The Hindu Business Line : Small-town beauty

Saab, our town is known as Lalitpur or ‘City of Beauty’,” replied the shopkeeper when I asked him for directions to the Patan Durbar Square. Separated by the Bagmati river, Patan is the suburb neighbouring Kathmandu in Nepal.

Patan has a long Buddhist history. Emperor Ashoka visited this place around 250 B.C. and had four stupas built at the four corners of the town. Now all I could see were some remnants of dilapidated structures.

There is a sizeable Tibetan population in the town with a flourishing carpet-weaving and related business.

As I walked along the narrow potholed roads, avoiding the zipping motorbikes and small cars, men and women glanced at me with interest and with an occasional smile.

Several temples were built in Patan during the reign of the Malla kings in 16-18th century A.D. The town’s prominent landmark is the ‘Patan Dhoka’, a simple, unpretentious whitewashed archway. Enter through this gateway and then you are lost unless you have a guidebook or a map on hand. The people are friendly but not many are familiar with English or Hindi.

The Durbar Square is an area packed with temples with interlinked courtyards. It is a pleasure to explore the many lanes, squares and courtyards of this laidback town, which is a welcome change from Kathmandu.

Patan’s Suwarna Maha Vihara or Golden Temple, also known as Kwa Baha, is a large rectangular building with three roofs that was built in 12th century A.D. The temple façade is adorned by several images of Buddha and Avalokiteswara.

The inner courtyard houses a small, rich decorated temple with a golden roof. The monks at the temple take tender care of the many sacred tortoises that have a free run of the courtyard.

Museum

The small but interesting Patan Museum, which once used to be the king’s palace before being converted into a Buddhist monastery, has been renovated through a collaboration between Nepal and Austrian governments.

The museum houses several sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities. The king’s throne is impressive with its beautiful ornamentation.

The exhibits cover a long span of Nepal’s cultural history. Look out for the sila patras (records of deeds and edicts of kings and the common man engraved on stone), which tell interesting stories from different periods of history. The carvings are in Sanskrit, Licchavi, Newari and modern Nepali languages. After a hectic tour of the museum, it’s time to relax over a drink in the outdoor cafeteria adjoining the palace gardens.

Another interesting and ancient feature of the town is the hiti, which is a sunken structure with a stone waterspout near the base. There are several such structures in the town which, in addition to wells, provide a source of water for drinking, bathing and washing. Some have ornamental spouts depicting Makara, the mythical water dragon.

Among the town’s ancient temples are a few famous ones like the double-roof temple of Ganesh, the graceful five-tiered temple dedicated to Shiva, the shrine of Bagalamukhi (Parvati), and the three-tiered pagoda-like temple dedicated to Radha Krishna. Several Buddhist structures such as chaityas or stupas and mahavihars are scattered all over the town.

The town also has many ancient houses built in the Newari style of architecture. Efforts are on to preserve the ancient structures in the face of a growing trend to modernise buildings using cement, stones and bricks.

A walkabout would be the perfect way to discover the many interesting faces of this Nepal town. Besides spotting the unusual — for instance, the stone you just stepped on along a pathway could, in fact, turn out to be a deity — you can also chance upon everyday but equally interesting facets of the town’s life.

Fact file

Getting there: Kathmandu can be reached by air from Delhi and via the land route from Gorkahpur-Sinaull-Bhairawa

Best time: Year round

Accommodation: There are several lodges in Patan, while nearby Kathmandu offers a wider choice.

Local transport: Bicycles, battery-operated three-wheelers and taxis

Visa: Indians do not need a visa but must carry an ID like passport, voter card or PAN card.

Food: Typical Nepali dal bhat but Kathmandu restaurants offer a greater choice.