Nepal: BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE

Nepal: BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE: "Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara – style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and ..."

BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE

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 valley as it highlights the ancient of the kings perched on top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in very place – struts, lintels, tympanums, gateways and windows – all seem to form a well orchestrated symphony.

The main items of interest in the Durbar Square are:-

The Lion Gate:

Dating as far back as AD 1696 this gate is guarded on either side by huge statues of lions. Alongside, there are two stone images of (the dreadful aspect of Shiva) and Ugrachandi (the consort of the Shiva in her fearful manifestation).

The Golden Gate:

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 (the mythical man – bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It is embellished with mythical creatures of marvelous intricacy. In the words of Percy Brown, and eminent English are critic and historian, the Golden Gate is the most lovely pieces of are in the whole Kingdom; it is places like a jewel, flashing innumerable facets in the handsome setting of its erected by King Ranjit Mala and is the entrance of the main courtyard of the palaces of Fifty – five windows.

The Palace Of fifty – five Windows: This magnificent palace was built during the reign of King Yakshay Malla in AD 1427 and was subsequently remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls with their gracious setting and sculptural design, is a balcony with fifty-five Windows, considered a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.

The Art Gallery: The Art Gallery contains ancient paintings belonging to the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of various periods and descriptions. This gallery is open everyday except Tuesday.

The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla: This statue shows king Bhupatindra Malla in the act of worship is set on a column facing the palace. This is considered the most magnificent statue amongh the many statues in the squares.

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 valley as it highlights the ancient of the kings perched on top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in very place – struts, lintels, tympanums, gateways and windows – all seem to form a well orchestrated symphony.

The main items of interest in the Durbar Square are:-

The Lion Gate:Dating as far back as AD 1696 this gate is guarded on either side by huge statues of lions. Alongside, there are two stone images of (the dreadful aspect of Shiva) and Ugrachandi (the consort of the Shiva in her fearful manifestation).

The Golden Gate: 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 (the mythical man – bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It is embellished with mythical creatures of marvelous intricacy. In the words of Percy Brown, and eminent English are critic and historian, the Golden Gate is the most lovely pieces of are in the whole Kingdom; it is places like a jewel, flashing innumerable facets in the handsome setting of its erected by King Ranjit Mala and is the entrance of the main courtyard of the palaces of Fifty – five windows.

The Palace Of fifty – five Windows: This magnificent palace was built during the reign of King Yakshay Malla in AD 1427 and was subsequently remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls with their gracious setting and sculptural design, is a balcony with fifty-five Windows, considered a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.

The Art Gallery: The Art Gallery contains ancient paintings belonging to the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of various periods and descriptions. This gallery is open everyday except Tuesday.

The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla: This statue shows king Bhupatindra Malla in the act of worship is set on a column facing the palace. This is considered the most magnificent statue amongh the many statues in the squares.

Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur is in many ways the most medieval of the three major cities in the Kathmandu valley. Much of its glorious architecture dates from the end of the 17th century. Bhaktapur is about 12km south east of Kathmandu's city centre and is easily reached by bus or minibus. Foreigners have to purchase a ticket to visit the town.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is an assortment of pagoda and shikhara-style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The square is part of a charming valley as it highlights the idols of ancient kings perched on top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in very place - struts, lintels, tympanums, gateways and windows - all seem to form a well orchestrated symphony.

PATAN DURBAR SQUARE

Patan is probably one of the oldest Buddhist City in the world. It is believed that the city was founded in the 3rd century A.D. Patan is situated on a plateau across Bagmati River. Another name of Patan, is Lalitpur. This city is known for its finest traditional crafts and rich artistic heritage.

Patan is designed and built after Buddhist Dharma Chakra. It is surrounded by 4Stupas as 4 corners of Patan, one at each corner of its cardinal points. These stupas are said to have been built by the famous Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. It is also said that the ancient city got its name Lalitpattan after the Lalitadhara forest was cleared by king Biradava. It must be remembered that the name of Patan used by Newars in Yala. It is said that King Yalamber named this city after himself. Before Malla Dynasty ascended the throne in 1480 the Muslim Emperor Sam Suddin Iliyas destroyed the temples and monuments of Patan. When King Siddhi Nar Singh Malla ascended the throne in 1618, he started to rebuild the city and Shrinivas and Yog Narendra Malla made further contributions to it. These days one can see the beautiful palace complex and squares built during the Malla period.

Things to see here are:

Krishna Temple:

The Krishna Mandir is dedicated to lord Krishna and was build by Siddhi Narsingha Malla in 1637. Many writers have considered this temple as and ornament of Patan. This temple was built in Shikhara style, which is considered to be of Indian influence in Nepal. The temple is three storied and important scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics have been carved inside the temple. The statue of Krishna lies in the first floor and only Hindus are allowed to go in. It is one of the most visited temples in Patan. On the occasion of Krishna Janmasthanmi (Lord Krishna’s Birthday), thousands of devotees come to the temple. The other importance of this temple is a statue of Garuda)(the vehicle of Krishna or Vishnu) in front of the temple.

Golden Temple:

The Golden Temple or Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is the richest temple in Patan. The temple is just tow minutes walk towards, the north f the Durbar Square. The temple, built in the 12th Century, is popular among the Buddhists of Patan. At the main entrance tow lions are guarding the temple. The building has three roofs with copper golden facades. Inside the temple, there are images of Buddha and Boddisattvas. IN the courtyard, there is a small temple with beautifully decorated pinnacle.

Other interesting things to see here are Mulchowk, Jagat Narayan Temple, Big Bell, Pillar of Yognarendra Malla, Hari Shanker temple, Vishwanath temple, Bhimsen temple, Marga Hiti, and Mani Mandap, Café Pagoda, Kumbheswor Temple, Rato Machhendra Temple, Minnath, Rudra Varna Mahavihar and so on.

Patan is probably one of the oldest Buddhist City in the world. It is believed that the city was founded in the 3rd century A.D. Patan is situated on a plateau across Bagmati River. Another name of Patan, is Lalitpur. This city is known for its finest traditional crafts and rich artistic heritage.

Patan is designed and built after Buddhist Dharma Chakra. It is surrounded by 4Stupas as 4 corners of Patan, one at each corner of its cardinal points. These stupas are said to have been built by the famous Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. It is also said that the ancient city got its name Lalitpattan after the Lalitadhara forest was cleared by king Biradava. It must be remembered that the name of Patan used by Newars in Yala. It is said that King Yalamber named this city after himself. Before Malla Dynasty ascended the throne in 1480 the Muslim Emperor Sam Suddin Iliyas destroyed the temples and monuments of Patan. When King Siddhi Nar Singh Malla ascended the throne in 1618, he started to rebuild the city and Shrinivas and Yog Narendra Malla made further contributions to it. These days one can see the beautiful palace complex and squares built during the Malla period.

Things to see here are:

Krishna Temple:The Krishna Mandir is dedicated to lord Krishna and was build by Siddhi Narsingha Malla in 1637. Many writers have considered this temple as and ornament of Patan. This temple was built in Shikhara style, which is considered to be of Indian influence in Nepal. The temple is three storied and important scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics have been carved inside the temple. The statue of Krishna lies in the first floor and only Hindus are allowed to go in. It is one of the most visited temples in Patan. On the occasion of Krishna Janmasthanmi (Lord Krishna’s Birthday), thousands of devotees come to the temple. The other importance of this temple is a statue of Garuda)(the vehicle of Krishna or Vishnu) in front of the temple.

Golden Temple:The Golden Temple or Hiranya Varna Mahavihar is the richest temple in Patan. The temple is just tow minutes walk towards, the north f the Durbar Square. The temple, built in the 12th Century, is popular among the Buddhists of Patan. At the main entrance tow lions are guarding the temple. The building has three roofs with copper golden facades. Inside the temple, there are images of Buddha and Boddisattvas. IN the courtyard, there is a small temple with beautifully decorated pinnacle.

Other interesting things to see here are Mulchowk, Jagat Narayan Temple, Big Bell, Pillar of Yognarendra Malla, Hari Shanker temple, Vishwanath temple, Bhimsen temple, Marga Hiti, and Mani Mandap, Café Pagoda, Kumbheswor Temple, Rato Machhendra Temple, Minnath, Rudra Varna Mahavihar and so 

Mustang, Jomsom and Muktinath

 MUSTANG, JOMSOM & MUKTINATH

Muktinath (3870m/12600 feet) This is where I stayed the day I crossed THorung La. Muktinath is a very holy city to TIbetan Buddhists. It is believed that the 5 Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wood and Metal) exist in their purest forms here.

Situated at an altitude of 3,710 meters (12,172 feet) at the base of the Thorong La mountain pass in the Mustang district, Muktinath is a highly venerated sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists.

Hindus call the site Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the “place of salvation” and it is one of the most ancient temples of the God Vishnu and the Vaishnava tradition in Nepal. The shrine is considered to be one of the eight sacred places known as Svayam Vyakta Ksetras (the other seven being Srirangam, Srimushnam, Tirupati, Naimisharanya, Totadri, Pushkar and Badrinath), as well as one of the 108 Divya Desam, or holy places of worship of Lord Vishnu. Additionally, it is also one of the 51 Shakti Pitha goddess sites.

The temple is small and contains a human-sized golden statue of Vishnu as Shri Mukti Narayana. In addition to Mukti Narayana, the temple has bronze images of Bhoodevi (the Earth-goddess form of Lakshmi), the goddesses Saraswati and Janaki (Sita), Garuda (the mount of Vishnu), Lava-Kusa (the sons of Rama and Sita) and the Sapta Rishis (Seven Sages created by Lord Brahma). There is an old Buddhist monk present in the temple and worship is conducted by Buddhist nuns.

Behind the temple is a semi-circular wall with 108 stone faucets at a height of seven feet. The faucets all have the same shape of the head of a bull and are separated by approximately one foot. Water from the ice-cold Kali Gantaki River has been diverted to flow through the mouths of these bulls and hardy pilgrims who visit the temple often stand beneath each of the spouts.

The number 108 carries great significance in Eastern philosophy. In Hindu astrology, there are 12 zodiac or Rashi and 9 planets or Graha, giving a total of 108 combinations. Also there are 27 Lunar mansions or Nakshatras, which are divided in 4 quarters, or Padas each giving a combination of 108 Padas in total.

The Kali Gantaki riverbed downstream from Muktinath is the sole source of the rare Shaligram stones that are required to establish a temple of Vishnu anywhere in the world.

Buddhists call Muktinath Chumming Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means ‘Hundred Waters’. According to Tibetan Buddhism Chumig Gyatsa is a sacred place of the Dakinis goddesses known as Sky Dancers, and also one of the 24 celebrated Tantric places. Additionally, the site is believed to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and Virtue. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition states that Guru Rimpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, meditated here on his way to Tibet.

water spouts

After completing prayers and worship at the Muktinath temple many pilgrims, both Hindu and Buddhist, visit Mebar Lha Gomba, the small monastery of `miraculous fire’, which is situated near the entrance gate of the temple. This monastery, dedicated to Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) and containing a statue of the Buddhist deity Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara), is famous for its continuously burning natural gas fire, which Hindus worship as Jwala Mai, the Goddess of Fire.

MANAKAMANA

Situated atop a 1300-meter hill, 105 kilometers to the west of Kathmandu, the Manakamana Devi temple is a highly venerated sacred place of the Hindu Goddess Bhagwati, an incarnation of Parvati. The name Manakamana is derived from two words, Mana, meaning heart and Kamana, meaning wish. It is believed that the Goddess Bhagwati rewards those who make the pilgrimage to her shrine by granting their wishes, and she is especially popular with Newari newlyweds who pray for sons.

The history and location of the Manakamana temple are explained by a curious legend. The Queen of the 17th century Gorkha King, Rama Shah, was said to have magical powers that only her devotee, Lakhan Thapa, knew about. One day the Queen’s husband became aware of her secret when he saw her in the form of a goddess and Lakhan Thapa in the form of a Lion. Soon thereafter the King mysteriously died and the Queen, as was the custom of the day, committed sati (ritual immolation) upon her husband’s funeral pyre. Prior to her death, the Queen had promised her devotee Lakhan Thapa that he would soon again see her. Some time later while plowing a field, a farmer discovered a stone from which blood and milk were pouring. When Lakhan Thapa learned of this he was convinced it was a sign from the dead queen, and at the site where the stone had been discovered he constructed a temple in her honor. The present 19th century temple is a replacement of the one built by Lakhan Thapa. Tradition has it that the temple priest must be a descendent of Lakhan Thapa.

The Manakamana temple overlooks the Trisuli and Marshyang-di river valleys, and offers breathtaking views of the Manaslu, Himalchuli and Annapurna mountains to the north. The temple is set in a square, which is overlooked by an enormous sacred magnolia tree. Two popular festivals, Dasain (in September-October) and Nag Panchami (July – August), draw large numbers of pilgrims from throughout the country. In the past, pilgrims used to make a long and arduous trek up to the hilltop temple from the town of Kurintar on the Trisuli River. Nowadays, a cable car ride of 10-15 minutes brings visitors from the base-station in Cheres to the temple site.

An hour walk from the Manakamana temple leads past the Bakeshwar Mahadev Mandir Shiva temple to the Lakhan Thapa Gurpha sacred cave, which is named after the founder of the Manakamana temple.

Situated atop a 1300-meter hill, 105 kilometers to the west of Kathmandu, the Manakamana Devi temple is a highly venerated sacred place of the Hindu Goddess Bhagwati, an incarnation of Parvati. The name Manakamana is derived from two words, Mana, meaning heart and Kamana, meaning wish. It is believed that the Goddess Bhagwati rewards those who make the pilgrimage to her shrine by granting their wishes, and she is especially popular with Newari newlyweds who pray for sons.
The history and location of the Manakamana temple are explained by a curious legend. The Queen of the 17th century Gorkha King, Rama Shah, was said to have magical powers that only her devotee, Lakhan Thapa, knew about. One day the Queen’s husband became aware of her secret when he saw her in the form of a goddess and Lakhan Thapa in the form of a Lion. Soon thereafter the King mysteriously died and the Queen, as was the custom of the day, committed sati (ritual immolation) upon her husband’s funeral pyre. Prior to her death, the Queen had promised her devotee Lakhan Thapa that he would soon again see her. Some time later while plowing a field, a farmer discovered a stone from which blood and milk were pouring. When Lakhan Thapa learned of this he was convinced it was a sign from the dead queen, and at the site where the stone had been discovered he constructed a temple in her honor. The present 19th century temple is a replacement of the one built by Lakhan Thapa. Tradition has it that the temple priest must be a descendent of Lakhan Thapa.
The Manakamana temple overlooks the Trisuli and Marshyang-di river valleys, and offers breathtaking views of the Manaslu, Himalchuli and Annapurna mountains to the north. The temple is set in a square, which is overlooked by an enormous sacred magnolia tree. Two popular festivals, Dasain (in September-October) and Nag Panchami (July – August), draw large numbers of pilgrims from throughout the country. In the past, pilgrims used to make a long and arduous trek up to the hilltop temple from the town of Kurintar on the Trisuli River. Nowadays, a cable car ride of 10-15 minutes brings visitors from the base-station in Cheres to the temple site.
An hour walk from the Manakamana temple leads past the Bakeshwar Mahadev Mandir Shiva temple to the Lakhan Thapa Gurpha sacred cave, which is named after the founder of the Manakamana temple.

DAKSHINKALI

Dakshinkali, located 22 km south of Kathmandu, near the village of Pharping, is one of the main temples in Nepal dedicated to the goddess Kali, the fearful form of Shiva’s consort Parvati. The word Dakshinkali is made up of Dakshin and Kali. Dakshin means south and Kali is derived from one of the Hindu goddess Kali. Therefore, it basically means the goddess Kali of the south. The main deity in the temple is a black stone, six-armed form of Kali, standing on a prostrated figure of Shiva. Animal sacrifices, particularly of cocks and male goats, are the main way that the goddess is worshipped, and this is especially seen on Saturdays and Tuesdays, and also during the yearly Dashain festival held in September/October.