Patan and the history of the Kathmandu Valley
Looking into Patan Square is like looking back in time. As the oldest of the seven zones in the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage site, it houses the medieval royal palace of the Malla Kings, 136 “bahals” (courtyards), Newar houses and 55 significant temples dating back to the 3rd century.
Hindu and Buddhist temples are full of people sitting around chatting with friends. Around the temples, people wander peacefully from one end of the square to the other. Everyone seems to be on Nepali time, with no care in the world.
History of the Kathmandu Valley
Patan Durbar Square’s history reflects the history of the Kathmandu Valley, perhaps even Nepal.
We know little about Nepal before 464 AD. Patan Square was once a lake. Buddhist legend tells that the deity Manjushri drained all the water in the lake by cutting the mountains with a holy sword.
In 464 AD, King Manadeva started writing about his rule. During this Lichhavi period (464 to 879 AD), Hinduism and Buddhism were introduced and coexisted harmoniously. While most Licchavi kings were devout Hindus, they did not impose the Brahmanic code on non-Hindus.
Newar people, the traditional peoples of Nepal, also settled during this period. The Newar religion mixes Mahāyāna Buddhism, Hinduism and older animistic beliefs. Newa Buddhists recognise Buddha and the Hindu gods, including Shiva, Vishnu and Brahmanic deities. Hindu Newars share Buddhist practices such as the worship of the living goddess, Kumārī. All Newars visit and worship at both Hindu and Buddhist temples, follow a caste society and traditionally believe in witches, black arts, demons, ghosts and evil spirits.
The Malla dynasty began in 1200 AD, after a period known as the Dark Ages, during which multiple Kings ruled, sometimes simultaneously. The great Malla ruler Jaya Sthiti (1382 – 1395) introduced the first legal and social code, strongly influenced by Hindu principles. This was the first time that Nepal became a predominantly Hindu country. However, his grandson, Yaksha Malla (1429 – 1482), couldn’t unite his own sons and ended up dividing his kingdom between them. This created the independent principalities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The rest of Nepal was split into smaller principalities. By the 16th century, all these principalities were ruled by dynasties claiming high-caste Indian origin.
In the early 18th century, as the Malla dynasty descended into family squabbles, one of the small principalities—Gorka (also spelled Gurkha), ruled by the Shah family—conquered the Nepal valley, united the Kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur and moved the capital to Kathmandu. Over the next few decades, they established the Kingdom of Nepal as a monarchy within its current-day borders.
Kama Sutra
The guide helped me understand the Hindu religion a little more: there are three main Gods and several thousand smaller ones, plus incarnations and relations of the main Gods—around 10,000 altogether.
My favourite part of the site was the carvings of the Kama Sutra. They’re on the Vishwanath Temple, a temple that young men visit to ‘learn’ how to be men. The ‘teachings’ are an extremely graphic, visual guide that leaves nothing to the imagination.
Two elephant statues guard the temple. Legend has it that if the bird on top of the King’s statue flies off, the elephants will stroll over to Manga Hiti for a drink.
Krishna Mandir
Krishna Mandir (below) is the most important temple in the square. The building’s carvings narrate the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. The first-floor carvings narrate the events of the Mahabharata, while on the second floor, there are visual carvings from the Ramayana.
Mahabuddha
Mahabuddha temple was also a favourite, with its beautiful engravings. The temple is dedicated to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, and is often called the temple of a thousand Buddhas because a Buddha image is engraved on every brick.
The temple dates from 1585, but was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1934. As the rebuilding was done without plans, the temple was reconstructed differently, and enough tiles were left over to construct a small shrine to Maya Devi, the Buddha’s mother.
Golden Temple
Our final stop was the Golden Temple. See below how amazing it looks, with its gold facade shining in the sun. This unique Buddhist monastery was founded in the 12th century and has existed in its current form since 1409. Tortoises protect the temple as its official guardians. The main priest of the temple is a young boy under the age of 12 who serves for 30 days before handing the job over to another young boy.
Images of Patan
