Kathmandu Durbar Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Basantapur Area and Nautale Durbar

Situated at the heart of Capital City Kathmandu, Kathmandu Durbar Square is another spectacular example of Nepalese art, crafts and architecture. This Square is also known as Hanumandhoka Dubar Square and it gets its name from the Statue of Lord Hanuman at the entrance of Hanumandhoka Palace. Old buildings in and around the palace are believed to be traced back to 17-18th Centuries. The best part of visiting the place is to see the lifestyles of local people there as the culture, attires and old lifestyles have been well preserved in those areas.

A temple in Basantapur Area

Visitors love the peaceful environment present at the square and hours pass there in a blink of eyes. Hundreds of visitors from in and outside Nepal come to visit this place and enjoy the incomparable beauty and uniqueness. Visitors can enjoy the spectacular carvings, arts and architecture of the Square Area. This place is believed to be the place for the Ancient Nepalese Royalties from where they used to rule the country. As it is in an accessible area, people choose to visit Kathmandu Durbar
Square first in comparison to other places.

Things to Observe

Hanumandhoka Area is a large area and has many things to observe. This first thing is the Hanumandhoka Palace itself. We can find museum inside the Palace which depicts the ancient glory, culture and religion of the area. Similarly the Nautale Durbar(Palace) is the one no visitor should miss. This Palace was built by King Prithivi Narayan Shah after the invasion of Kathmandu and the Palace is Nine Storeyed from where a spectacular view can be seen.

A view of Hanumandhoka Palace

Nautale Durbar

Other attractions of the place are Kasthamandap, Taleju Temple, Kumari Ghar, Shiva-Parbati Temple, Shiva Temple, Kal Bhairav, Jaishi Deval and many others. Kasthamandap is the temple believed to be built using the timber of a single huge tree which is known for its spectacular architecture. Also Kumari Ghar is one of the best example of Nepalese Temple Craft and in this house we can see Kumari or also known as the Living Goddess. This house is situated in Hanumandhoka Palace itself. Jaishi Deval is one another structure with erotic carvings in it and is famous for the same. So we can observe that most of the structures in and around the Palace are built using Pagoda Style which is believed to be originated in Nepal itlself.

Festivals of Hanumnadhoka Durbar Square

Another attractive aspect of the Durbar Square Area are the festivals celebrated in these areas. The environment of this area turns crowded and chaotic from calm and peaceful in the main festivals. The festivals when visitors should visit the Square area to gain a different experience are Dashain, Machhendranath Jatra, Shivaratri, Indra Jatra and many more. Hundreds of buffaloes and goats are sacrificed at Mul Chowk on the ninth day of Dashain and this chowk is open only on this day. Similarly chariot festivals such as Machhendranath Jatra and Indra Jatra are spectacular festivals to observe here.