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Bhaktapur
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Bhaktapur,
or Bhadgaon as the city is also known,
is a musium of medieval art and architecture
with many fine examples of sculpture,
woodcarving and colossal pagoda consecrated
to different gods and goddesses. The
city is shaped like a conch shell,
one of the emblems of the god Vishnu,
and was founded by King Ananda Deva
in 889 A.D. The altitude of the city
is 1,402 metres above sea level. |
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| Pottery
and weaving are its major traditional industries.
The city lies fifteen kilometres to the
east of Kathmandu
, and is linked by a highway. |
Tourist Places
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| Bhaktapur
Durbar Square |
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| Bhaktapur Durbar
Square
is a conglomeration
of pagoda and shikhara-style temples
grouped around a fifty-five window
palace of brick and wood. The square
is one of the most charming architectural
showpieces of the Valley as it highlights
the ancient arts of Nepal . The
golden effigies of the kings perched
on the top of stone monoliths, the
guardian deities looking out from
their sanctuaries, the wood carvings
in every place - struts, lintels,
uprights, tympanums, gateways and
windows all seem to form a well-orchestrated
symphony. The main items of interest
in the Durbar Square are:
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| The
Lion Gate |
| Dating
as far back as 1696 A.D., this gate is guarded
on either side by two huge statues of lions.
Alongside there are two stone images of
Bhairab (the dreadful aspect of Shiva) and
ugrachandi (the consort of Shiva in her
fearful manifestation). |
| The
Golden Gate in Bhaktapur |
| The
Golden Gate
is said to be the most beautiful and richly
moulded specimen of its kind in the entire
world. The door is surmounted by a figure
of the goddess Kali and Garuda (mythical
man-bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs.
It is also embellished with monsters and
other mythical creatures of marvellous intricacy.
In the words of Percy Brown, an eminent
English art critic and historian, the Golden Gate is 'the most lovely piece of art in the whole
Kingdom; it is placed like a jewel, flashing
innumerable facets in the handsome setting
of its surroundings'. The gate was erected
by King Ranjit Malla and is the entrance
to the main courtyard of the palace of fifty-five
windows. |
| The
Palace of Fifty-five Windows |
| This
magnificent Palace was built during the
reign of King Yaksha Malla in 1427 A.D.,
and was subsequently remodelled by King
Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century.
Among the brick walls, with their gracious
setting and sculptural design, is a balcony
of fifty-five windows, considered to be
a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.
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| The
Picture Gallery |
| The
Picture Gallery is of considerable value
which contains ancient paintings belonging
to the Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism of various
periods and descriptions. This gallery is
open everyday except Tuesday. |
| The
Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla |
| This
statue showing King Bhupatindra Maila in
the act of worship, can be seen placed on
a column facing the palace. Of the square's
many statues, this is considered to be the
most magnificent. |
| Batsala
Temple |
| The
stone
temple of
Batsala Devi
depicts many intricate carvings; however,
it is most famous for its bronze bell, known
to local residents as 'the bell-of barking
dogs', as when it is rung, all dogs in the
vicinity begin barking and howling! The
colossal bell was hung by King Ranjit Malla
in 1737 A.D. and was used to sound the daily
curfew. It is nowadays rung every morning
when goddess Taleju is worshipped.
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| The
Pashupati Temple
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| This
temple is a replica of the famous temple
by the Bagmati river in Kathmandu and is widely noted for the erotic carvings on
its struts. 11 was built by King Yakshya
Malla. |
| Nyatapola
Temple |
| This
five-storeyed pagoda was built by King Bhupatindra
Malla in 1702 A.D. It stands on five terraces,
on each of which squat a pair of figures:
two famous wrestlers, two elephants, two
lions, two griffins, and Baghini and Singhini
- the tiger and the lion goddesses. Each
pair of figures is considered ten times
stronger than the ones immediately below,
while the lowest pair, the two strong men
Jaya Malla and Phatta Malla, were reputedly
ten times stronger than any other men. This
is one of the tallest pagoda-style temples
in Kathmandu Valley
and is famous for its massive
structure and subtle workmanship.
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Bhairab
Nath
Temple
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| This
is another pagoda temple of lord Bhairab,
the dreadful aspect of Shiva. It stands
a short distance away from the
temple
of Nyatapola
and was originally constructed
by King Jagat Jyoti Malla on a modest scale.
It was later remodelled by King Bhupatindra
Malla, a zealous lover of the arts, into
what it is now a three-storeyed temple.
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Dattatraya
Temple |
| The
temple of Dattatraya
is as old as the Palace of
fifty-five windows. Consecrated by King
Yakshya Malla in 1427 A.D., this temple,
according to popular belief, was built out
of the trunk of a single tree. It was subsequently
repaired and renovated by King Vishwa Malla
in 1458 A.D. |
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Suggested Tours
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| Complete
Nepal Tour |
| Duration
: 10
Nights -11 Days |
| Places
Covered :Nepal Kathmandu
- Bhaktapur - Bodhnath -
Pashupatinath - Kathmandu
Durbar Square - Swayambhunath
- Royal Chitwan National
Park - Lumbini |
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Bhaktapur
Travel Reservation Form
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