"PATAN (Lalitpur in Sanskrit, or Yala in Newari)" Top 5 Page for this destination Patan by josephescu

Patan Travel Guide: 69 reviews and 260 photos

a living museum with a thousand legends

....as long as the bird remains on the head of the cobra, the king may still return to his palace....hence, a door and a window of the former royal palace have been kept open during the last 100 years.....

some facts....

The second largest city in the valley, 8 km south of old Kathmandu, on the other side of the Bagmati river, Patan boasts some of the finest examples of Newari architecture in Nepal, as well as the highest concentration of monuments within the valley – over 1200 temples, stupas, bahals of various shapes and sizes scattered throughout the squares and the fascinating backstreets in and outside the city. The most important and visited monument of the city is Patan Durbar Square, which has been listed by UNESCO, but the other monuments worth a visit as well (Hiranya Varna Mahaa Vihar and Kumbeshwor temple).

300 BC – town believed to have been founded by King Veer Deva, thus making Patan the oldest city in the Kathmandu Valley

250 BC – a great Buddhist emperor Ashoka, while on piligrimage in the Kathmandu Valley, builds 4 stupas at the corners of the city

it is said the city was designed and built after the Buddhist wheel of righteousness (Dharma Chakra)

1600 – Patan conquered by the Malla king of Kathmandu, who temporarily unified the valley

1660 - the first-ever Western visitor came to Nepal: it was the Austrian Jesuit (and mathematician) Johannes Grueber whose published reports were the first eyewitness accounts of Nepal in Europe. His gift to King Pratap Malla is said to have been not a cross but a telescope - probably the first piece of western technology in Nepal.

16th – 18th – construction boom, including the temples and other monuments

1975 - 1977 – UNESCO documentation works and report highlighting the world heritage in the area

1982 – 1997 – major restoration works at the former royal palace and of other monuments in Patan, under Austrian money

in English.....the City of Beauty

"As an ensemble, the Durbar in Patan probably remains the most picturesque collection of buildings that have been set up in so small a place by the piety of oriental man" – Percival London, 1928

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:stunned of so much history and richness in a single place

Last visit to Patan: Dec 2006
Intro Updated Jan 28, 2007
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Reviews (16)

Allow one full day...or be sorry Things to Do (5)

Consider temple overload and shopping opportunities. Therefore, allow a full long summer day in Patan, starting early... more travel advice

Amazing sights outside Durbar sq. - Patan

Amazing sights outside Durbar sq. Things to Do (5)

The Durbar square in Patan is amazing indeed. But try and do some other sights as well, at least Hiranya Varna Mahavihar... more travel advice

royal throne of the former King of Patan - Patan

Patan museum – royal throne Things to Do (5)

For more than a hundred years this was the royal throne of the kings of Patan. Like all the kings of Nepal, the kings... more travel advice

Durbar square – Mul Chowk Favorites (6)

The largest and the oldest courtyard of the former royal palace let’s you discover exquisite sculptures on the... more travel advice

Shopping (2)
See All Carpets
Transportation (1)
taxi to & from Kathmandu

Restaurants (2)
See All Panoramic views over Durbar square
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Comments (2)

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goutammitra Mar 8, 2008 at 5:58 PM

Your page is just beautiful! Did I miss anything on my visit? I am in love with Nepal. If I had my wishes granted I should be visiting again in 2008!
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tremendopunto Sep 23, 2007 at 1:55 PM

Great informative page of yours! Patan is the prettiest of the three kingcities in the valley, thanks for showing the beauty of it!