While we were in lightheaded awe at Everest Base Camp, the rest of our group was at Bhaktapur, a UNESCO world heritage city in the Kathmandu valley. When our helicopter guide heard we had missed this excursion, he offered to stop at Bhaktapur before taking us to our hotel, telling us the medievil city was worth seeing despite the severe damage it incurred from the 2105 earthquake. We were excited to take him up on this offer – although we only had 24 hours in Nepal (it was our waystation to Bhutan), we wanted to see as much as possible.
Bhaktapur was the capital of Nepal from the 11th to 15th centuries prior to the country splitting into three separate kingdoms. The city continued as an important commercial center for the next century due to its position on overland trade routes. In the 1700s, Bhaktapur was attacked and annexed into a rival kingdom. From this point forward, the city began a slow decline exacerbated by the frequent earthquakes that ravage the area. It was only in the 1950’s with significant financial assistance from West Germany, that Bhaktapur began to revitalize and reclaim its heritage.
Bhaktapur has four squares. We entered this revitalized historical area through Durbar Square, the former royal palace complex of the early kings of Nepal. Guarded by a pair of stone lions, Durbar once contained hundreds of buidings and 99 courtyards. Today most of these buildings and courtyards are gone, mostly toppled by the frequent earthquakes that plague Nepal. Those that still occupy the complex had been painstakingly restored over the past fifty years. However, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 did significant damage to most of the buildings and even eight years later, we saw lots of scaffolding, construction nets and clamps and rods supporting fragile structure undergoing repair.
We stopped to examine two large stone stele near the lions. Commissioned by the Malla king, Bhupatindra in early 1700’s, these carvings show the fierce side of two Hindu gods, Chandi and Shiva. Once they guarded the entrance to a long lost palace but today they stand alone as a tourist attraction that showcases the talent of medivel Nepali artisans.
One palace, or rather a section of a palace remains in Durbar Square. Nhekanjhya Lyaku or now locally refered to as the Palace of 55 Windows was the main residence of the royals. Originally constructed in 1698 during the reign of Bhupatindra Malla, legend has it that the palace was named Nhekan (glass pane) and Jhya (latticed window) for a special latticed glass window that was located on the second floor above the main door. Glass was extremely rare in Nepal at the time; this pane was a gift to Malla from a Mughal emperor so was proudly displayed in the palace. The palace was damaged over the centuries by earthquakes but it was not until 1934 that the famed glass pane and window itself were destroyed.
Today the Palace is referred to as the Palace of Fifty Five Windows because of the fifty five carved wooden windows on its facade. Resconstructed and restored numerous times over the centuries, the palace is constructed around a number of interconnected courtyards. Legend has it that at one time, the palace contrained 99 courtyards.
Elevated on a column facing the palace is the most famous of all Bhaktapur’s Malla kings. King Bhupatindra had tremendous influence on the art and architecture of Newar culture, the indigenous people who populated this region of Nepal. Dressed in court attire, he sits with arms folded in prayer facing the goddess Taleju in the temple formerly in the palace courtyard. By his side are his sword and shield. This is one of three images of king that remain in the country.
Alongside the palace is one of the most impressive works of Nepalese art, Lun Dhwakha or the Golden Gate of Bhaktapur. The gate leads to what was once an inner courtyard of the palace, to the entrance of a shrine to the goddess, Taleju, the family diety of the Malla kings of Nepal. Construction on the gate began in the reign of Bhupatindra Malla but was not completed until 1754 after his death. Set into a red gatehouse, the golden door showcases some of the finest metal craftsmanship of the period. The sculptures on the portal depict a number of warriors wrestling with supernatural serpents while the goddess, Taleju with her four heads and ten arms sits at the top of the arch. On each side of the gate are golden tablets with inscriptions in the Newari langauge, the language of the indigineous people of Nepal.
There are four temples in the palace square dedicated to the mother goddess Vatsala. Constructed of stone, their spires contain carvings of various animals that serve as guardians of the temples. Locals believed that the mother goddess would shield the city from epidemics; there actually was a plague in the Kathmandu valley in the early 1700’s when these temples were constructed or in some cases, remodeled. Unfortunately, that shield did not work for the pandemic in 2020. Nepal was badly impacted by COVID when despite a 6 month lockdown over a million people contracted the virus and 13,000 died.
Towering above all the buildings in Taumadhi Square is the tallest temple in all of Nepal, the Nyatapola Temple. Five storied and beautifully proportioned, Nyatapola is dedicated to a fearsome goddess, Lakshmi. So frightening is Lakshmi, that only priests were allowed to enter the temple; today visitors can go inside only one day each year. Built during the reign of King Bhupatindra Malla in 1702, this temple has survived multiple earthquakes becasue of its solid construction. A steep stairway with stone figures leads to the temple entrance but today the stairs are a popular gathering place for local youth.
The two large stone figures at the foot of the temple’s stairs are the legendary wrestlers, Jayamel and Phattu. Squatting low and holding heavy maces, they are guardians of Nyatapola. An assortment of protectors, elephants with saddles of flowers, lions with bells around their necks, and griffons with curved horns, guard each subsequent level of the temple. Effective guardians they have proven to be, since Nyatapola was one of the few structures in Bhaktapur that sustained no damage from the 2015 earthquake.
Wandering out of the historical district and through a maze of narrow streets, we passed shop after shop of local handicrafts. Besides its historical significance, Bhaktapur is a shopper’s paradise. One of my favorite shops was strewn with bells of all shapes and sizes, made of brass, ceramic, iron and copper, tinkling in the gentle breeze.
Nepal was preparing for the Hindu celebration of Holi, the Festival of Colors the next day, the start of the spring equinox. Many merchants had bins and packages of brightly colored powders for sale. Although Holi has religious significance, for many it is a day to celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring. People throw handfuls of brilliantly hued powders at each other to spread color and welcome spring! Fortunately, as we would learn tomorrow, the powders wash off easily without staining clothing!
We visited the last of Bhaktapur’s squares while enroute back to our vehicle. Pottery Square is aptly named as this is the area of the city where its famous clay pottery is made. Ceramics made in Bhaktapur and made from a special clay, Dyo Cha, meaning ‘Clay of God’ found only in a specifc area near the city; artisans take pride in preserving the ancient craft developed centuries before. Daylight was waning as we approached; the potters themselves had finished for the day, but we say many women cleaning up, washing out the plastics tubs where the mud is mixed, minding the kilns where the final pieces of the day were being fired and sorting the bad pieces from the good.
We arrived at the Dwarika Hotel just on time to catch the end of a lecture on the history and culture of Bhutan, our destination tomorrow. It was late so we grabbed dinner in the Krishnarpan restaurant and too tired to think, asked the waiter to bring us a typical Nepali dish. So we had dal bhat for dinner – lentil soup, vegetable curry and chicken served with rice and spinach. Similar to Indian food, it is spiced differently and has it own distinct flavor.
Dwarika is a world class heritage hotel that feels more like a living history museum than a guest house. With its multiple courtyards and Newari architecture, it has the feel of Bhaktapur.
In fact the wooden latticework adorning the hotel windows and doors was similar to those of the Palace of Fifty Five windows. Unfortunately, we did little time to explore and enjoy the amenities of this hotel as we had an early start the next day.
So we headed to our simple but elegently appointed heritage suite for a short night’s rest. Tomorrow, we will visit one more site in Kathmandu, the holy Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, before heading to the airport for our Bhutan air flight to Paro.
