‘exciting tour in the city steeped with history enriched with intricate arts and crafts’
Patan also known popularly as Lalitpur, a city adorned with masterpiece arts and crafts from Malla dynasty of 6th to 17th Century history with full of lively colorful culture and age-old monuments listed in World Heritage Sites.
A sub-metropolitan city close to Kathmandu within south direction separated by Baghmati River, a mere distance of few minutes, in earlier times before 17th Century it stood as an independent kingdom of Malla.
A place of fascinating where visitors can walk in its ancient Durbar Square (Palace Courtyard) and its busy bazaar of great interest, the name Lalitpur means city of arts which you can witness in our half-day to full day tour, accompanied by our expert city-cultural guides with short drive in the comfort of nice private coach or cars.
Places of interest to visit around Patan-Lalitpur city:
Patan-Lalitpur heritage and cultural tour of a day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
Patan / Lalitpur renowned for famous temples, monasteries, stupas and durbar square (royal courtyard) history from early 6-7th Century, however the recent earthquake of 25th April and 12th May 2015 damaged few of the old building slowly maintaining into its original and former shapes.
- Patan Durbar Square
- Mul Chowk (royal court yard and verandah)
- Sundari Chowk)
- Keshav Narayan Chowk
- Krishna Temple
- Mahaboudha
- Kumbheshwor
- Jagat narayan Temple
- Rudra Varna Mahavihar
- The Ashoka Stupas
- Patan Industrial Estate
- Tibetan Refugee Camp
Patan Durbar Square:
Right in the center of Lalitpur, houses are of ancient Newari architecture. There are three main courtyards in the palace: Mul chowk,
Sundari chowk and Keshav Narayan chowk. Mul chowk is the oldest one and is at the centre of Patan square.
Several multi sized and a multi-styled temple houses the western part of the complex. Main among these is Krishna Temple, Bhimsen
Temple and the Golden Temple of Hiranya.
Mul Chowk (royal court yard and verandah:
One of famous and largest courtyards among three main chowks, the Bidya Temple is located at the center of the courtyard and the
Taleju temples stand around the courtyard.
Sundari Chowk:
Sundari Chowk is to the south of the Mul Chowk with a sunken tank known as Tusha Hiti Mul Chowk & Taleju Temple.
Keshav Narayan Chowk:
Keshav Narayan Chowk on the northern part with Degutale temple, it is the site of the earliest Malla palace in Patan, the Chowk sits on
the older foundations of a Buddhist monastery.
Krishna Temple:
This temple dedicated to Hindu Lord Krishna was erected in the 17th century, considered to be the first one to be built in Shikara
architecture, it commands a vital position around durbar square. The elegant shikhara-style temple is ranked as one of the gems of
Durbar Square. The temple is compared with sacred Mount Meru, which is abode of the god Shiva according to Hindu scriptures.
Mahaboudha:
A Buddhist temple of Mahaboudha, which is made of clay bricks, lies to the east of the Durbar Square. Hundreds of Buddha images are
engraved in the bricks. The temple is known for its fine terra cotta work.
Kumbheshwor:
Just at rim of Drubar square lies five-storied pagoda temple of Lord Siva built by King Jayasthiti Malla, inside the temple premises a
natural spring, its source the belief is from the famous glacial lake of Gosainkunda around Langtang Himal of Rasuwa district .
The golden work on the temple was added later in 1422 A.D.
On the festival of Janai Purnima (month of August), ritual bathing and fair takes place.
Jagat Narayan Temple:
Jagatnarayan temple is a tall shikhara style temple devoted to Lord Vishnu, red bricks are used for the construction. The temple also
holds a fine metal statue of Garuda, Ganesh and Hanuman, all related to Hindu religion and mythology.
Rudra Varna Mahavihar:
This Buddhist monastery holds amazing collection of images and idols in metal, stone and wood. Legend holds that the Kings in the
ancient times were crowned in this monastery. Many of the treasures offered by the people can be seen here even today.
