Early morning and late night stroll in the Patan Durbar Square provide an entirely new perspective about the Kathmandu valley. The alleyways and little lanes in Patan Durbar Square are excellent pathways to discover the temples, structures, architecture, and different bahl or bahis, open spaces between houses.
The main attraction of the Durbar Square is the Patan Museum, formerly a palace of one of the earlier Malla Kings. Just outside in the open, the Durbar Square houses some of the capital’s most exquisite structure like the Krishna Mandir, which was entirely built from stone. It is believed to be the spot where Siddhi Narsingha dreamt of Krishna and Radha. He erected the temple in the exact spot and created Krishna’s vehicle, the Garuda, to protect it. Damaged in the 2015 earthquake, the temple is covered with a lattice of rods that are being used for retrofitting, but its architecture, depicting stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata, is a wonder to behold.
A short walk to the south from the central Durbar Square is the Mahabuddha temple. Modeled after the Mahabodhi in Bodhgaya, India, the temple is believed to have been completed by an artisan and his sons in 1610 A.D. Intricately done works of the various images of Buddha in terracotta can be seen all over the temple.
Similarly, the Golden Temple – a bit of a walk away from the Durbar Square – is another beautiful example of the blend of Hinduism and Buddhism. A Newar Buddhist monastery, this temple complex’s main shrine worships the Sakyamuni Buddha. Because of its gold-plated top, it has famously been called the Golden Temple. Some of the other attractions in Patan include Banglamukhi Temple, Temple of Rato Macchendranath. Apart from the many temples, the Durbar Square is famous as the pulse of its neighborhood with its food, ambiance, and lively crowds. Spend an entire day marveling at the old relics and share a seat with some of the seniors passing the time outside the Patan Museum.