treasures of nepal

In the 1970s, the pioneering BhaktapurDevelopment Project, with financial andtechnical assistance from the Germangovernment, restored considerable portions ofthe city’s lost heritage and improved its physicalinfrastructure.The main attraction of the Bhaktapur DurbarSquare is the famous Golden Gate or SwarnaDwar, built by King Ranjit Malla in 1753. Britishhistorian Perceval Landon praised it as ‘themost exquisitely designed and finished pieceof gilded metalwork in all Asia’. The gate is themain entrance to the palace. The Palace of 55Windows, built by King Yaksha Malla in 1427 andrenovated by King Bhupatindra Malla, is famousfor its intricately carved wood works. There aremany courtyards inside the palace, but theyare closed to the public. The visitor has to besatisfied with the diversity of monuments aroundthe palace complex.Upon entering the gate to the BhaktapurDurbar Square, there are two temples to theright. One is the two-storeyed Krishna Temple,with roof struts depicting the 10 incarnationsof Lord Vishnu. The second is a terracottaShikhara temple dedicated to Goddess Durgaor Bhagawati. The life-size statue of KingBhupatindra Malla with folded palms atop astone pillar in front of the National Art Galleryis another remarkable piece of sculpture. Thelast Malla ruler of Bhaktapur, King Ranjit Malla,erected this statue in 1753 as a tribute toBhupatindra Malla, who enriched the culturalheritage of Bhaktapur. The Big Bell, installedhere by King Ranjit Malla in 1737, is used whileworshipping Goddess Tulaja Bhavani. Behindthis, there is a beautiful stone Shikhara-styletemple with nine pinnacles dedicated to GoddessBatsala built in 1672 by King Jagat PrakashMalla. Next to the Batsala temple is the twostoreyedpagoda-style temple of YaksheswaraMahadev built by King Yaksha Malla in the 15thcentury.Taumadhi Square that houses the NyatapolaTemple is one of the three main squares includedin the world heritage site of Bhaktapur. Thissquare is dominated by two of Bhaktapur’sgrandest temples. The Nyatapola, or fivestoreyedtemple of Goddess Siddhi Laxmi, thepatron deity of King Bhupatindra Malla, is byfar the most imposing. Its five-step base givesit a towering height, which makes it the tallesttemple in the country. This grand temple, amasterpiece of Nepalese architecture, was builtby King Bhupatindra Malla in 1702. The columnsaround the temple sanctum and door frame haveexquisite carvings. The impressive woodworkincludes 108 supporting roof struts, which depictthe diverse forms of the goddess Bhagawati, orMahismardini, and other associate deities. Inthe southeast corner of this courtyard standsa massive three-storeyed rectangular templeof Bhairav, also known as Kashi Bishwanath.The original temple is believed to have beenconstructed in 1001 during the reign of KingNirvaya Deva.Tachapal, or Dattatraya Square, is one of thethree main squares of Bhaktapur. The Dattatraya42