political regime, construction of alternate motorable routes most notably – the opening of the trade route via Kalimpong by the British meant that the historical importance of those towns along the traditional route waned- one of those towns was Bhaktapur. Perhaps that was a good thing in hindsight because it may have helped preserve this unique place, its heritage and culture.

One of the best things about Bhaktapur is that there is little evidence of the ugly urban sprawl that characterizes the other two historical towns of Patan and Kathmandu. Unfortunately, sprawl is everywhere in the valley, so even though the core of Bhaktapur is reprieved of that ugliness, it is literally knocking at its doors because that's all you see before you get there - scattered glimpses of concrete randomness that has slowly replaced the surrounding agricultural lands. 


You must rewind back to the 70s to understand how change has occurred and also been deterred at the same time. The historicity of this wonderful place owes its preservation as well the continuity of certain traditional arts and craft practices to the Bhaktapur Development Project, a bi-lateral co-corporation between the Govt. of Nepal and the Govt. of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1974-1986. The project executed in three phases had a simple objective i.e., 'Improving the living conditions of the population of Bhaktapur' which it most certainly did.


Once the capital of the country from 12-14th century, Bhaktapur has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.  You drive off the Arniko Highway towards the narrow streets and ultimately enter the city through one of the last remaining city gates, the uniqueness of this traditional urban-space becomes apparent. Once inside city limits, you travel through brick paved narrow lanes and brick faced buildings built following the traditional Newari architectural style almost crowd you on either side providing glimpses of what’s ahead at the heart of Nepali art and architecture.

The Nyatapola Temple, Taumadhi Tole, Bhaktapur

Driving through those narrow bricked paved streets - you have absolutely no clue what to expect, until it hits you - visually and aesthetically. The first glimpse of the five-tiered Nyatapola temple triggers your curiosity and by the time you get to the center of the square in front of the temple, you can be excused for getting overawed. And the best is yet to come! One of only two five tiered temples in Nepal, the Nyatapola was erected by Nepali King Bhupatindra Malla during a 5 month period from late 1701 into 1702. It enshrines Siddha Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity. Nyatapola is designed with five stepped plinths of progressively and proportionately reducing widths lined with pairs of guardians arranged in order of increasing power. They are wrestlers, elephants, lions, griffons and lastly two minor deities Simhini and Vyangini. Springing from a base square measuring 22.5 meters, the plinth which can be understood as a stepped pyramid rises to a height of 9 meters. From the plinth level, the main body of the temple rises to a further height of 22.5 meters to the top of its pinnacle. 


The square in front of the temple i.e., Taumadhi Tole, has an additional temple 'Kasi Bishwanath' dedicated to 'Bhairava' (circa 1717 AD)  which defines the eastern edge of the square and is an integral part of everyday life of the people of Bhaktapur since traditional festivals and jatras still take place here as a continuum of the age old traditions.


If you would like to stop for a quick bite or just a cup of coffee, there is a traditional rest-house which has been converted to a cafe at the south-west corner of this square. Another place for good coffee is the small outlet of Himalayan Jawa on the stretch of road between this square and the Tachapal Tole containing the famous Pujari Math. 

A stone temple with the 55 windowed palace at the back

East of the main Palace court

Square in front of the palace

Square in front of the palace

Taumadhi Tole (square) in front of the Nyatapola Temple

Dattatreya Chowk (square) with the Dattatreya Temple at the back

The contrast between this square – which is more public in nature and the square in front of the Royal Palace is fairly evident. This square comes alive with people, the music and the noise- clatter of everyday that at times seems to compete with the massive temple itself. On the contrary, the square in front of the palace is quiet, calm and almost feels ordered where despite the unassuming nature – in terms of scale not architectural magnificence, the palace takes center stage and not the people.

National Art Gallery, Wood Carving Museum, Pujari Math - Bhaktapur

A typical stone paved alley

I really wanted to see the famous ‘Peacock window’ so the next stop was the Pujari Math which houses the National Art Gallery - Wood Carving Museum. Located about a five-ten minutes walk east of the Nyatapola temple, you arrive at another square - Tachapal Tole which is also littered with ancient monuments, a sunken water spout, rest-houses, commemorative stone pillars, the popular Dattatreya Temple and the famous Pujari Math. Since I did not have so much time, museum gazing had to be left for another day but I did find my way to the exquisite ‘Peacock window’. And if you need a bite, there is a Peacock Cafe overlooking the square, go figure!

Peacock Window, Pujari Math, Bhaktapur

The last part of this short tour was literally a mad-dash to the palace precinct and although I wanted to spend more time looking at the carvings, details and study some stone sculptures, look through the museum there - I didn't have much time. I did take some pictures of the 55 window palace, the square in front and the two stone temples, which is rather unique in Kathmandu. One of those stone temples built around the late seventeenth century is dedicated to 'Batsala Durga' but happens to be modeled on the Krsna Temple of Patan. 

The oldest surving section of this palace 'Mul Chowk' is believed to date back to 1342 AD. The palace itself has undergone a lot of changes and was one of the worst hit during the earthquake of 1934 AD. A lot of priceless art in the form of sculptures, murals, carved struts of historical value were lost not just due to the earthquake but also due to vandalism and the nature of reconstruction work following the earthquake. Some monuments have also been lost, the octagonal sattal was recently re-constructed using old photographs. 

I cannot close this post without the mention of the Golden Gate added during the reign of Ranjit Malla 1753/4 AD. The gilt metal, moldings and sculptures are beautiful. 

The Golden Gate, Bhaktapur Palace