Tag Archives: Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur, Nepal – Durbar Square and Taumadhi Tole

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Bhaktapur is a town located about an hour away (by bus) from Kathmandu. It is known in its position as a historical trading route to Tibet. By now the strikes had finished, thankfully, so we took the bus there, it was a pleasant ride costing us only twenty rupees (roughly twenty-five cents).  We walked around Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square first, admiring its cobblestone streets and numerous temples (some with extremely explicit carvings!) before doing a walking tour of the old town. Everywhere we turned there seemed to be women threshing grain or rice, or doing some kind of handicraft.  We had lunch high up on Cafe Nyatapola which is located in a former temple, overlooking Taumadhi Tole. Later we tried the yummy ‘king of curds’, a sweetened thick yogurt which Bhaktapur is renowned for.

West entrance with two large stone lions built by King Bhupatindra MallaSonya at Fasidega Temple flanked by elephant guardians at the bottom of the steps and lions and cows aboveThe spire of the Siddhi Lakshmi Temple
One of the pair of two lions at the east entrance to Durbar SquareA pair of stone lions at the east entrance with the Siddhi Lakshmi Temple in the backgroundSonya sitting on the steps of the Siddhi Lakshmi Temple
Siddhi Lakshmi Temple, Lohan Dega or Stone Temple, the steps up to the temple are flanked by male and female attendantsStairs of the Siddhi Lakshmi Temple flanked by camels, man-lions, rhinos and horsesVatsala Durga Temple with a bell on the temple's plinth
Vatsala Durga Temple with a bell on the temple's plinthSmaller bell on the Vatsala Durga Temple's plinth, popularly known as the barking bellGolden Gate or Sun Dhoka is the entrance to the 55 Window Palace
Goat's head protruding from the mouth of a makara (crocodile demon) at Naga PokhariKing Bhupatindra Malla column, the king sits with folded arms studying the magnificent golden gate to his palaceKing Bhupatindra Malla column with the spire of the Vatsala Durga Temple in the background
Stone carvings of the Vatsala Durga TempleVishnu as Narsingha, the man-lion incarnationHanuman appears in Tantric form as the four-armed Hanuman-Bhairab
Looking over Durbar Square facing EastBrick shikhara style Shiva TempleNasamana Square, with a Garuda statue without a paired temple
Entrance to the National Art Museum flanked by two stone lionsFive story Nyatapola Temple, the highest in the Kathmandu ValleyFive story Nyatapola Temple, the highest in the Kathmandu Valley
The road from Taumadhi Tole to Durbar SquareThe stairway leading up to Nyatapola Temple is flanked by guardian figures at each plinth levelIntricately carved wooden windows, a Ganesh is seen above the entrance
Alley to the North of Durbar SquareWomen threshing grains in the alleys near Durbar SquareA small unknown shrine
Entrance to Mahakali Temple with snow lions flanking the entranceStone Buddha statues with residential buildings in the backgroundNava Durga Temple a Tantric temple with golden door guarded by metal lions
Wakupati Narayan Temple with metal ribbons providing a path for the gods to descendSonya with an orange garuda statueA metal lion on the roof a temple holding the Nepalese flag
Dattatreya Temple with entrance guarded by two Malla wrestlersDattatreya Temple with Garuda topped pillar and entrance guarded by two Malla wrestlersDattatreya Temple with Garuda topped pillar and entrance guarded by two Malla wrestlers
Triple-roofed Bhairabnath Temple (also known as the Kasi Vishwanath or Akash BhairabView of Taumadhi Tole from Nyatapola Temple15th-century peacock window, reputed to be the finest carved window in the Kathmandu valley

Bhaktapur Walking Tour

  1. Sun and Moon Plagues
  2. Terracotta Ganesh Window
  3. Mahakali Temple
  4. Mahalakshmi Temple
  5. Temples
  6. Shikhara Temple
  7. Ganesh Shrine
  8. Prashan Nashil Maha Bihar
  9. Nava Durga Temple
  10. Wakupati Narayan Temple
  11. Tachupal Tole
  12. Inacho Bahal
  13. Chaityas, Statues, Shrines and Lingams
  14. Hanuman Statue
  15. Chuping Ghat
  16. Khalna Tole
  17. Kumari Temple
  18. Bhagwati Temple

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  2. Kathmandu, Nepal – temples and cows
  3. Patan, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
  4. Swayambhunath, Kathmandu, Nepal – Monkey Temple
  5. Pokhara, Nepal – Lake Phewa Tal