The beauty of the past always intrigues me and so did the Patan Darbar Square in Kathmandu. It is one of the three Darbar Squares in Nepal, that exists as UNESCO Heritage sites, where the past lives amidst the hustle and bustle of modern times.
Once a thriving palace of the "Malla" (the word Malla means wrestlers) kings who ruled over Nepal, the palaces and temple gives us a glimpse of the grandeur of their lifestyle. Though the earthquake of 2015 badly damaged this site, the restoration and renovations are underway to bring back the glory of the yester years.
Believed to be the oldest city, Patan welcomes you with a stone cut inscription which talks about the existence of this piece of land from 570 A.D. I was feeling as if I am walking among them when I walked the streets of Darbar Square. A bust of an English lady with a fountain from her hand greets you with a warm welcome to enter the square with many temples and Buddhist shrines. I got myself a ticket to walk back into history and take a stroll along with the royalty of the historical past. The Narasimha statue and the guarding stone lions itself was remarkable and gave me a head-start as I moved forward.
All around were temples and Buddhist shrines, and the palace stood on one side which once was the residence of mighty kings, now a museum to know about them and their life. The tall spires of temples, the carvings, flag posts, watch towers and carvings on the window sills and gateways had a million stories to tell me. The stone lion showed clear influence of the Chinese styles and the gods and goddesses were from the Indian culture. The amalgamation is worthy of a note and strikes a good pose for photography enthusiasts.
One of the entrances to the museum has the depiction of Sapta mata or matrikas (The seven celestial mothers). As per the Sakthi peetha tradition the divine goddesses who emerged from the gods for the battlefield have been treated as Ashta matrika (Eight) or the Sapta matrikas (Seven). Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi from Vishnu, Maheshvari from Shiva, Indrani from Indra, Kaumari from Skanda, Varahi from Varaha and Chamunda from Devi, and additionally Narasimhi and Vinayaki are also depicted. The Pasupathinath temple has a worshiping shrine for the ashta matrikas and the palace gateway has depiction of the seven matrikas. I have seen the sapta mata temple in Kodungalloor in Kerala.
The carvings of yazhi or the vyaali on the support structures of the palace here too gives the thought of migration of people between South India and Nepal more weightage. The choice of 15000 Saligrama from Gandaki River in Nepal for sculpting the idol of Sree Padmanabha Swamy of Thiruvananthapuram too stresses this fact.
Being a law student the bell of justice above a palace
building too attracted my attention at the square. Erected
tall, this bell was used by public to address their grievances
. This bell, referred
to as the Taleju Bell, was erected by King Vishnu Malla in 1736.
A walk int the museum is a treat for those who would like to learn about Buddhism, the culture and life and times of the great kings of Nepal.
After spending a good amount of time inside the museum I reached a courtyard, where there was a eat out, or so to say a restaurant. A strange incident happened to me there, which I would never forget in my life. A smiling waiter walked up to me and asked what I wanted. The walk and the amazement had made me thirsty physically and mentally. I asked for a lime juice with salt and a sandwich. He served with the same smile and I was relaxed looking at the birds in the trees and the magnanimity of the palace. I was about to leave when the waiter came with the bill. For my surprise only the sandwich was charged. I called him and asked "I think there is some mistake... you have not added the lime juice in the bill". The reply shocked as well as made me smile for a long while. He said, " Its just water and lime, no sugar... so we did not charge for it". How can the valley ever have a shade of sadness with people like him. I salute the greatness of such happy souls of the valley.
You might meet a few who would offer you service as a guide to the historical monuments. Or take you to the living goddess nearby. Guided or non-guided, the trip would remain in your minds for long.
With the same gleaming smile and happiness I walked out of the palace as I had a flight to catch in a couple of hours. Quickly walked through the alleys and streets which was nothing less than a shoppers paradise. Got a few curios and also saw the age old water spout standing there for over 1500 years. Your trip to Kathmandu would not be complete without paying a visit to the one of the three existing Darbar Squares... especially the one in Kathmandu.
Much more that happened during my journey remains with me in my mind... the few special moments I did share with you. So until I pay visit to another beautiful destination and pick those moments special for you... keep reading... keep travelling and keep smiling....
A few snaps I would like to share with you ....
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| The door with Sapta maatrika |
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| Temple at Darbar Square |
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| Bhimsen temple under renovation |
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Dipankara Buddha
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Padmasambhava, The great magician teacher
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| Yelow Tara |
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| Maitreya Buddha |
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The Keshav Narayan temple at Keshav Narayan Chowk
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| 1500 year old water fountain at Darbar Square |
The beauty of the past always intrigues me and so did the Patan Darbar Square in Kathmandu. It is one of the three Darbar Squares in Nepal, that exists as UNESCO Heritage sites, where the past lives amidst the hustle and bustle of modern times. 
Believed to be the oldest city, Patan welcomes you with a stone cut inscription which talks about the existence of this piece of land from 570 A.D. I was feeling as if I am walking among them when I walked the streets of Darbar Square. A bust of an English lady with a fountain from her hand greets you with a warm welcome to enter the square with many temples and Buddhist shrines. I got myself a ticket to walk back into history and take a stroll along with the royalty of the historical past. The Narasimha statue and the guarding stone lions itself was remarkable and gave me a head-start as I moved forward. 
All around were temples and Buddhist shrines, and the palace stood on one side which once was the residence of mighty kings, now a museum to know about them and their life. The tall spires of temples, the carvings, flag posts, watch towers and carvings on the window sills and gateways had a million stories to tell me. The stone lion showed clear influence of the Chinese styles and the gods and goddesses were from the Indian culture. The amalgamation is worthy of a note and strikes a good pose for photography enthusiasts. 
One of the entrances to the museum has the depiction of Sapta mata or matrikas (The seven celestial mothers). As per the Sakthi peetha tradition the divine goddesses who emerged from the gods for the battlefield have been treated as Ashta matrika (Eight) or the Sapta matrikas (Seven). Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi from Vishnu, Maheshvari from Shiva, Indrani from Indra, Kaumari from Skanda, Varahi from Varaha and Chamunda from Devi, and additionally Narasimhi and Vinayaki are also depicted. The Pasupathinath temple has a worshiping shrine for the ashta matrikas and the palace gateway has depiction of the seven matrikas. I have seen the sapta mata temple in Kodungalloor in Kerala.
Being a law student the bell of justice above a palace building too attracted my attention at the square. Erected tall, this bell was used by public to address their grievances. This bell, referred to as the Taleju Bell, was erected by King Vishnu Malla in 1736.
A walk int the museum is a treat for those who would like to learn about Buddhism, the culture and life and times of the great kings of Nepal. 
After spending a good amount of time inside the museum I reached a courtyard, where there was a eat out, or so to say a restaurant. A strange incident happened to me there, which I would never forget in my life. A smiling waiter walked up to me and asked what I wanted. The walk and the amazement had made me thirsty physically and mentally. I asked for a lime juice with salt and a sandwich. He served with the same smile and I was relaxed looking at the birds in the trees and the magnanimity of the palace. I was about to leave when the waiter came with the bill. For my surprise only the sandwich was charged. I called him and asked "I think there is some mistake... you have not added the lime juice in the bill". The reply shocked as well as made me smile for a long while. He said, " Its just water and lime, no sugar... so we did not charge for it". How can the valley ever have a shade of sadness with people like him. I salute the greatness of such happy souls of the valley.
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