Must-see attractions in Patan

  • Hiranya Varna Mahavihar (The Golden Temple) buildings exterior in a sunny day in Lalitpur city, Nepal.

    Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal)

    Patan

    This unique Buddhist monastery is just north of Durbar Sq. It was allegedly founded in the 12th century, and it has existed in its current form since 1409…

  • Courtyard of Mul Chowk, in the Patan Royal Palace Complex in Patan Durbar Square.

    Mul Chowk

    Patan

    South of the Patan Museum, a gateway opens onto the stately Mul Chowk, the largest and oldest of the Royal Palace’s three main chowk (squares). The…

  • Group of bronze Buddha and Hindu Gods figurines in a showcase of the Patan Museum.

    Patan Museum

    Patan

    Formerly the residence of the Malla kings, the section of the Royal Palace surrounding Keshav Narayan Chowk now houses one of the finest collections of…

  • Krishna Mandir Temple.

    Krishna Mandir

    Patan

    Heading into Durbar Sq, you can’t miss the splendid Krishna Mandir built by King Siddhinarsingh Malla in 1637. Constructed from carved stone – in…

  • Tusha Hiti sunken water tank in Sundari Chowk.

    Sundari Chowk

    Patan

    South of Mul Chowk is the smaller Sundari Chowk, arranged around a superbly carved sunken water tank known as the Tusha Hiti. The chowk was restored in…

  • DURBAR SQUARE, PATAN, NEPAL

    Durbar Square (Patan)

    Patan

    The ancient royal palace of Patan faces on to magnificent Durbar Sq. This concentrated mass of temples is perhaps the most visually stunning display of…

  • Royal Patan palace complex in Patan Surbar Square.

    Royal Palace

    Patan

    Forming the entire eastern side of Durbar Sq, the Royal Palace of Patan was originally built in the 14th century, and expanded during the 17th and 18th…

  • Golden Gate, Patan, Nepal.

    Golden Gate

    Patan

    The entry to Patan Museum is through the Royal Palace's superb Golden Gate. Installed in 1734, this finely engraved and gilded gateway is topped by a…

  • Rato Machhendranath Temple

    Patan

    Almost directly across the road from the Minnath Temple, down an alley, a white-columned gateway leads to the wide, open square containing the revered…

  • Mahabouddha Temple

    Patan

    As you step through the entryway of this hard-to-find courtyard in the southeast of Patan, the temple suddenly looms above you, crammed in like a plant…

  • Kumbeshwar Temple

    Patan

    Due north of Durbar Sq is the eye-catching Kumbeshwar Temple, one of the valley’s three five-storey temples. This tall, thin mandir (temple) features some…

  • King Yoganarendra Malla’s Statue

    Patan

    South of the Jagannarayan Temple is a tall column topped by a striking brass statue of King Yoganarendra Malla (r 1684–1705) and his queens. Installed in…

  • Peace Gallery

    Patan

    Nepal's decade-long civil war has been marked by a photo exhibition that brings the conflict poignantly to life. Based on the book A People War by Nepali…

  • Bhimsen Temple

    Patan

    At the northern end of Durbar Sq, the Bhimsen Temple is dedicated to the god of trade and business, which may explain its prosperous appearance. One of…

  • Uku Bahal

    Patan

    South of the Mahabouddha Temple, this ancient Buddhist monastery is one of the best known in Patan. The main courtyard is jam-packed with statuary and…

  • Minnath Temple

    Patan

    Just 200m south of I Baha Bahi, a large water tank marks the entrance to a courtyard strewn with wooden beams. In the centre is the brightly painted, two…

  • Vishwanath Temple

    Patan

    South of the Bhimsen Temple stands the Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva. This elaborately decorated two-tiered pagoda was built in 1627 and it…

  • Manga Hiti

    Patan

    Immediately across from Bhimsen Temple is the sunken Manga Hiti, one of the water conduits with which Patan is liberally endowed. The tank contains a…

  • Hari Shankar Temple

    Patan

    This temple is dedicated to Hari Shankar, a curious hybrid deity that has half the attributes of Vishnu and half the attributes of Shiva. Although it…

  • Tusha Hiti

    Patan

    The highlight of Sundari Chowk is the superbly carved sunken water tank known as the Tusha Hiti. Built in 1647, the renovated tank has 72 carved stone…

  • Jagannarayan Temple

    Patan

    Fronted by a pair of barrel-chested lions, dedicated to Vishnu as Narayan, the creator of the universe, and dating from 1565, this was the oldest temple…

  • Taleju Bell

    Patan

    Facing the Royal Palace is a huge, ancient bell, hanging between two stout pillars, erected by King Vishnu Malla in 1736. Petitioners could ring the bell…

  • Taleju Bhawani Temple

    Patan

    On the south side of Mul Chowk is the Taleju Bhawani Temple, flanked by statues of the river goddesses Ganga, on a tortoise, and Jamuna, on a makara. The…

  • Krishna Temple

    Patan

    This attractive, octagonal stone temple completes the ‘front line’ of temples in Durbar Sq. It has strong architectural similarities to the Krishna temple…

  • I Baha Bahi

    Patan

    Just a one-minute walk south of Durbar Sq, a large doorway flanked by black lions with Cheshire-cat grins leads to a quiet bahal containing the I Baha…

  • Vishnu Temples

    Patan

    West of the Royal Palace, behind the statue of King Yoganarendra Malla are three smaller Vishnu temples, including a brick-and-plaster shikhara temple,…

  • Pim Bahal Pokhari

    Patan

    This large pond is a hidden gem centred around a charming lakeshore pavilion. On the north side is three-tiered Chandeswari Temple built in 1663. Walk…

  • Mani Mandap

    Patan

    Overlooking the Manga Hiti tank, the two wooden pavilions known as the Mani Mandap were built in 1700 for use in the elaborate ceremonies at royal…

  • Uma Maheshwar Temple

    Patan

    Peer inside this temple to see a very beautiful black-stone relief of Shiva and Parvati in the pose known as Uma Maheshwar – the god sitting cross-legged…

  • Sulima Square

    Patan

    Northeast of the Pim Bahal Pokhari is Sulima Sq, a crumbling brick-lined space with a 17th-century Mahadev (Shiva) shrine. On the east side of the square…

  • Bidyapith Temple

    Patan

    Mul Chowk houses the small, gilded, central Bidyapith Temple, beside a wooden post used to secure animals for sacrifices. The central deity is Yantaju, a…

  • Northern Stupa

    Patan

    One of four Ashoka stupas marking the old city limits of Patan. Located beyond the Kumbeshwar Temple, on the way to the Sankhamul Ghats.

  • Bhandarkhal Water Tank

    Patan

    To the east of Sundari Chowk is the recently restored Bhandarkhal water tank, once the main water supply for the palace and featuring a charming…

  • Lagan (Southern) Stupa

    Patan

    One of four Ashoka stupas marking the old city limits of Patan. Located south of the Lagankhel bus stand, crowning a hilltop and offering good views over…

  • Eastern Stupa

    Patan

    This Buddhist stupa is on the eastern approach to Durbar Sq, and one of four Ashoka stupas showing Patan's old city limits.

  • Aksheshwar Mahavihar

    Patan

    This courtyard-style Buddhist monastery is located behind the grass-covered Western Ashoka Stupa in Pulchowk.

  • Western Stupa

    Patan

    One of four Ashoka stupas marking the old city limits of Patan. Covered in grass beside the main road at Pulchowk.