Patan Durbar Square

Patan (Lalitpur, 'city of beauty') was one of the three Malla kingdoms of the valley. Its Durbar Square packs palace courtyards — Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk with its carved royal bath — and temples such as the stone Krishna Mandir of 1637 into a single harmonious space.

The Patan Museum, in the former palace, is widely considered the best museum in Nepal for understanding Hindu and Buddhist art. Beyond the square, lanes of metalworkers lead to the Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar) and the Kumbheshwar temple with its five roofs.

What to see and do

Start at the Patan Museum, then walk the square: the stone Krishna Mandir with its Mahabharata and Ramayana friezes, the Bhimsen temple, the Vishwanath temple with its stone elephants, and the palace courtyards. North of the square, visit the Golden Temple, a Buddhist monastery with a gilded façade, and the five-tiered Kumbheshwar temple with its sacred pond.

South of the square, lanes lead to the Mahabuddha temple (temple of a thousand Buddhas) and workshops where metal statues are cast using the lost-wax method.

Good to know

Foreigners pay an entry fee that includes the museum. The Patan Museum café is a good lunch stop. Krishna Janmashtami (Aug–Sept) sees devotees singing through the night at the Krishna temple. The Rato Machhindranath chariot festival in spring is one of the valley's longest.