streetsnsquares: February 2012

I'm posting a few snaps from Patan Durbar Square - one of the most beautiful ensembles on the World Heritage Site list. There is a lot more to see and appreciate around the historic city of Patan but I'm going to start off with a personal favorite of mine - the Durbar Square. Of the three medieval palace complexes of the Kathmandu Valley, this square feels the liveliest. A combination of the beautiful architecture, art, sculpture and most importantly people and their every day lives make it a living square; a true public space that is open to one and all. On top of that, the cafe at the back in the palace garden is truly a delightful place to be. The Museum that can be entered through the Keshav Narayan Chowk (picture below) has a wonderful collection.

Keshav Narayan Chowk - Patan Durbar now Patan Museum

Window on the main facade of the Patan Durbar (Palace)

The central bay of the main window (Gaa Jhya)

Entrance to Museum

The palace complex and the adjacent square is located at the heart of the ancient city of Patan - one of the three major cities of the valley alongside Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, at the cross-roads of the two major city streets that run east west and north south respectively. The palace complex being parallel to the major road and its location is generally believed to be the geometric center of the historic town which was originally walled. It is generally accepted that this city was yielded to the Lichhavis by the Kiratas during the 2nd Century AD even though the foundation is believed to date back only up to the 4th century AD. However, no palace building is believed to date back further than the 17th century when it took its present form to a large extent - during the reign of Siddhinarsingh Malla. The palace complex has four courts - Sundari Chowk, Mul Chowk, Taleju Court and Keshav Narayan Chowk.

One of the most interesting aspects of traditional Malla palaces seems to be the volume of the buildings. Most of these buildings, temples are not dominant by size but rather by elaboration of details, materials used and through overall design. This is in contrast to most palace complexes found around the world that invariably tend to dominate the city-scape by their sheer size and monumentality. Another element that is common to both the Kathmandu and Patan Durbar is the presence of towers which is absent in the case of Bhaktapur. It suggests that perhaps tower were a later development which explains their absence at Bhaktapur. Also key to note that these weren't residential towers but religious instead.

Another thing worth noting is how all the entrances to the temples on the square adjacent to the palace complex face the palace. This amazing public space is greatly colored by the stylistic variety of the temples found there that range from a simple tiered temple to shikhara styled temples, and other elements that define a traditional public sphere in the towns of the valley. Those elements are the oldest water spout Mani dhara, the twin sattals - Mani Mandapa, commemorative stone steeles and other sculptural jewels that occupy every nook and corner of this square.

Mani dhara - oldest water spout in the valley

Krishna Mandir (Temple), Patan Durbar Square

View of Krishna Mandir from Mani Mandapa (Mani dhara)

One of my favorite Temple exteriors with lots of carvings

The Bell, Patan Durbar Square

View of Patan Durbar Square with the palace to the right undergoing restoration work

There is a lot to see around here and its not just limited to this wonderful slice of medieval paradise. There was a lot of restoration work underway when I visited the musuem and the square recently; starting from the Mul chowk, the Sundari chowk that houses the famous Tusa Hiti, to the Bhandarkhal (gardens) at the back along with the water fountain that it contains. Of the temples in this square, the Krishna Temple at the northern most end, is perhaps the most famous of them all. It's the center of all worship during the Sri Krishna Janamasthami every year where hundreds of people come to pray. If you have time on your hands, do give this temple more than a fleeting glance. You'll see scenes from the Mahabharata engraved on the frieze above the columns on all sides of this temple.

Updated Dec. 2016

Patan did not escape the April 2015 earthquake unscathed. The SW part of the palace complex suffered a lot of damage and as of July 2016 reconstruction work had commenced. A lot of temples in the main square outside the Palace were either damaged or fell. Krishna Temple has been shored up and awaits restrengthening. While the rest houses (patis) on either side of the dhungedhara collapsed.