TREKKING AT ITS BEST Cultural Tour to UNESCO World Heritage Sites Trek Description If you opt to visit the UNESCO world heritage sites around Kathmandu we will take you to the Patan Durbar Square complex, explore the magnificent Trek details city of Bhaktapur and visit the old Hindu temple of Changu. Included in this tour is all private transport and an extra night of accommodation in your Tour dates preferred class of hotel. Daily Itinerary Season All year round The City of Patan The ancient city is situated on the southern bank of the river Bagmati and is Duration about five kms southeast of Kathmandu. The city is full of Buddhist monu- 1 day - 1 night ments and Hindu temples with fine bronze gateways, guardian deities and wonderful carvings. Noted for its craftsmen and metal workers, it is known Tour code as the city of artists. Patan is the oldest of the three ancient city-kingdoms of C1 the Kathmandu valley which once ruled by the Mallas. Patan is still populated mostly by Newars, two-thirds of them being Buddhist. As in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, a fusion prevails between Hinduism and Buddhism. Also, as in those cities, Patan has a Durbar Square and a labyrinth of winding lanes. The square boasts of many famous sites and unique architecture. Krishna Mandir in the Patan Durbar Square was built to honor an incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna fought by the side of the Pandavs in the Mahabharat war to assure that truth would prevail. This temple is the best example of stone architec- ture in Nepal. Scenes from the Mahabharat, Asia’s greatest mythological war, are carved on the temple wall. The Bhimsen Temple which honors Bhim - great wrestler, brother of the Pandavs, and a deity to Nepalese businessmen - contains fine samples of metal craft. The best place, however, to see metal sculpture is the Hiranya Varna Mahabihar, the “Golden Temple”. It is a Newar monastery which contains wall painting , fourteenth century statues, and scriptures. Other sites including the Mahabouddha Temple and Uku Bahal are only a few minutes walk away from the square. The streets in this area are home to metal sculptors of the present day. Many more temples dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, Shiva, Narsingha, Taleju, and others are situated in the Patan Durbar Square. www.itreknepal.com TREKKING AT ITS BEST Durbar Square Patan The square boasts of many famous sites and unique architecture. Krishna Mandir in the Patan Durbar Square was built to honor the incarnation of Vishnu. The Bhimsen temple which honors Bhim, a great wrestler, brother of the Pandavs, and the deity to Nepalese businessmen, contains fine samples of metal craft. The best place however to see metal sculpture is the Hiranya Karna Mahabinar, the Golden Temple. The Sundari Chowk contains exquisite samples of woodcarvings, stone and metal sculptures. Dubar Square Patan A must to visit! The City of Bhaktapur Bhaktapur means “the city of Devotes” in the Sanskrit language. It is also known as Bhadgaon and was founded by in 889 AD by King Anand Dev. Today it covers an area of four square miles and is flanked by Khasa Khusung and Hanumante Rivers. The palace complex in the middle of the city portrays the prosperity of the Malla years and the details at which the crafts people then worked. The Palace of Fifty-five Windows stands in the square and it was home to many kings of Bhaktapur. They even ruled over Kathmandu and Patan from the twelfth century to the 14th century. The massive gate to the square was made by King Bhupatindra Malla (1696 to 1722) who took pride in his own engineering and building skills. His skills must have been impressive indeed as the gate, though it looks small now, was among the biggest in the valley Bhaktapur and daunted many enemy. It is sturdy even now and stands firmly. Among the other monuments in Bhaktapur are the big bell, the Golden Gate, the five- tiered temple of Nyatapola, the Bhairab Temple, and the Dattatreya Square with its woodcarving and metalwork museums. Surrounded by beautiful farming area, the traveler to Bhaktapur will easily fall in love with the city. Bhaktapur is perhaps the most popular of the three Newar towns of the Kathmandu Val- ley. Newar art and architecture here rival the best craftsmanship of the Malla period (from the 12th to the 18th century). Though a massive earthquake of 1934 destroyed many temples, bahals (monastery courtyards), and residences, the city is still a living proof of the highest craft standards in this part of the world. As the visitor wanders through narrow brick paved streets, many al- leys will show hidden shrines and statues. Clay craftsmanship as well as cloth weaving is still practiced here very much as in the past. Fourteen kilometers east of Kathmandu, this peaceful, conservative town stands in sharp contrast to the bustle of its two adjacent cities. Durbar Square Bhaktapur The main square of the city contains innumerable temples and other architectural showpieces such as lion gate, the golden gate, the statue of King Bhupatindra Malla, Dattatraya Temple etc. A magnificent statue of King Bhupatindra Malla in the act of worship is Durbar Square Baktapur placed on a column facing the palace. It was listed in the UNESCO world Heritage Monument List in 1979. Palace of 55 Windows Being built by King Yaksha Mall in 1427 A.D. and remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in 17th Century, the balcony and the windows are intricately carved, is a masterpiece of wood carving www.itreknepal.com 55 Windows Palace TREKKING AT ITS BEST Nyatapola Temple This five storied Pagoda Style temple was built by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1708 A.D. well known for its massive structure and subtle workmanship. It is the tallest pagoda structure in the Kathmandu valley. Changu Narayan temple Changu Narayan: Narayan, or Vishnu, is the preserver of creation to Hindus. His temple near Changu village is often described as the most ancient tem- Nyatapola Temple ple in the Kathmandu Valley. A fifth century stone inscription, the oldest to be discovered in Nepal, is located in the temple compound and it tells of the victorious King Mandev. The temple, now covers sixteen hundred years of Nepalese art history. The temple, built around the third century, is decorated by some of the best samples of stone, wood, and metal craft in the valley. In the words of one tourist guide, “When you look upon Changu Narayan, you observe the complete cultural development of the Valley”. On the struts of the two-tiered Changu Narayan Temple, are the ten in- carnations in which Narayan destroyed evil-doers. A sixth-century stone statue shows the cosmic from of Vishnu, while another statue recalls his dwarf incarnation when he crushed the evil King Bali. Vishnu as Narsingha disemboweling a demon is particularly stunning. The western bronze doors Changu Narayan Temple sparkle in the evening sunlight, dragons decorate the bells, and handsome devas stare from the walls. Garuda, half man and half birds, is the steed of Vishnu, and his life-sized statue kneels before the temple. The favorite of many tourists is the statue of Vishnu sitting astride his steed. A couple of hours’ drive from Kathmandu takes you to the hilltop temple. Baktapur, a medieval city and a World Heritage Site, is en route and is worth a trip. www.itreknepal.com.