Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the plaza in front of the royal palace of the old Bhaktapur Kingdom. It is one of three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is located in the current town of Bhaktapur, which lies 13 km east of Kathmandu. While the complex consists of at least four distinct square (Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square and Pottery Square),[1] the whole are is informally known as the Bhakapur Durbar Square, and is a highly visited site in the Kathmandu Valley.
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[edit]Layout
The Durbar Square proper houses the 55-window Palace which was constructed by King Jitamitra Malla and was home to royalty until 1769. It is now a National Gallery. Close by is the Golden Gate which leads into Mulchok Court which is home to the Taleju Temple. This temple, like others in the main towns of the Kathmandu Valley, is dedicated to the goddess Taleju Bhawani and includes shrines to both the Taleju Bhawani and Kumari. Entrance to the temple is restricted to Hindus and the living goddess strictly cannot be photographed.
The Durbar square is surrounded by spectacular architecture and vividly showcases the skills of the Newari artists and craftsmen over several centuries. The royal palace was originally situated at Dattaraya square and was only later moved to the Durbar square location.
[edit]History
The Durbar square at Bhaktapur was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1934 and hence appears more spacious than the others, located atKathmandu and Patan.[2]
Originally, there were 99 courtyards attached to this place, but now only 6 remain. Prior to the earthquake, there were 3 separate groups of temples. But currently, the square itself is surrounded just by buildings that survived the quake.[2]
[edit]See also
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[edit]References
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