5 Places to Visit in Patan

Lalitpur Metropolitan City, historically Patan, is the third largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara and it is located in the south-central part of Kathmandu Valley which is a new metropolitan city of Nepal. Lalitpur is also known as Manigal. Like its larger neighbor Kathmandu, Patan also boasts a Durbar Square full of temples, statues, and palaces and, in addition, has the must-see attraction of Patan Museum. It is a place with ancient monuments, houses, traditional Nepalese crafts.

Now, here are the list of 5 best places to visit in Patan:

Patan Durbar Square:

Patan Durbar Square (Source: iamKathmandu)

The Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attraction is the ancient royal palace where the Malla Kings of Lalitpur resided

The Major attractions of Patan Darbar Square:

Krishna Temple (Source: NepalBuzz)

Patan Museum
This museum inside the durbar square specializes in bronze statues and religious objects. It is considered as one of the best museums in Nepal.

Krishna Temple
The Famous Temple which was built in the 17th century, the temple of Lord Krishna holds a commanding position in the palace complex of Patan. It is the only temple in Nepal to have 21 shrines and is completely build of stone. Furthermore, most of the important scenes from the ancient Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, have been engraved on its friezes.

Mangal Bazar:

MangalBazar Area (Source:Flickr)

Being one of the oldest markets of Patan, Mangal Bazar is a place of attraction for many where one can surely shop for much stuffs. Firstly, there are lots of handicrafts shops and shops where one can find religious statues of gods and deities. Secondly, the market is always full of people which makes this market special. Not only the products and crowd but, there are narrow streets between the houses and shops in every house that is in this market area. Most of the houses are more than 100 years old.

Ashoka Stupa (Source: Travelark)

Ashokan Stupas:

Patan is home to four Buddhist stupas built by Emperor Ashoka. These stupas are around 2500 years old. All are worth a quick visit, especially during the full moon of August when Buddhist and Tibetan pilgrims walk around all four stupas in a single day.

The four stupas and their information are:

• Northern StupaJust beyond the Kumbeshwar Temple, on the way to the Sankhamul ghats
• Lagan (Southern) StupaJust south of the Lagankhel bus station, crowning a hilltop and offering good views over southern Patan.
• Western StupaCovered in grass beside the main road at Pulchowk. A set of steps leads uphill to the Aksheshwar Mahavihar, a courtyard-style Buddhist monastery on the hilltop.
• Eastern StupaWell to the east of the centre, across Kathmandu’s Ring Rd.

Rudra Varna Mahavihar:

Rudra Varna Mahavihar (Source: Viator)

The Rudra Varna Mahavihar is one of the most beautiful monastry of Patan. The Vihara is located nearby world famous MAHABAUDDHA Terraccota Temple which is known as nine thousand Buddha Temple. Rudravarna Mahavihar in Okubahal, Lalitpur, is the second most important vihar in Kathmandu Valley, next only to Hiranayavarna Mahavihar. At the four corners of the vihar are four truly exotic statues of deities. The vihar is full of many other beautiful works of art in metal. Okubahal in Lalitpur is the center of metal sculpting in Nepal. Almost every house has involvement in metal sculpting. Finally, behind the mahavihar is a spacious courtyard “Ta:Go Chiva”, meaning ‘Big Stupa’, which refers to a large white stupa in the center.

Hiranayavarna Mahavihar

Hiranayavarna Mahavihar:

The Hiranayavarna Mahavihar is also known as the “Golden Temple”. It is close to the Patan Durbar Square. This three-roof pagoda style shrine houses a large silver figure of Sakyamuni Buddha inside the silver emboss doors. Here, the ambience is particularly serene and spiritual in the early hours of the morning.  There is also a smaller temple in front of the shrine which is a silver replica of Swayambhunath. If you are up to it, go there before the breaking of dawn when, cotrastingly  dramatically with the empty streets outside. You will find a large number of ardent devotees inside the temple, flickering butter lamps and wafts of incense smokes all around. Due to many dieties present here, it is in belief that one does not need to pay visit to other shrines if one visits the Hiranayavarna Mahavihar.

Note: Mahaguthi has its one outlet at Kupondole, on the way to Patan. Enjoy your travel and don’t forget to Share your experiences by using #NepalNow & #Mahaguthi hashtag. 

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