Basantapur (Kathmandu Durbar Square)

Situated in the heart of old Kathmandu city, a trip to Kathmandu is incomplete without a visit to Kathmandu Durbar Square, also known as Hanuman Dhoka Square which was named after Hanuman (Monkey God), a devotee of Lord Ram. It is one of the three Durbar Squares situated in the Kathmandu valley. Enlisted as a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 1979, this durbar square attracts a lot of tourists from across the globe. The Kathmandu Durbar Square held the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. Along with these palaces, the square surrounds quadrangles, revealing courtyards and temples. The square owns ancient monument, museum, view tower, stone sculpture, bronze art, pagoda, shikhara style temples from 7th to 19th centuries during regimes of Lichhavi, Malla and Shah dynasties. All the carving and architecture in this area are exceptionally fine which make the architecture in this Hanuman-Dhoka Durbar square among the most important sights for travellers to see.

The Durbar Square are is actually made up of two sub-areas. The outer complex is renowned for numerous interesting temples and monuments such as Kasthamandap (7th century), Kumari Temple (house of the living Goddess) built in 1757, Shiva-Parvati Temple (18th century), Big bell (1797), Taleju Temple (1562), Jagannath Temple (1563), Krishna Temple (1649), Degutalle Temple (1671), Gaddi Baithak (1908), Kal Bhairab (2nd largest stone image of Nepal) and many more. While the inner complex comprises the old palace area, Hanuman Dhoka and its courtyards (Chowk) as Nasal Chowk, Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk, Basantapur Durbar and other. Besides the magnificent temples and shrines, the square’s other fascinating aspects are numerous festivals, cultural activities and traditions people have been carrying out from centuries ago. The major festivals include Indrajatra, Dashain, Gaaijatra, Machchhindra-nath jatra, etc. In these occasions people from all over the city gather here to celebrate centuries old traditions. Visit Basantapur (Kathmandu Durbar Square) for an unmatched mix of religious and cultural experiences. Located at the heart of Kathmandu city and 2 km from Thamel.