| | | Bhaktapur
UNESCO World Heritage Site : 1979
Bhaktapur (Népal)
| | | "Discovering Bhaktapur" is directed to the visitor of the ancient Newar City of Bhaktapur, one of the three royal cities of the Kathmandu valley, who wants to get deeper into the history, culture and architecture of this marvelous city. Bhaktapur was at its high time in the 12th century a city with far reaching connection, a city of international trade; its craftsmen were praised from central India to China.
After a long period of decay, destruction through earthquakes and the loss of political power, Bhaktapur has become again a growing lively city. Big parts of its center are a World Heritage Site, in which arts and crafts are flourishing again and tourism is becoming an important aspect of daily life and employment. | | Bhaktapur : Virtual tour |  | 57 sections and 25 items |
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Bhaktapur : Building(s) (19)
|  | Bhimsen Pokhari
XVIIth century
Steps lead down behind the two-storey Bhimsen Temple to the deeply sunken Bhimsen Pokhari.
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|  | Former home of members of the Jangam caste
Overlooking the north side of the Dattatreya Square is a first floor open gallery, currently a restaurant. Originally it was the home of members of the Jangam caste whose job it still is to maintain the two big temples in the square and some of the nearby maths.
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|  | Khicha Kho Gan
"Dog Barking bell"
1721
This smaller bell stands in the Vatsala Devi Temple's lower plinth and is popularly known as the Khicha Kho Gan which means dog barking bell.
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|  | King Bhupatindra Malla's Column
1753
A gilded statue of King Bhupatindra Malla on a pillar with his hands folded in Prayer posture, legs folded and a serpent supporting the capital is in front of the Golden Gate. A small bird sits on top of the serpent's head.
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|  | National Art Gallery - Bhaktapur
Malati Chowk
1707
The Malati Chowk was built by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1707 A.D. This is the western end of the palace and has been converted into the National Art Gallery, which now contains numerous paintings, manuscripts and stone sculptures.
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|  | Nyatapola Cafe
Right in Taumadhi Tole, this café is in a building that was once a traditional pagoda temple - it even has erotic carvings on some of the roof struts. It's a cramped tourist-only zone but the location is irresistible. Prices are comparatively high but part of the profits goes to a local hospital.
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|  | Pujari Math and Peacock Window
between the XVth century and 1763
There are ten buildings around the Taumadhi Tole that were originally used as maths (Hindu monasteries). The best known was the Pujari Math. It was originally constructed in the 15th century during the reign of King Yaksha Malla, but was rebuilt in 1763.
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|  | Shree Padma Higher Secondary School
Beside the high school gate are two notorious relief carvings. The first is of Ugrabhairab (Bhairav) with 12 arms and a necklace of skulls. The second is of the 18 armed Ugrachandi (Durga) with a variety of weapons killing a demon.
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|  | Siddha Pokhari
XVth century
This centuries old pond is situated at Dudhpati - the entrance of the ancient city Bhaktapur. It is considered as the most ancient pond in Bhaktapur which is known to have many myths associated to it.
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|  | Sun Dokha
Lu Dhwaka - Loon Dhwaakaa
Golden Gate
between 1753 and 1754
The Golden Gate is in front of the column of King Bhupatindra Malla in the magnificent gate, locally known as Lu Dhwak. It is the entrance to the 55 window palace.
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|  | Tadhunchen Bahal
Chatur Varna Mahavihara
1491
The Tadhunchen Bahal, or Chatur Varna Mahavihara, dates from 1491. It is noteworthy as the place where the cult of the Kumari, Nepal's living goddesses, originally started. Bhaktapur actually has three Kumaris but they lack the political importance of Kathmandu's.
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|  | Western Gateway to the old city
You pay your entrance fee beside the tall white Main West Gate (for royalty to ride their elephants through) and pause to take in the peaceful dignity of the great square. From here you can see at least twenty temples and historic buildings.
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|  | Hanuman Ghat
Both Hindus and Buddhists visit this pilgrimage site. River banks are often used by the local people to burn dead bodies. Such areas are called Ghat in Nepali.
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|  | Visit guide, map and satellite view of Bhaktapur (4)
To enter Bhaktapur, you must pay a hefty fee of NRP 750 (US£ 10). SAARC nationalities pay NRP 50 and children under 10 are free. This fee is collected at over dozen entrances to the city and you will be checked whenever you pass one of the checkpoints.
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|  | Thangka
A "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" (Tibetan : ཐང་ཀ་ - Nepal Bhasa: पौभा) is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, famous scene, or mandala of some sort.
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|  | Nepalese people at Bhaktapur
The natives of Kathmandu, the Newars, are mainly traders. With a purpose to trade, they are scattered across the country; with greater concentration in the Kathmandu Valley, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Bhojpur, Bandipur and Tansen.
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|  | Balakhu Ganesh Temple
This Balakhu Ganesh temple is next to the Jana Jyoti Pustakalaya. Legend says that if somebody lost anything then he or she can get it back by worshipping the Balakhu Ganesh.
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|  | Bhimsen Temple
Bhimsen Mandir
At the lower end of the Dattatreya Square is the Bhimsen Temple. On the ground floor there is a resting place while the deity is upstairs. This causes problems when a buffalo has to be carried for sacrifice.
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|  | Char Dham
चार धाम
1451
The four temples locally called Char Dham, which means four holiest pilgrimages, lie at the western end of Durbar Square. King Yaksha Malla built them 1451 A.D. for those who could not travel abroad for health and financial reasons.
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|  | Chyasilin Dega
Chayslin Mandap
Beside the Tago Gan (Big Bell) and in front of the 55 windows palace is the This octagonal temple was originally a viewing point for noble writers, observing festivals and rituals.
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|  | Dattatreya Temple
between 1427 and 1458
The Dattatreya Temple is the main attraction of the Dattatreya Square. Constructed by King Yaksha Malla, the giant three-storied temple is believed to have been built - like some other important structures in the valley - with the stem of a single tree.
single tree. Having defied series of calamities, it still bears testimony to the incredible achievement made in those regal.
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|  | Kedarnath Temple
The terracotta made Shikara style temple is the Kedarnath (Shiva) Temple.
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|  | Lun Bahal
XVIth century
The Lun Bahal was originally a 16th-century Buddhist monastery that was converted into a Hindu shrine with the addition of a stone statue of Bhimsen.
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|  | Nyatapola Temple (4)
1702
The Nyatapola Temple, which was built in 1702 AD under the rule of King Bhupatindra Malla, is a beautifully sculptured building. It is considered one of the tallest pagodas in the country and is a lovely example of the skilled workmanship that went into buildings of this type.
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|  | Salan Ganesh Temple
1654
On the north side of Tachupal Tole is an open area, with the small Salan Ganesh Temple, dating from 1654.
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|  | Shiva-Parvati Temple
Temple des éléphants érotiques
On the left just before the entrance way to the square is a hiti (water tank). A few steps before that, but on the other side of the road, just 100m before the entrance way, is a tiny double roofed Shiva-Parvati temple with some erotic carvings on its struts.
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|  | Til Mahadev Narayan Temple
Taumadhi Tole's third interesting is hidden away behind the buildings on the southern side of the square. You can enter the temple's courtyard through a narrow entrance through those buildings, or through an arched entrance facing west, just to the south of the square.
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|  | Vatsala Durga Temple
Vatsala Devi Temple
between 1696 and the XVIIIth century
Directly in front of the palace and beside the king's statue and next to the Taleju Bell is the stone built Vatsala Devi Temple.
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|  | Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple (1)
Pashupatinath Temple
between 1475 and 1482
On the left of the Vatsala Devi temple is the Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple which was built by King Yaksha Malla in the 15th century and is a replica of the Pashupatinath of Kathmandu with erotic carvings in the roof struts.
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|  | Hanuman
The entrance to the National Art Gallery is flanked by figure of Hanuman, the monkey god, who appears in Tantric form as the four armed Hanuman Bhairab. Hanuman is worshipped for strength and the devotion.
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|  | Narsingha
Narsingha, the lion headed god, incarnation of lord Vishnu, posing killing Hiranyakashyapu, who was a power booned person. Shiva had graced him through a boon for almost immortal live. Accordingly, he would have none of his breathing last neither on earth, nor in the sky, nor in the air. Strategically Vishnu made him breathe last placing him in the former's lap. This statue dates back to 1698 A.D.
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|  | Stone Lions east of Durbar Square
In the middle of the second part of Durbar Square are some lonely steps guarded by two large lions - all that remains of the huge vanished pagoda temple dedicated to Harishankar or possibly Krishna.
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|  | Ugrabhairab
1701
Bhairab has twelve arms and both god and goddess are garlanded with necklaces of human heads.
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|  | Ugrachandi
1701
Ugrachandi has eighteen arms holding various weapons and she is in the position of casually killing a (buffalo) demon.
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|  | Dattatreya Square (4)
Tachupal Tole
The Dattatreya Square is Bhaktapur's third dazzling gem. The seat of royalty till the 15th century, the area still houses a great number of historic monuments including many wondrous Maths (residential mansions) and temples.
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|  | Durbar Square (1)
Place Dâbar
In the 17th century all the left northern side of the square was a huge royal palace - said to have once had 99 courtyards.
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|  | Old Trade Route (8)
XVIIIth century
The ancient route from Delhi and Kathmandu to Lhasa and Beijing went through Bhaktapur. A steady trade was maintained in salt, wool, gold dust, copper, medicinal herbs, spices and yak tails (used as royal fly whisks).
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|  | Pottery Square
Khumale Tole
Place des Potiers
Bhaktapur is famous for its traditional pottery industry. The age old craft has survived the calls for modernization and today it enhances Bhaktapur' value as a city of Heritage.
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|  | Taumadhi Tole (2)
Taumadhi Square
Taumadhi Square lies just a minute walk to the South East Durbar Square. A standee in this square is pygmised by the towering five storeyed pagoda style temple of Goddess Siddhi Laxmi and that of God Bhairavnath.
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| | Bhaktapur : Hours | |
Admissions :
To enter Bhaktapur, you must pay a hefty fee of NRP 750 (US$ 10). SAARC nationalities pay NRP 50 and children under 10 are free. This fee is collected at over dozen entrances to the city and you will be checked whenever you pass one of the checkpoints.
If you stay for up to a week, you need to pay the fee entrance once, but you must ask the ticket desk to write your passport number on the back of the ticket.
For longer stay, up to one year, a Bhaktapur Visitor Pass is available within a week of purchasing your entry ticket. Pass are issued by the Bhaktapur Municipality at the ticket office by the tourist bus park. You need two passport photos and a photocopy of your visa and passport details.
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| | Bhaktapur : Description | |
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Bhaktapur is one of the three main cities of the Kathmandu Valley. The importance of Bhaktapur City was enhanced from the start of the medieval period because it became the royal seat of undivided Kathmandu Valley during that period. It has preserved the unique medieval arts and architecture that flourished during the reign of the Malla kings, like the other two cities of the Kathmandu Valley. Bhaktapur has also a royal palace with many courtyards, temples of different architectural styles dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses and architectural buildings erected during different centuries by different kings. The importance of Bhaktapur's vast heritage of historic buildings and work of art is renowned throughout the world.
Durbar Square : the Royal Palace
You pay your entrance fee beside the tall white Main Gate (for royalty to ride their elephants through) and pause to take in the peaceful dignity of the great square. From here you can see at least twenty temples and historic buildings.
In the 17th century all the left northern side of the square was a huge royal palace - said to have once had 99 courtyards. In 1742 there were only 12. Now there are even fewer. You must imagine the palace extending through the grounds of the high school to the left of the main gate.
Beside the high school gate are two notorious relief carvings. The first is of Bhairav with 12 arms and a necklace of skulls. The second is of the 18 armed Durga with a variety of weapons killing a demon.
The story goes that King Bhupatindra commissioned them in 1701. Then, to prevent the sculptor from producing such masterpieces for a rival, he ordered his right hand to be cut off. The sculptor bravely worked on with his left hand and so the king ordered that to be chopped off too.
You come to a large white building which is the National Art Gallery. Flanking its entrance is a lively Hanuman and a Nrisimha (man-lion incarnation of Vishnu) with a nasty grin on his face as he tears out the entrails of a demon. They date from 1698. These protect what was once the main entrance to the palace. The white facade dates only from the Rana period in the early 20th century.
The Gallery contains a random assembly of artworks, mainly 18th and 19th century pauva paintings of Hindu deities and small Malla stone carvings. Some of the finest exhibits are thought to have been stolen.Surviving items of interest are : the tall Lichchavi inscribed panel dating from the 6th century AD facing you as you enter, a very large 19th century painting of the life of Krishna, and a fine carving of Hari-Hara in the fireplace recess upstairs.
Beyond the Art Galley is the Golden Gate or Sun Dhoka (Loon Dhwaakaa), a masterpiece of Newari gilded copper work dating from 1753. It leads to the religious areas of the palace. In the torana above the gate you see the four headed sixteen armed figure of Taleju, the goddess worshipped by the royal
family. We will come to her temple shortly. Walk through the gate and you come to a deep archway containing two massive ritual drums made of elephant skin, secreted behind lattice screens. They were of course carried by elephants.
Continue along the courtyards and past a pair of elegant stone figures in Malla court dress bearing oil lamps. They are said to represent the King Jitamitra Malla and his minister Chandrashekhar Rajopadhyaya, both signaling the Dashain festival.
You come now to the entrance of the Mul Chowk. Inside is the most holy temple of Taleju. Non-Hindus are not allowed in. But they can peep through the door and see some of the wonderfully ornate carvings in the great courtyard. An array of exquisite carvings, some of them said to have been carved by King Bhupatindra himself, will keep Hindu visitors spell bound and make them forget the other works of art in the valley. Inside there are passages leading to more courtyards, namely Kumari Chowk and Bhairav Chowk, both of which are restricted to Hindus except during certain occasions. Bhairav Chowk is open only during the annual Dashain festival. Inside Hindus can see beautiful idols of the eighteen Bhairavs.
It is said that the main Taleju idol housed in the temple is made up of a single block of gold. Much of what goes on inside is kept secret by the priests who come from the Karmacharya caste. Strict regulations are maintained regarding those allowed inside the temple which was largely rebuilt by Jitamitra Malla in the mid-seventeenth century. He is said to have neglected his kingdom to concentrate on art and worship. Still it is the scene of massive sacrifices of buffalo at the annual Dashain festival.
A few yards further on is the water spout (hiti)at the Sundhara (Loonhiti) Chowk. Here the royal family performed their ritual bathing under the watchful eyes of the gilded snake-god Vasuki on a post in the middle. The small statues that once filled the niches around the spout have been stolen for sale to westerners. The beautiful gilded water spout hasn't yet been pillaged.
As you walk back into the main square you pass the magnificent 55 Window Palace on your left. It was built by King Bhupatindra Malla at the end of the 17th century. Both the interior and exterior are outstanding examples of Newari woodcarving. On the first floor are important Malla wall paintings of scenes from the Mahabharat with Shiva as the central figure. On the upper floor are paintings of the Krishna Charitra which were sadly damaged by another earthquake in 1988.The process of painting is interesting. Michael Hutt tells that the figures were first traced in black soot from oil lamps onto a surface of polished slaked lime mixed with water and animal glue. A massive restoration project launched in 2006 will conserve the wall paintings and prevent more earthquake damage. The restoration is expected to cost at least 200 million rupees.
On a tall pillar facing the Golden Gate is one of Nepal's great treasures, the statue of Bhupatindra Malla (1696-1722). He kneels on his lion throne with an air of calm authority, gazing at the palace that he did so much to restore. Try to spot a tiny bronze bird under the lotus pedestal. The statue was set up in 1753 by Bupatindra's son Ranajit Malla, the last King of Bhaktapur.
Nearby is the large bronze Taleju Bell hung by King Ranajit Malla in 1737. A priest still tolls it three times a day having removed his shoes and said the mantras. Another smaller bell nearby is known as the Barking Bell because dogs were supposed to bark when it is rung. Now it is locked.
In the same group of buildings is a beautiful pit water spout (hiti), now dry.
The two storey octagonal timber building close to the 55 Window Palace is the Chyasilin Mandap. It was originally built in the 17th century probably as a viewing stand during public events and to entertain royal guests.
Totally destroyed in the 1934 earthquake, it was carefully reconstructed in the 1980's under the direction of the Austrian architect Götz Hagmüller with German funding to mark the state visit of Chancellor Helmut Kohl. It is a masterpiece of scholarly restoration though very controversial at the time. You can try to pick out which carvings are original and which were done by a modern local wood-carver. Eight of the twelve pillars and six of the sixteen capitals are original. The exposed steel frames
are there to resist future earthquakes.
Along the main square facing the palace is an extended two level dharmashala building with a long open ground floor platform. This would have provided lodging for travelers and visitors to the palace - and simply a shelter in the rainy season. Trading was not normally allowed in Durbar Square.
Durbar Square : the temples
Durbar Square is an important religious as well as political centre. We start our journey again at the western Main Gate.
Across the square facing the high school are four shrines known as the Chaar Dhaam. They represent four important pilgrimage centres in India; devotees unable to make the massive journey south can worship here instead.
The two-tiered pagoda temple is for Krishna. It has very elegant wood carvings, showing the ten incarnations of Vishnu.
Further down the square, outside the Shiva Guest House, are two large temples in very contrasting styles. The sandstone one is the Vatsala Devi Temple. It's in the shikhara style : large tapering upper section representing Mount Kailash flanked by nine smaller towers. Built in 1696, it is dedicated to the
Goddess Durga whose fierce images can be seen around the upper sections along with idols of Bhairav.
The other large temple is built of brick and timber in the Newari pagoda style. This is the Yaksheswar Mahadev Temple dedicated to Shiva and dating back to the 1450's. It always attracts a large number of worshippers. It's a replica of the great pilgrimage centre of Pashupatinath on the edge of Kathmandu. They say that it was built for pilgrims who couldn't get to the real Pashupatinath during a period of hostilities between the two kingdoms. There are some rather surprising erotic carvings on the roof struts that local people believe were meant for preventing lightning strikes. In fact they are associated with deeper religious erotic cults, well known to students of tantric practices.
Go back towards the 55 Window Palace and turn right into the next wider section of the square. This area was particularly damaged in the 1934 earthquake.
The first smart little shikhara style temple on the left is dedicated to Siddhilaxmi. It has a delightful series of figures guarding its steps : a couple of chained rhinos (suggesting that the Mallas perhaps kept a menagerie), a pair of camels and what appears to be two naughty boys refusing to accompany their mothers.
The next plain white temple is that of Silu Mahadev, also called Fashidega ('Pumpkin Temple'). It replaces what must once have been a larger building. Luckily the guardian figures have survived.
In the middle of this open area are some lonely steps guarded by two large lions - all that remains of the huge vanished pagoda temple dedicated to Harishankar or possibly Krishna.
At the eastern end of the Durbar Square is the Chatubrahma Mahavihara once occupied by the living goddess, Kumari. It now houses one of the five Dipankara Buddhas, on the left as you enter. You should give a small donation when you visit it.
Taumadhi Square
This very beautiful square is always busy. Early in the morning and again in late afternoon local farmers used to sell their fruit and vegetables alongside the inevitable cheap clothing and pirated DVDs. At other times it is the scene of political rallies, cultural events and major religious festivals. It is particularly pleasant in the late evening when the traditional music bands (daaphaa) are
playing in front of the Bhairav Temple.
Nyatapola Temple
The Nyatapola Temple is the 30 meter high pagoda that dominates the city skyline. It has five timber storeys set on five massive stone platforms. Children love scrambling over the ledges and never seem to get hurt. Older folk feel a bit uneasy climbing up the steep steps. It's thought to be dedicated to the beautiful goddess Siddhilaxmi and only special Taleju priests are allowed secret access to the inner sanctum. Nobody else worships there. It was built on the orders of Bhupatindra Malla in 1702. It is said that he set a fine example by carrying the first three bricks on his shoulder. This so inspired the population that all the remaining materials were brought up in the following five days.
It is an outstanding feat of engineering. Apart from some minor damage at the top it fully survived the 1934 earthquake. Stand close to it and look upwards to appreciate the mass of intricate carving. There are 108 roof struts. A government archaeologist tells that the building consumed 1,135,350 locally baked bricks, 102,034 oily pavement bricks and 600 grams of gold for the pinnacle. And that was only one of Bhupatindra Malla's building projects. All gold for the temples had to be imported from Tibet.
Guarding the temple are ten mighty figures. At the bottom are two local wrestling champions called Jayamala and Patta. Next up, ten times stronger, are a pair of elephants. Then two lions, two griffins (sarduls) and two deities, Singhini and Byanghini. Each is ten times stronger than the pair below.
At the top you will see the beautiful torana of the temple. But as you circle the other facades you won't
find any more. They have all been stolen. The outstanding wooden struts still remain though, showing
the various forms of goddess Bhagvati (Durga).
Outside the temple at its four corners are four small shrines to Ganesh which are much used by worshippers.
Bhairav Temple
This broad three-tiered pagoda on the eastern side of the square is the most important religious building in the area. It was first built by Jagajjyotir Malla in the early 17th century.
The story goes that the dangerous god, Bhairav, visited Bhaktapur disguised as a commoner. A clever local tantric priest recognized him and used magic to trap him in the ground. Then when the god tried to escape, the priest chopped his head off and installed it in this temple - where of course it still is, or should be. Actually his image was stolen and has had to be replaced.
The temple has had its ups and downs. It began as a single storey rectangular building. Then Bhupatindra Malla added two storeys in the early 18th century. It collapsed in the 1934 earthquake and was then rebuilt by the Mathema family in 1941.
The massive wheels and beams lying against the side of the temple are assembled to carry the god during the Bisket Festival.
Bhairav Temple alongside the chariot carrying the deity during Bisket Jatra Worshippers come to do puja to a little gilded bronze image at the front. There is a mass of fine images all around it. To enter
the temple they have to go round the back through a small temple to Vetaal, Bhairav's vehicle.
The large stone platform covering the southern area is a dabu. It's for ritual dancing and events.
The popular Nyatapola Cafe standing in the middle of the square was once a sattal (rest house). It was sensibly converted into a restaurant in 1976 and is a good place to sit and watch the world go by.
Behind the cafe and the mass of tourist souvenir shops is a large Malla house with fine carvings. It is Pu-baha (Bahatal) belonging to a rich merchant family, the Dhaubadels.
Tilmadhav Narayan Temple
It's in an interesting courtyard hidden from the main square by a row of shops. Go down the narrow passage between the tourist shops behind the dabu platform. This is one of the oldest and most sacred shrines in the city with an inscription dated 1163. The twin roofed pagoda temple is dedicated to Narayan (Vishnu). His vehicle, the birdman Garuda, is parked on a pillar outside - a particularly fine gilded bronze figure. On other pillars you see Vishnu's conch, shankha and his chakra, the disc-shaped weapon. The figure of Narayan in the torana over the temple door has been ripped out by
thieves, like so much of Bhaktapur's sacred metalwork.
A male lingam and female yoni are in a wooden cage nearby, symbols of Shiva and Parvati. The whole area is much used by worshipers.
Old Trade Route
The ancient route from Delhi and Kathmandu to Lhasa and Beijing went through Bhaktapur. A steady trade was maintained in salt, wool, gold dust, copper, medicinal herbs, spices and yak tails (used as royal fly whisks). Probably not much silk though. This trade peaked in the early 18th century and then declined after the national unification in 1767. A community of Newari traders has remained in Lhasa
to import Nepali goods up to the present time.
Merchants entered Bhaktapur through the Lion Gate on the western side of the city, avoiding the Durbar Square. They traveled down Bharbhacho, Tekapukhu and Nasamana, Varahi dyachhen, just above the Pottery Square.
You have to cast your mind back five hundred years and imagine a rough stone paved and very mucky road filled with heavily laden donkeys, yaks and human porters, smarter travelers on ponies - but no wheeled traffic. Very grand people, particularly ladies, were carried in palanquins.
They doubtless had to pay a considerable sum at the customs post. Most of the shops in the city are still located along this route.
Leaving Taumadi Square following the main road northeast, you soon come to a group of metalwork shops displaying beautiful bronze and copper utensils. They are made by the Tamrakar caste who live in this area. If you are specially interested in metalwork shops, go down the steep narrow turning to the right. The noise of hammering will tell you where the workshops are.
Along the way on the right, just past the Taumadi Square on the first rightward bend in the street, is the Sukuldhoka Math ('straw-matted door'). Its doors tend to be blocked by fruit stalls but you can ask permission to go through the small middle door. This is a math or Hindu sage house dating from 1744. You'll find yourself in a murky but atmospheric building well worth exploring.
Keep going along the main street which soon widens into a small area of shrines, Golmadi Square. A lot of puja goes on here, particularly at the three level Ganesh-Bhairav shrine on the right. There is a very deep hitiwith a fine early relief carving of Shiva and Parvati (Uma-Mahesvara) over the spout.
Continuing along the street you pass on the left two-storeyed vihara with carved windows in Palikhel. This is the Mangal Dharmadeep. You are welcome to explore inside, especially if you are interested in Buddhism.
Finally you reach Dattatreya Square.
Dattatreya Square (or Tachupal Tole)
This is a remarkably unspoilt area. Almost all the buildings you can see date from the eighteenth century or earlier, though several had to be reconstructed after the 1934 earthquake. Historically this is probably the oldest settlement in Bhaktapur.
Dattatreya Temple dominates the square on the eastern side. It dates from the reign of Yakshya Malla (1428-1482). Its dedication is complex. Dattatreya himself was a sage and a combined form of the great trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Their various symbols can be seen in front of the temple including a particularly fine gilded man-bird Garuda on a large pillar with a crown of snakes.
Like the Nyatapola, this temple is guarded by the two mighty wrestlers Jayamala and Patta. These two are said to have fought each other for forty days and nights, knocking down several buildings in the process. The king had to intervene and then posted them as temple guards - which of course they still are. They have amusingly bewildered expressions. We are told that all the timber in the temple came from a single tree.
At the lower end of the square is the Bhimsen Temple. On the ground floor there is a resting place while the deity is upstairs. This causes problems when a buffalo has to be carried for sacrifice. Bhimsen is the wrathful son of Vayu (the wind god) and much worshipped by merchants in Bhaktapur. They say that when he appears in disguise at a market stall, he'll pay whatever price the seller asks!
Overlooking the north side of the square is a first floor open gallery, currently a restaurant. Originally it was the home of members of the Jangam caste whose job it still is to maintain the two big temples in the square and some of the nearby maths.
Maths
These are the handsome timber and brick buildings many of which surround Dattatreya Square. They were dwelling hostels for Hindu sages and religious students. There are twelve altogether in Bhaktapur, nine of them in this area. They were still thriving in the 1950's on the proceeds of donations and endowments from as far away as Tibet.
King Mahendra deprived them of their incomes with his land reforms in the sixties leading to their closure.
The largest and most famous is the Pujari Math on the right hand side beyond the main temple. It dates back to the 15th century but most of what you see is from the 18th century. It was almost wiped out by the 1934 earthquake and remained in a partially rebuilt state of decay. The German government funded a total restoration as an unusual wedding gift to Crown Prince, later King, Birendra in 1972.
It is a magnificent rabbit-warren of a building on four storeys, with three inner courtyards where the best wood carved windows are to be seen. Some of it is now a Woodcarving Museum which gives you an excuse to wander around.
If you walk down an alley to the left of the building for about fifty yards you will see, high on the right hand wall, the most beautiful window in Nepal - the Peacock Window. It dates from about 1750. You can ask the friendly owner of the woodcarving shop opposite to let you view it at first floor level. None of the carved versions on sale in the tourist shops remotely match up to the original, though accurate full-size replicas are sometimes made to order by the two shops facing the window.
Another math on the other side of the square from the Pujari Math is the Chikanappa Math, now open to visitors as a Metalwork Museum. There are some erotic carvings on the outside of this math. The interior has an attractive atmosphere and the exhibits, though not old, are worth seeing.
You can continue along the main road beyond the Dattatreya Temple. You pass a beautiful well alongside a small temple and the Bramhayani god-house on the left near a school. You soon see on your right a very attractive little area containing the Wakupati Narayan Temple. It's a replica of the famous Changu Narayan. The temple itself has no less than five figures of the bird-god Garuda on pedestals in front of it; the first and largest dates are from ancient times. Little Shiva linga also strew its compound showing the dominance of the Shaiva ('Shiva worshipping') cult in later times. It is a peaceful sacred precinct, usually with a lot of old men sitting and gossiping in the nearby patis.
More Religious Centers
These are places of worship that are not really welcoming to tourists. Only go there if you are seriously interested in religious culture. Please be discreet with your photography. And don't take large tourist groups.
Navadurga Dyachhen
The Navadurga Dyachhen is a very interesting temple but awkward to find. Go to Dattatreya Square and then ask the way.
It is the headquarters or agam of the famous nine masked dancers known as the Navadurga. They belong to the Banamala (Gatha) caste of landless gardeners. Every year, since 1513, they put on their frightening clay masks and do a vibrant dance round the 21 squares of the city wearing bright female costumes. They are respected and feared as living gods by their devotees. They engage in a variety of obscure tantric rituals and sacrifices; on the eighth day of the Dashain festival they swear over the body of a sacrificed ram not to reveal their secrets. You must not photograph them in their masks during the rituals.
Navadurga Dyochhen has recently been rebuilt and repaired using much of the original woodwork. You can go into the courtyard and admire the various toranas, pillars and struts. You might find a buffalo just inside the door awaiting sacrifice.
The masks are made by artists of the Chitrakar caste amidst strict rituals using specially sanctified clay called bo-cha lined with cotton and local paper. Each year the masks are solemnly cremated and replaced during the Dashain festival. You can buy accurate full size replicas at The Peacock Shop and smaller papier-mâché versions in all the tourist shops.
Ashtamatrika
The eight Mother Goddesses or Ashtamatrika are protective deities located at the eight points around Bhaktapur. They represent the spiritual axes of the city, said to form the shape of a conch.
Their places of worship are open shrines called piths but the actual idols are usually in nearby god-houses (dyachhen). The eight goddesses are dangerous and require regular sacrifices to insure the protection of the surrounding neighborhood. They correspond to eight of the nine Navadurgas.
You need a good guide to take you round all the piths as we haven't space to describe them here. It involves a lot of hard walking for at least a day.
Buddhist Vihars
Buddhists listen to sermons at particular schools and monasteries called vihars. A vihara generally includes a small courtyard with a stupa at the centre and a study room where the guru lectures from holy scriptures such as the Tripitaka and the Jatakas. You can see viharas at all the sites of the Dipankara Buddha.
Dipankaras
‘Dipankara' means the Buddha of Light. He was a pre-Buddha who foretold the coming of the famous Shakyamuni Gautam Buddha. His idols are installed at various viharas. Now only five are significant. These idols, made of clay, papier-mâché and bamboo, are taken around the city during the Panchadaan in mid-August. Locals here mistakenly call the five Dipankaras the five Pandavas of the Mahabharata epic.
The easiest one to visit is in the Chatubramha Mahavihara at the far eastern end of Durbar Square. The Dipankara is in a cage on the left as you go in. You should donate a few rupees when you see it.
Another Dipankara Buddha is to be seen at the Prasannasheel Mahavihara in a back street further to the north of Dattatreya Square. You'll need guidance to find it. It's in a beautiful building with unusual gilded medallions on the front and a variety of ancient chaityas in the forecourt.
Ghats
Ghats are stone embankments on the rivers used firstly for ritual bathing in the river (you have to be very devout to do that nowadays in the filthy water), secondly for sanctification of the dying and thirdly the cremation of the dead.
Conceptually there are eight ghats in Bhaktapur, corresponding to the eight mother goddesses or Ashtamatrika. Not all of them are still used. Local communities usually use the one nearest their house but there are some special ghats: Indrani Ghat near the tourist bus-park is only for infants who are buried, not cremated; the Chupinghat near the Kathmandu University Music
School is used mainly by the sweeper caste. The Vaishnavi Ghat (Moodeep) nearby was and still is used by Malla kings and their descendants.
These ghats are interesting to know about but you are not encouraged to visit them. And you must not
photograph funerals - this would be a gross intrusion of privacy. If you particularly want to visit a ghat then go to the Hanuman Ghat (you'll need directions to get there) where there is a mass of important shrines and a very devout atmosphere.
A more visitor-friendly ghat is that of Indrani, no longer used for cremation. Again you must ask for directions. It's on a quiet corner just outside the Durbar Square gate, northwards down the stairways. The temple under a tree is one of the eight Ashtamatrika shrines and the scene of a lot of rituals but no cremation.
Gods of Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur means "City of Devotees". It is the home of both gods and people. The gods can be seen on every street corner, in every courtyard and inside every home. These are a few of the main ones.
Shiva the creator and destroyer. You recognize his temples because his vehicle, the bull Nandi, is patiently waiting on a pedestal outside. Shiva's most conspicuous place of worship is the Yaksheswar Temple in Durbar Square but you'll find him in many other temples. His common attributes are a long handled trident (trishula) and a handdrum (damaru). Much more widespread, in every square and street corner, is Shiva's image of the lingam, the male procreative symbol, which is devoutly worshiped.
Bhairav is Shiva in his fearsome form with horrible fangs, many arms holding a variety of weapons and wearing a garland of skulls. There is a large temple of his in Taumadi Square and another in Durbar Square. He also features in many thanka/pauva paintings.
Parvati is Shiva's beautiful consort. They often appear together in relief sculptures. Alternatively Parvati can appear in her dangerous form as Durga amidst weapons and skulls but always with a calm face. Her other form is Taleju, the tutelary deity of the royal family, with her big temple in the palace. (See p. 3 ) Durga and Taleju are dangerous goddesses who have to be appeased with animal sacrifices particularly during the Dashain Festival. Tourists are not encouraged to watch this happening.
Ganesh is the friendly son of Shiva and Parvati. He has an elephant head because Shiva once mistakenly chopped off his human one. He brings good fortune and is very popular with children. His vehicle is a long-tailed rat always to be seen on a pedestal outside his temples. There is an important Shiva linga and the trident trishul. Ganesh, god of good initiation. (wood) Hanuman, the powerful monkey god. (stone) Durga, the protective mother deity (stone) Ganesh, god of good initiation. (wood) Hanuman, the powerful monkey god. (stone) Durga, the protective mother deity (stone) Ganesh shrine at Surya Vinayak to the south of Bhaktapur. You see his statue everywhere.
Siddhilaxmi is related to Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. She is greatly revered in Bhaktapur and resides in the huge Nyatapola Temple and in the little stone temple (Lohandega) close to the 55 Window Palace. She is the bringer of success.
Hanuman the brave monkey god stopped off in Bhaktapur in the course of rescuing the goddess Sita, wife of Ram, from captivity in (Sri) Lanka. His heroics in the epic Ramayan is a cherished myth. He is much worshipped at the Hanuman Ghat
Kumari, the living goddess
This is a little girl selected at the age of around three from the Shakya caste to be a goddess until she reaches puberty. Unlike the Kumari in Kathmandu, who is confined to her palace and never allowed to touch the ground with her feet, the Bhaktapur Kumari leads a reasonably normal life. She lives with her family, goes to school and plays with her friends.
On religious occasions she wears rich clothing and performs ancient rituals. She can be called out at other times to minister to dangerously sick people or in a crisis. Blessings can be obtained at her residence on the northeast end of the city. You should ask for directions. Her devotees were very upset when she went to America in 2007 to feature in a documentary film.
Vishnu
Vishnu is one of the supreme Hindu trinity along with Shiva and Brahma and is very much revered by the royal family. He was the representative deity of the ancient Lichchavis who had established many centres for his worship. Later the Shah Kings claimed to be incarnations of him. Vishnu is considered
the preserver and nourisher. His most famous shrine is the Wakupati Narayan Temple at the eastern end of the city and the Narayan Temple to the south of Taumadi Square. His vehicle is the man-bird god, Garuda, who guards the front of his temples. His symbols are shankha (the conch), chakra (the
disc), gada (the mace) and padma (the lotus).
Worship
Bhaktapur is said to have 172 places of worship quite apart from the little roadside and family shrines. You can watch people of all ages doing puja throughout the day but particularly in the early morning. Please don't photograph them. This is very intrusive. Normally puja consists of going round several shrines, beginning with Ganesh, carrying a copper dish containing some tika powder, rice grains,
barley, flowers, fruits and some burning incense and, most important, some holy water in a little copper pot to bathe the god. If there is a bell, you ding it to announce your arrival.
You make your offering and bring back the consecrated remainder in the form of prasad for your family to receive. You might do a circuit of the shrine, always clockwise with your right arm towards the god. Puja is a simple but very strengthening part of Hindu life.
Great Festivals
It is said that there are around seventy-nine festive events celebrated in Bhaktapur over some seventy five days. Here are a few of the best known ones.
Bisket Jatra coincides with the Newari New Year around April. This amazing festival brings the whole city out on to the streets. It is an orgy of religious devotion, color and a fair amount of violence.The religious basis is the mating of the god Bhairav with the goddess Bhadrakali to insure the community's fertility and welfare for the coming year. Bhairav represents the sky and the rain; Bhadrakali represents the earth. The two must be brought together.
The image of Bhairav is installed inside a massive wooden chariot (rath) in Taumadi Square. His vehicle Vetaal is attached to the tongue in front. There is a desperate contest between the men of the upper area of the city (thane) and the lower area (kone) to drag the rath in their own direction. (In 2007 a wheel broke. It all degenerated into a stone-throwing contest and the police had to intervene.)
The rath amazingly finds its way down the steep streets to where it meets the Bhadrakali. Hundreds of people are involved in this frenzied activity and every year or so mishaps occur when the big wooden wheels crush the devout youngsters.
The next stage of the festival takes place in Yasinkhel where a huge pole (phallic lingam) is inserted into a stone (female yoni) base. Men compete to bring it down on the final evening of the festival.
Gai Jatra is another extraordinary event that takes place around the end of August and lasts for eight days.
What happens is that every family that has lost a member through death in the past 12 months joins a huge procession. They carry with them on a bamboo pole the symbolic image of the sacred cow that enables the deceased to cross over the Vaitarani River into heaven. Attached to the bamboo poles you will also see photographs of the dead relatives. All this is accompanied by cheerful music and boys in pairs whacking sticks (Ghintang Kishi).
During this weeklong festival people can tease and lampoon the authorities without fear of reprisal. Gai Jatra was the curious invention of a Malla king who was fed up with his wife perpetually mourning the death of their young son. He ordered all the other families who had recently lost a relative to parade in front of her to show that she wasn't the only one to suffer. And frolicking clowns managed to bring a smile back to her lips. The festival continues to provide therapy to bereaved families.
Dashain (Mohani) is celebrated around September/October over a span of about ten days. It is generalized as the victory of good over evil. In Bhaktapur it signifies the empowerment of the Navadurga through Taleju. A fortnight after Dashain, Tihar (Sunti) is observed to mark the beginning of the Nepal Sambat (Newari New Year). Three of its five days are important and involve Laxmi Puja, worship of the goddess of wealth, self worship (Mha Puja) and worship of brothers by females (Kija Puja), successively.
Around April, Digu Puja is celebrated to show honour to the patriarchal lineage deity, Digu Dya. Then in July Gatha Mugha Chare is observed to mark the reparatory stage for the resurrection of the Navadurga as well as to symbolize the death of the licentious ogre, Ghantakarna.
Indra Jatra takes place some days before Dashain. Celebrated for three days, this event recalls the salvation of god Indra's son by an appalling character, Mupatra, and the three headed elephant, Airavata. A procession of the effigies of both these takes place around the city.
Water
Water is a fundamental source of life - and therefore sacred. For many centuries the kings of Bhaktapur cared for the water supply so that the people could safely drink, wash and provide for their livestock. This involved rituals and lavish expenditure on stone carving and fine metalwork.
The old underground sources of water - the Rajkulo built by the kings- were badly damaged by landslides and the 1934 earthquake. The water supply system has improved to a great extent in the 1970's by the Bhaktapur Development Project.
The water spouts (hiti) are usually at the bottom of a fine stone gaa (pit) or deep rectangular water recess. These can be interpreted as a mirror image of a temple. The spout itself is usually in the form of a makara, a mythical water creature that seems like a cross between a crocodile and an elephant.It is the vehicle of the water god Varuna. It often has a fish emerging from its mouth. Many of the hitis
are still used for anything from laundry to cleaning teeth.
Wells are still much in use in the courtyards as community water supplies. There are 152 of them. There are 34 Ponds (pukhu/pokhari) all over the city. Some such as the Kamal Pokhari on the east side of the town are very large. The grandest is the Siddha Pokhari, well worth a visit especially in the early morning or evening. It's a ten minute walk out of the city leaving the Main Gate of Durbar Square. Stay on the main road. You pass one large rather mucky pokhari on your right, then the bus park on the left and then the civic hospital on the right. Behind a marvellous ancient peepal tree you reach the wall-bound Siddha Pokhari having climbed a few steps.
It is over a 150 metres long and dates back to the time of Yakshya Malla (15th century). Local families and bunches of students love to wander peacefully round its stone pathway and feed the massive carp. Its underground water sources remain a mystery. There are interesting religious carvings around the banks. Some of them date back to the ancient period before the 9th century AD.
Newars
Well over 90% of the people inside the city are Newars - the dominant ethnic group of the Kathmandu Valley. They are divided into countless castes, sub-castes and family groups relating to their occupations and levels of sacred purity. Even now it is very awkward for young people to marry outside their caste and most marriages are arranged or at least approved by the family elders. Caste privileges were made illegal in 1963 but this has been slow to take effect.
Each sub-caste used to live in its own district (tol) and worship at its own shrine. The caste distinctions become most apparent at the time of weddings, cremations, ancestor worship (Digu Puja) and other family events. For example, each localized caste has its own very ancient fixed route through particular streets when they are on a funeral procession.
Modern education has done little to change this very conservative society. Young people may leave Bhaktapur to seek their fortune elsewhere but very few outsiders move into the city to replace them. Conservatism is reinforced by the high density of the population. 80,000 people squeeze into 8.6 square kilometers. Three or four generations often live in one building, making it difficult to get out of the sight of grandma. Of course good culture, rules and regulations are maintained and a great sense of security prevails. Girls when they marry move into the boy's house as very junior members of his family. All these are of great benefit when it comes to looking after children; plenty of aunts and grandparents plus a lot of cousins to play with.
Family events
Newari lives are marked out by a succession of significant rites of passage, important for the individual and creating deep and loving bonds in the family.
Shortly after birth the baby has a Naming Ceremony (Nwaran) when the astrologer assigns a public and a secret name. After six months there is the Rice-feeding Ceremony (Annaprasan/Machajanko). A few years later little girls have two symbolic marriages, first to a bel fruit, symbol of Vishnu (lhi), and later to the sun god (Suryadarshan).
Little boys have a Bratabandha (Kaita Puja) ceremony when their hair is shaved off apart from one tuft at the middle. They are offered a sacred loin cloth by their uncle to signal their maturity; after this they are considered able to participate in all the other rituals.
Then there are all the very complex marriage procedures. You'll probably see plenty of wedding processions during your visit. They parade through the streets accompanied by a very noisy band. And at the age of 77 years 7 months there's another celebration when aged people are symbolically re-born and another Rice-feeding Ceremony (Janko/Bhim rathaa-rohan) is carried out. And so it goes on - wonderful family occasions and a good excuse for a feast.
Dress
You still see ladies in the traditional hakupatashi costume, particularly on religious occasions. It consists of a black dress (patashi/sari) with red border, its huge extra length wrapped round the waist and reaching the shoulders, a top and a white shawl (gaa/khasto).
The men sometimes wear distinctive baggy trousers (surwo/daura surwal) with thick, semi-woollen, laced vest (bhoto), a waist coat and woven Dhaka cap (tapli/topi).
What impresses western visitors is the smartness and cleanliness of ordinary Newari city dwellers. The saris are immaculate, the men's shirts perfectly ironed and the girls' long hair beautifully groomed. The school children are as clean and tidy as their parents. All this is achieved in households where very few people have washing machines or running hot water.
Language
Most people in the city can speak both Nepali and Newari. But very few can now read or write in the traditional Newari scripts which are of 18 different types. They speak Newari with an accent that is clearly distinguishable from that of Kathmandu or Patan.
Newari houses
Newars, even farmers, have always preferred to live in tightly packed communities of attached houses of three or four storeys. There is usually a shop or store at the bottom maybe occupied by a couple of goats; first floor guest room; more bedrooms above; on the top floor the important family room with kitchen (baigal/baiga). And, close to the cooking stove, a puja area. Non-family visitors are not normally invited into the baigal.
Most houses are very overcrowded with beds secreted all over the building. They are generally without indoor toilets or taps, making them unpopular with the rising generation.
We can foresee that in the next few decades younger people with increased prosperity will move to modern concrete apartments outside the city, leaving the poorer communities and old people behind in the traditional houses.
However one traditional house has been interestingly modernised. It is the Namuna Ghar in a back street near Dattatreya Square. The owner has introduced modern facilities while conserving the old features. It has received several awards. (www.rabindra.com for information)
Guthis and local care
Guthis are the traditional associations of neighbouring families who share duties at funeral ceremonies and care for shared resources such as hitis and temples. They perform many important roles in the community. But inevitably the pressures of modern life are drawing key members of the guthis away from their responsibilities. They are tempted to sell off the precious treasures in the religious buildings and leave their maintenance to foreign donors.
Agriculture
At least half the population of Bhaktapur is Jyapu, a peasant group. They own a few ropanis of rice paddy or vegetable patch outside the town which have been held by the family for many generations. Normally they have other sources of income and use the land to feed their own family and maybe have some surplus to sell.
All the family has to help with the rice planting before the start of the monsoon, around June, having first ploughed and spread muck. Harvesting starts around October once the festivals are over. They begin on a day approved by the local astrologer avoiding, for some obscure reason, Mondays and Thursdays.
The harvested grain is piled outside the family house to dry for about a week. To ward off thieves, the owners watch their grain piles over night, often camping under little tents of straw and happily telling tales, watching the stars and singing traditional songs (sinaa-jyaa-mae).
To remove the husks, they still use the timber levered dhiki, a seesaw, which strikes the grain in a pit. Flattened rice is made by beating the grains using wooden poles (lushi) within hollow wooden or stone cylinders (lushi-ma-chaa).
Livestock, cows, buffaloes and goats were often kept in the city under small shades near the houses. Some still rear goats and chickens for sacrifice in festivals. Now most animals are brought from nearby villages or from southern Nepal for both sacrifice and butchery.
Bhaktapur today
The Bhaktapur Development Project was famous principally for its restoration works. However, other components of the project, like the installation of a water supply, drainage, and sewerage system contributed substantially to the improvement of the living conditions of Bhaktapurians.
A solid waste management system with an appropriate collection system as well as the pavement of streets, lanes, and courtyards contributed to the cleanliness of the city. Until today, the combination of these measures is the backbone of the tourist attraction: the appreciation of the historical setting of the public places in the Dattatreya, Taumadi, and Durbar area and many other monuments and historical sites.
The promotion and revitalization of traditional handicraft as well as the establishment of modern small-scale industries made Bhaktapur a growing economic centre in the eastern part of the Kathmandu Valley. The decline in population observed up to the middle of the 70s has turned around to growth and prosperity.
Bkaktapur nowadays is a vibrant town which is able to maintain its built cultural heritage and to manage its development.
Revenue from tourist entrance fees has since been the major source of income for the municipality and is spent on the restoration and rehabilitation of monuments, maintenance of public services as well as on other public works. Acknowledging the cultural settings of Bhaktapur as areas of outstanding universal value it has been inscribed on the World Heritage list as a part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site.
The municipal administration of Bhaktapur, intensively supported by the Project, is today an example for other municipalities in terms of revenue collection, organization, and good governance.
Arts and Crafts
Woodcarving
Woodcarving is traditionally carried out by the Shilpakar caste. Their industry survives through commissions to replace old windows and architectural features. Their skill with the chisel (jyaaval) is outstanding. In recent years their trade has been boosted through the support and training funded by the German government and UNESCO. And they sell a lot of small carvings to tourists, some of them of very high quality.
Metalwork
Metalwork, especially in copper, is carried out by the Tamrakar caste in the area to the north-east of Taumadi Square. They make big brass water jars, copper water pots and dishes for puja, and bronze religious items. It is worth exploring their shops. If you are interested they might show you their traditional casting processes. Some of their bronze items are very beautiful and well worth buying.
Nepali Paper
This is an attractive rough textured material. It is exceptionally tough, making it useful for official documents as well as artwork. It is specially resistant to damp and to insects. Each sheet is made from the inner bark of ‘lokta' (Daphne cannabina or Daphne papyrceae), a high-altitude shrub. You can watch the paper being processed at The Peacock Shop near Dattatreya Square, close to the Peacock Window. They also sell very beautiful paper products. Thanka or Pauva Painting These are religious paintings on stretched cotton. You see them in all the tourist areas of Bhaktapur and they make very attractive wall pictures to take home. Historically they come from two traditions, Tibetan and Newari. The word thanka is Tibetan and it is the Tibetan refugees entering the country in the 1960's who introduced their style of mandalas and Lives of Buddha and made them commercial items for tourists.
The earlier pauva tradition belongs to the Chitrakars (or Pun) caste of Newars. Until quite recently they produced them following ancient rituals and processes. This involved grinding natural minerals and plants to produce the pigments; a young girl wove the cotton; the designs came from ancient model art-books. They were then consecrated by a priest. It took several weeks to produce one pauva.
They were used in temples and houses for meditation and spiritual instruction. The Chitrakars work for the Hindu as well as Buddhist religious groups.
Bhaktapur Curd
Bhaktapur Curd (Juju Dhau) is a special and delicious yoghurt peculiar to Bhaktapur. It's made out of thick buffalo milk in earthen pots. Previously they were only made for special occasions. Now you can enjoy them at any local dairy and restaurant.
Pottery
Every major Newar tol had its own pottery square until a few decades ago. There are still several courtyards in Bhaktapur with potteries but they are losing out to the plastic and aluminium wares from China.
The famous Pottery Square is to the southwest of Nyatapola Square. The products are laid out to dry in the sun. In the lower area of the square you can see the open kilns burning rice straw.
The local tough black clay cannot be fired at high temperatures to produce delicate ceramics. The most common products now are dishes for King Curd, little dishes for oil lamps, little mugs for homemade liquor (thwon), piggy-banks for children and moulded religious items for tourists. The craft is carried out mostly by the Prajapati or Kumha caste. Their double-roofed pagoda temple dedicated to Jyatha (Jetha) Ganesh is in the Pottery Square; its priest is still appointed by the Kumha caste.
For art lovers
People interested in buying different art pieces mentioned above can visit The Peacock Shop near the Peacock Window on the right hand turning past the Pujari Math, Dattatreya Square. There you will find all kinds of crafted goods displayed in a beautiful Newari house. The salesman there will also give you a good tour of their paper factory describing all the processes involved in making Nepali Paper. You can also find a mini-Pottery Square at the back.
Modern Bhaktapur
People
Bhaktapur Muncipality has a population of 72,543 (36,681 male and 35,862 female) living in 12,133 households. Majority of polpulation are Newars. It is spread over an area of 656 ha. Average life expectancy is 57 years and the literacy rate is 59.14% (49% for women). Main occupation of the inhabitants is agriculture. These data are based on National Census 2001.
Hospitals
The earliest standing hospital at the moment is the Goverment Hospital at the west end of the city. It's very inexpensive and many of its services are funded by JICA. There is also the Cancer Hospital nearby that provides excellent service. Other clinics and health centres are spread all over the city.The Siddhi Memorial Hospital is for women, children and elderly people. It was established by a family
in memory of their young son Siddhi who was tragically hit by an army vehicle on the highway and died before he could get treatment. It maintains high standards.
Education
In 1950 there were only two schools in Bhaktapur, Shree Padma High School and Vidyarthi Niketan. The vast majority of the population received no education.
A number of government schools opened in the fifties, though they were never completely free to pupils. In the eighties and nineties there was a large increase in privately owned fee paying schools reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the state system. Quite poor families strive to send their children to private schools of variable quality.
Bhaktapur's great success story has been the establishment of Khwopa Engineering College by the Municipality in 2001. This now has top class facilities for 1000 students with Bachelor and Masters courses ranging from urban design to nursing. Fees are comparitively less than in other similar engineering colleges.
Stories about Bhaktapur
Siddha Pokhari's Serpent King
There was once a Tantric magician living in Thimi. He had a beautiful wife.This magic man had the ability to change himself into any shape or form. One day his wife asked him to demonstrate his power and become something else.
The magic man agreed. But first he gave his wife magic rice grains and told her that he could only regain his normal form if she threw the grains over him.
He then changed into a mighty serpent. The stupid wife was so terrified that, instead of throwing the rice over him, she ran away screaming.
The poor serpent cried to her to save him and restore him to his human form. But she was gone. He then came to Siddha Pokhari in Bhaktapur and threw himself into the water - where he still is. He is the Serpent King of the pond and nobody from Thimi ever dares to go near.
Nyatapola's pinnacle
On the auspicious day that the foundation of the Nyatapola Temple was laid, a farmer was planting his rice. Later when he came to harvest it, the rice plants were so firmly embedded in the soil that he needed a spade to move them. This proves the stability of the temple's foundations.
Everybody helped to build the temple except one man who was so lazy that he just lay there watching. The temple was almost complete but nobody could think how to put the gold cap on the very top. At last the lazy man slowly got up, loaded the huge pinnacle on his shoulder and then amazed everybody by climbing up the five roofs to the summit and skilfully putting the pinnacle into place.
How Changu Narayan came into being ?
Once in the forests north of Bhaktapur there lived a young farmer who took his cows each day to the nearby pasture for grazing. While they were grazing he went in search of firewood.
One day he noticed that his most healthy cow had stopped giving milk. To find the ‘milk thief' he hid behind a bush while the cow grazed near a Michelia champaca tree and waited.
Just as he was about to leave, frustrated, a little boy jumped out of the tree and sucked the cow's milk dry. Then he returned to the tree. The angry farmer got his axe and chopped down the tree to catch the boy. He was stopped by a booming voice telling him that the boy was none other than Lord Vishnu himself.
Realizing his mistake, the farmer vowed to repent by establishing a shrine at that place. The shrine was consecrated in the name of Champak Narayan.
As time went by it became famous as Changu Narayan.
Story of Bisket - one of several versions
‘Bis' in Newari means serpent and ‘syaake' means slaughter. This story is about the death of two serpents.
There was once a princess in Bhaktapur who was beautiful but so passionate that her father was obliged to find a new lover for her every night. The sad thing was that the lover was always found dead the next morning.
One day a handsome prince was visiting the city. He found an old lady weeping because her son had been chosen to be the princess's doomed lover for the following night. The prince offered to spend the night with the princess in the son's stead.
That night they made love and the princess fell asleep. The prince waited, sword in hand, to see what would happen next. To his horror, two black threads emerged from the sleeping princess's nostrils. They became vicious serpents and attacked him.
Needless to say, he bravely chopped their heads off and everybody lived happily ever after.
You can see two banners representing the serpents at the Bisket Festival hanging down from the top of the mammoth pole (Yasindya) in Yashinkhel/Moodeep. The people drag it from a nearby forest, if they are lucky enough to find it. On the final day young people engage in a tug of war to bring it down.
Story of black rice
The legend goes back to the ancient period, when the Lichchavi king Manadev was ruling. It describes a war between Nepal and Tibet at the time of the harvesting season.Now, all the people had to go and fight for their kingdom so, instead of waiting for the rice to ripen, they just piled up the plants and left.
After successes in the war they returned only to find the rice-grains to be beautifully fermented to a darker color. When it was cooked it became a cherished delicacy.
It also happened that the local Jyapus had prayed to Chyangrase (Lokeshvara, the compassion late Buddha) at the time of the war. So they believed that the black rice was a gift from him to the people of this country.
And so began the tradition of making haakujaaki (black rice).
Navadurga
The Navadurga are the nine fierce goddesses who dance through the streets of Bhaktapur in huge masks and bright costumes.
Once upon a time they were living in a dark area of the jungle northeast of Bhaktapur. They hated living there and took their revenge by kidnapping any lonely traveler passing by that way - and sacrificing them.
Now there was a brave tantric priest who was determined to release the local people from the fear of being sacrificed by the Navadurga. He announced that he would walk to Bhaktapur on the day after full moon. Two other strange men offered to accompany him.
As they came to the area occupied by the Navadurga, the two strange men revealed their true identities. ‘We are Simha and Dumha, messengers of death. Come with us into the jungle. The Navadurga will be pleased to see you. 'And so the Tantric followed Simha and Dumha into the jungle. They met the Navadurga who said, ‘Welcome. It is your good fortune to come to us and be sacrificed in our name. You must prepare to die.'
The brave Tantric said, ‘I am very willing to be sacrificed. I will make prayers and offerings. I am your great devotee. Let me worship you.'
And so the Navadurga allowed the Tantric to do ritual acts of worship to each of them in turn. But secretly, while he was worshipping them, the Tantric also cast a spell on them binding their hands and legs so they couldn't move.
‘Have your sacrifice!' shouted the Tantric. ‘I am ready!' But of course the Navadurga could do nothing.
Then the Tantric ordered them to shrink themselves so that he could carry them in his bag to Bhaktapur.
The Navadurga agreed to this on condition that when they got to Bhaktapur, they would be locked up in a secret room and only the Tantric would come daily to worship them. And so it was arranged. The Tantric brought the Navadurga to his own house in Bhaktapur and locked them up in a secret room.
Now the Tantric's young wife was very beautiful and full of curiosity. She always longed to know what was in the secret room. One day when the Tantric was out, she made a little hole in the door and
peeped through. To her horror she saw the Navadurga engaged in their horrible dances. They saw her peeping and, in fury, rushed through the little hole and out into the street. They saw a pig and
brutally tore its heart out and drank its blood. Then they danced through the streets terrifying everybody.
Eventually the Tantric persuaded them to return to their secret room. And, as a punishment for drinking the blood of the unclean pig, they would every year be incorporated into human bodies and dance through the streets taking offerings-which of course they still do.
Some Questions about Bhaktapur
Tell us about the dogs that you see everywhere in Bhaktapur. How do they live ?
Many belong to nobody and are perfectly content. Do not feed them or they'll turn into tiresome scroungers. And do not try to pet them - they won't appreciate it and are extremely unhygienic.
What's there to do in the evenings ?
Not much. You won't find discos or bars. Young people in Bhaktapur are happy to spend their evenings at home or peacefully wandering the streets with their friends. Couples might visit Siddha Pokhari or Surya Vinayak. We suggest you join the street wanderers or sit in your hotel reading this book.
Is it safe to be out in the evenings ?
Yes. Huge contrast with western cities. Children can play safely in the streets and courtyards late into the evening. But young women wandering alone might attract some undesirable attention. In general there is amazingly little street crime in Bhaktapur. The people here are almost all loyal, responsible and kind. We hope that western media culture doesn't undermine this.
Stealing local sacred art - is it a big problem ?
Yes. We frequently refer to robberies in this book because we feel appalled by such acts which do terrible damage to local culture.
There's an ancient inscription in Changu Narayan about conservation. It decrees that anybody desecrating the holy places will spend 3600 years as an insect in hell.
How is it that the brick factories to the east of Bhaktapur are allowed to cause such pollution ?
Every year more factories appear despite protests. They burn cheap coal from India plus anything else they can throw in including rubber tyres. They employ migrant laborers who live in appalling squatter camps with their families.
The most serious long term problem is the destruction of the land. What happens is that the factories scrape off up to a meter depth a year of the precious fertile soil to make bricks. This stops with the monsoon and, surprisingly, the land reverts to rice paddy. The rice is harvested and the clay excavation starts again.
This cannot continue for long. Soon the surface level will get so low that there is no more soil. Then, no doubt to the delight of the owners, the land can be used for uncontrolled housing development. But they won't have so much homegrown rice to eat.
Of course there is the obvious other side to the argument . New houses need to be built ever year and there is a huge demand for more and more bricks. There are no easy solution easy solutions.
Glossary
Asthamatrika
The eight mother goddesses of Bhaktapur housed at different ‘Power points' surrounding the old city
Bahal
Buddhist monastery, usually two storeys round a courtyard. Bahil is a lesser Bahal.
Caste
The traditional Hindu separation of communities into different levels based on their occupations and degrees of purity.
Chaitya
Small oval shaped Buddhist stupa, originally containing religious relics.
Chowk
A yard or square surrounded by houses; or a road junction.
Dabu
A stone platform used for dancing and rituals.
Durbar
Royal palace, seat of government (Persian word).
Ghat
Stone steps down to a river, for ritual bathing, sanctification of the dying and cremation of the dead.
Hiti
Large stone lined water source set in the ground with steps down to it.
Lingam
Image of the phallus of Shiva and his generative powers. Often set on its female counterpart, the yoni.
Mandala
Mystical circular diagram relating to astrology and the cosmos that is taken as the blueprint for temples.
Math
Hindu sage-house having a main deity such as Shiva and Krishna.
Pokhari
A stone lined pond commonly used for ritual bathing.
Pagoda
Square or rectangular brick and timber construction with tiered tiled rooves at 2
to 5 levels.
Pati
Open fronted rest house made out of wood.
Pauva
Traditional Newari religious tantric painting on cloth, similar to Tibetan thanka.
Prasad
Edible offerings from a temple that are considered to have life-giving properties.
Puja
Religious worship involving various rituals.
Shikhara temple
Stone built Hindu temple with rounded spires that represent Mount Sumeru (Kailash) and
its four continents.
Tantrism
A variety of ancient Hindu Mystic cults involving secret magic practices and the
worship of dangerous gods.
Thanka
Tibetan style religious painting on cloth, for meditative visualisation.
Tika
Colorful ornamental marking on the forehead of devotees that signifies the third eye of consciousness.
Tol(e)/Twaa
Bhaktapur is divided into 24 tols (toles) or districts related to the tradition of the Asthamatrika and the caste communities living in them.
Torana
Stone, wood or metal semicircular carving over the entrance to a religious building. It indicates the deity inside, similar to a tympanum in a medieval Christian church.
Vihara
A Buddhist monastery.
Source :
Deutsche Gesellschaft for Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH -German
Aidan Warlow - Suyog Prajapati | | Bhaktapur : History | |
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Three hundred years ago the Kathmandu Valley, no more than 200 square miles in area, contained three independent kingdoms - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. All of them were prosperous, well governed and enjoying a high level of culture. Each had fertile soil for agriculture, a good natural water supply, local clay to make bricks and rugged surrounding hills to discourage foreign invaders. It was an ideal environment for the growth of a civilization.
Bhaktapur was particularly well favoured. Built on high ground stretching from east to west, it has one main street which was until recently the trading route from Kathmandu to Tibet.
Smaller streets run down to the river and to the scores of agricultural small holdings farmed by the townsfolk.
The city declined after national unification in 1768/1769. Only in the last four decades has it recovered some of its former prosperity. Visitors now see it at a critical point in its history.
Education is now available to almost everybody, the streets are clean and there's an effective sewerage system. Tourism has encouraged the revival of many traditional crafts and the restoration of the historic buildings.
c 300-900
The ancient Lichchavi period. Highly developed culture followed by a period of confusion and decline.
1147-1156
Ananda Dev said to have established Bhaktapur city layout including palace, temples and 12,000 houses.
c 1200
Malla kingdom established in Kathmandu Valley, later separating into Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur.
1382-1395
Jayasthiti Malla codifies the elaborate Newari caste system.
1453
Yaksha Malla moves royal palace to present site. For next 300 years the Malla kings enrich Bhaktapur with fine buildings.
1696-1722
King Bhupatindra Malla builds 55 Window Palace, Nyatapola Temple etc.
1768/69
Gorkha army of Prithvi Narayan Shah over throws Mallas. Nepal unified under Shah kings.
1849-1950
Nepal governed by Rana family. Bhaktapur now a neglected backwater.
1934
Massive earthquake (8.4 on the Richter scale) destroys many buildings.
1950
Ranas overthrown. Restoration of Shah dynasty.
2008
Nepal becomes a republic.
Malla Dynasty
The Malla Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Nepal from the 12th to the 18th century. Malla kings of Nepal visited Lumbini in the 11th and 12th century. It was during their reign the people living in and around the Kathmandu Valley began to be called as "Newars" (or Nepa:mi in Newari language, meaning the citizens of Nepal). The Mallas were the ruling clan of the Malla Mahajanapada. They later shifted to Kathmandu valley. In Nepal, The first Malla king was Abhaya Malla, the son of Ari Deva.
Malla ruler Ananta Malla (r.1274 - 1310) was succeeded by his son Jayananda Deva (r.1310 - 1320). His son Jayaraja Deva (1317-1361) became king in 1347. During his reign Sultan of Bengal, Shams-ud-Din Ilyas Shah invaded Nepal. Jayaraja Deva was succeeded by his son Jayarjuna Malla (r. 1361 - 1382). Jayarjuna was overthrown by Jayasthiti Malla in 1382. Jayashtiti Malla (r.1382- 1395) was the most capable ruler of this dynasty who curbed the powers of the feudal chiefs. He is known for structuring of Newar society by implementing the caste system and fixing the status of the different castes. However, some historians and scholars consider this caste system to be the worse aspect of the Malla dynasty as the whole world sees this today as a social taboo. Lower castes like Chame, khadgi were treated as untouchable and totally outcasted from the society. Manandhar, Maharjan (middle caste) were considered lower than the those rulers but a slightly higher than the Chame and Khadgi.There always arose marriage conflicts among the working groups. The Malla rulers and the Shrestha (Administrators) have proven themselves hungry for power and creating a check and balance strategy among the working class. Even to this date, much changes are not seen in this social taboo issue and there has been reported issues of deriding the working class on the basis of their traditional profession and caste. It won't be untrue to say that the whole credit of forming and maintaining the world class Newar culture and tradition goes to the middle caste and lower caste of Newars than the greedy higher caste rulers who used to be considered as deities. He took the titles Dayitanarayana and Asuranarayana. He had three sons who ruled conjointly after their father's death but later his youngest son Jayajyotir Malla became the sole ruler (r.1395 - 1428).
Jayajyotir Malla was succeeded by his son Jayayakshya Malla or Yaksha Malla (r.1428 - 1482). He was the last Malla king of united Nepal, and he divided his kingdom amongst his sons. Most noted Malla kings were :
* Pratap Malla of Kantipur
* Siddhi Narasimha Malla of Lalitpur
* Bhupatindra Malla of Bhaktapur
The Malla dynasty rulers ruled the Kathmandu valley till Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the valley from them in 1768-69 CE. The last Malla kings were Jayaprakash Malla of Kantipur, Tejnarsingh Malla of Lalitpur and Ranajit Malla of Bhaktapur.
Malla rulers of the whole Kathmandu valley
1. Ari Deva c.1201 - 1216
2. Abhaya Malla c.1216 - 1235
3. Ranasura c.1216
4. Jayadeva Malla c.1235 - 1258
5. Jayabhima Deva c.1258 - 1271
6. Jayasimha Malla c.1271 - 1274
7. Ananta Malla c.1274 - 1310
8. Jayananada Deva c.1310 - 1320
9. Jayari Malla c.1320 - 1344
10. Jayarudra Malla c.1320 - 1326
11. Jayaraja Deva c.1347 - 1361
12. Jayarjuna Malla c.1361 - 1382
13. Jayasthiti Malla c.1382 - 1395
14. Jayajyotir Malla c.1395 - 1428
15. Jayakiti Malla c.1395 - 1403
16. Jayadharma Malla c.1395 - 1408
17. Jayayakshya Malla c.1428 - 1482
Malla rulers of Kantipur
1. Ratna Malla 1482 - 1520
2. Surya Malla 1520 - 1530
3. Amara Malla 1530 - 1538
4. Narendra Malla 1538 - 1560
5. Mahendra Malla 1560-1574
6. Sadashiva Malla 1574-1583
7. Shivasimha Malla 1583-1620
8. Lakshminarasimha Malla 1620 - 1641
9. Pratapa Malla 1641-1674
10. Chakravartendra Malla 1669
11. Mahipatendra Malla 1670
12. Jayanripendra Malla 1674-1680
13. Parthivendra Malla 1680-1687
14. Bhupalendra Malla 1687-1700
15. Bhaskara Malla 1700-1714
16. Mahendrasimha Malla 1714-1722
17. Jagajjaya Malla 1722-1736
18. Jaya Prakash Malla 1736-1746, 1750-1768
19. Jyoti Prakash Malla 1746-1750
Malla rulers of Lalitpur
1. Purandara Simha c.1580 - 1600
2. Harihara Simha c.1600 - 1609
3. Shiva Simha (King of Kantipur) 1609 - 1620
4. Siddhi Narasimha 1620 - 1661
5. Srinivasa Malla 1661 - 1685
6. Yoga Narendra Malla 1685-1705
7. Loka Prakash Malla 1705-1706
8. Indra Malla (Purandara Malla) 1706-1709
9. Vira Narasimha Malla 1709
10. Vira Mahindra Malla 1709-1715
11. Riddhi Narasimha 1715-1717
12. Mahindra Simha (King of Kantipur) 1717-1722
13. Yoga Prakash Malla 1722-1729
14. Vishnu Malla 1729-1745
15. Rajya Prakash Malla 1745-1758
16. Vishvajit Malla 1758-1760
17. Jaya Prakash Malla (King of Kantipur) 1760-1761, 1763-1764
18. Ranajit Malla (King of Bhaktapur) 1762-1763
19. Dala Mardan Shah 1764-1765
20. Tej Narasimha Malla 1765-1768
Malla rulers of Bhaktapur
1. Raya Malla 1482 - 1519
2. Prana Malla 1519 - 1547
3. Vishva Malla 1547 - 1560
4. Trailokya Malla 1560-1613
5. Jagajjyoti Malla 1613-1637
6. Naresha Malla 1637-1644
7. Jagat Prakasha Malla 1644-1673
8. Jitamitra Malla 1673-1696
9. Bhupatindra Malla 1696-1722
10. Ranajit Malla 1722-1769
Shah Dynasty
The Rajput Lineage
The former royal family of Nepal are the descendants of the Parmar Rajput dynasty of the Narsinghgarh state in Malwa (Madhya Pradesh, India). The famous kings of the Malwa region were Raja Bhrathari, Samrat Vikramaditya and Raja Bhoj. Nepal was the only Hindu Kingdom very recently which is now reduced to a democracy and Monarchy has been abolished. Similarly the Rana dynasty who were hereditary prime ministers of Nepal traces their routes to the Sisodiya Rajput dynasty of Mewar (Former capital was Chittor and now Udaipur). Ajaya Simha claims himself as Prince of Nuwakot (Syangja), Lambjung, Kaski, and Tanhun in ca. 1495. His successor, Jagdeva, conquered the principality of Kaski and was awarded the title of Shah from the Emperor of India during the sixteenth century.
Drabya Shah, great-grandson of Jagdeva, conquered Gorkha, establishing himself as the founder of the fortunes of the dynasty. His descendant, Prithvi Narayan, entered the Kathmandu valley and defeated the Malla dynasty, becoming King in 1768. His successors conquered all the remaining petty principalities and unified the kingdom.
Beginning of Shah dynasty In the sixteenth century Prince Yashobramha Shah of Kaski, (son of King Kulamandan Shah) was enthroned in the principality of Lamjung. The rulers of neighboring principality of Ligligkot, now in Gorkha were Magar people. They had a tradition of choosing a ruler every fall by way of a running match open to everyone. Whoever won the race was to become the ruler for a year. However, when Dravya Shah tricked his way to the win and eventually gotten away with the tradition of choosing a ruler every fall. He ruled with an iron fist and executed anyone who suggested the reinstatement of the very tradition of choosing a ruler by which he himself became a ruler.
Dravya Shah himself was not a physically robust man. He, however, had the backing of the Bhattarai, Aryal, Adhikari and Acharya clans of Bahun to propel him to the throne by defeating Magar aspirants to the throne by trickery and cheating instead of pure physical perfection as was the norm. Once he became the king, however, he discontinued the race that was essential among the Magar to anoint the ruler for the next year. By the time of his death in 1570, Dravya Shah had managed to erase the memory of the tradition of choosing the ruler by way of running a match open to everyone. He was a shrewd politician, and with the backing of the above mentioned clan of Bahun, he additionally sought the help of the Pant clan of Bahun. He was a totalitarian king who ruled with an iron fist to silence any dissent. He used the power and might of the magar army to increase the size of the kingdom to include some of the neighbouring states. His successors continued to increase the kingdom's territory.
Absolute monarchy (1768-1990)
In 1743, Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded to the throne of Gorkha and set out for the unification of Nepal. By September 1768, he became the King of Nepal.
In 1815 the Gurkha War broke out between Nepal and the British East India Company. By the end of the war in 1816 Nepal had lost one third of its territory.
During the mid-19th century the Shah dynasty lost control of Nepal to the Rana dynasty, who reduced the King of Nepal to a figurehead while they ruled the country through hereditary government positions.
It wasn't until 1951 that the Shah dynasty regained control with the resignation of Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the last Rana prime minister.
Constitutional monarchy (1990-2008)
In 1990 King Birendra turned Nepal into a constitutional monarchy. Birendra believed in the consensus between the absolute power of the monarchy and open democratic governance. However, it is believed that his brother Gyanendra and his wife Queen Aishwarya staunchly opposed this view.
On June 1, 2001, a number of members of the Shah dynasty were murdered in the royal palace. The report produced by the then high Commission formed, concluded that the royal family was slaughtered by Crown Prince Dipendra, which still remains controversial. Among the dead were the Crown Prince's father King Birendra and his brother Prince Nirajan. Following the death of Birendra, the comatose Dipendra was declared king but only reigned for a few days until his eventual death, at which point his uncle Prince Gyanendra succeeded him. In February 2005 King Gyanendra dismissed Parliament and took over control of the government.
The Nepalese Constituent Assembly came to fruition on December 24, 2007 when it was announced that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections;[3] and on May 28, 2008, Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic and the dynasty was removed from power.
Abolishment of the Shah Monarchy
A constitutional assembly in Nepal voted overwhelmingly in favour of abolishing the Himalayan nation's 240-year-old Hindu monarchy and declaring a republic. In an historic vote that caps a peace deal between Maoist rebels and mainstream parties, passed an order for King Gyanendra to step down and for his palace to be turned into a museum. The constituent Assembly ordered King Gyanendra to vacate his Kathmandu palace within 15 days, who ascended to the throne after most of the royal family was massacred in 2001. A senior member of the 601-member Constituent Assembly, Kul Bahadur Gurung, said 560 members voted in favour and just four opposed. The remaining lawmakers were absent. Supporters of the Monarch were found crying while the former royal couple drove away from the Kathmandu palace respecting the verdict of people. This led to an end of the 240 years old institution and Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah remaining as a final Shah ruler in the himalayan nation, Nepal.
The former royal couple shifted to Nagarjuna Palace — a nationalised palace for their residence. This happened possible when the government decided that the former king would be allowed to stay as a commoner in the summer residence of the former royal family, the Nagarjuna palace, located amid forested hills about eight kilometres northwest of the capital, till he finds suitable accommodation.This was followed by Gyanendra's request to the then Home Minister of Nepal. The decision was based on the mutual agreement between the three largest party in the nation namely Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_dynasty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malla_%28Nepal%29
Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License | | Bhaktapur : More pictures | |
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