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Bhaktapur

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Bhaktapur
भक्तपुर
Town
A street of Bhaktapur
A street of Bhaktapur
Country   Nepal
ZoneBagmati Zone
DistrictBhaktapur District
Population
 (2001)
 • Total72,543
 • Religions
Hindu
Time zoneUTC+5:45 (Nepal Time)

Bhaktapur (Nepali: भक्तपुर Bhaktapur), also Bhadgaon or Khwopa (Newar: ख्वप Khwopa) is an ancient Newar town in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It is located in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone. It is the third largest city in Kathmandu valley and was once the capital of Nepal during the great Malla Kingdom until the second half of the 15th century.

Bhaktapur is listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO for its rich culture, temples, and wood, metal and stone artwork.

Etymology

"Khwopinggram" is the ancient name of Bhaktapur. The term "Bhaktapur" (Sanskrit/Nepali: भक्तपुर) refers to "The City Of Devotees". This Bhaktapur City is also known as "Khwopa" (Nepal Bhasa: ख्वप) or "Bhadgaon" (Nepali:भादगाँउ) or "Ancient Newari Town" throughout the Kathmandu valley.

History

It is the home of traditional art and architecture, historical monuments and craft works, magnificent windows, pottery and weaving industries, excellent temples, beautiful ponds, rich local customs, culture, religion, festivals, musical mystic and so on. Bhaktapur is still an untouched as well as preserved ancient city, which in fact, is itself a world to explore for tourist.

From time immemorial it lay on the trade route between Tibet and India. This position on the main caravan route made the town rich and prosperous

Geography

Bhaktapur is around 13 km east of Kathmandu and lies on the old trade route to Tibet. It occupies an area of around 119 km² at an altitude of 1,401 meters above sea-level. Bhaktapur district, in which the Bhaktapur city lies, is the smallest district of Nepal.

Demographics

At the time of the 2001 Nepal census it had a population of 72,543.[1] The male inhabitants of this city wear a special type of cap called the Bhaad-gaaule topi.

Landmarks

Siddha Pokhari

This is a big rectangular water pond located near the main city gate. It was built during the reign of King Yakshya Malla in the early fifteenth century and is associated with a number of different myths. From this spot a wide range of snowy peaks are visible on clear days.[2]

Durbar Square

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara-style temples grouped around a fifty-five window palace of brick and wood. The square is one of the most charming architectural showpieces of the Valley as it highlights the ancient arts of Nepal. The golden effigies of the kings perched on the top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in every place - struts, lintels, uprights, tympanums, gateways and windows all seem to form a well-orchestrated symphony.[2] The main items of interest in the Durbar Square are:

  1. The Lion Gate: Dating as far back as 1696 A.D., this gate is guarded on either side by two huge statues of lions. Alongside there are two stone images of Bhairab (the dreadful aspect of Shiva) and ugrachandi (the consort of Shiva in her fearful manifestation).[2]
  2. The Golden Gate: The Golden Gate is said to be the most beautiful and richly moulded specimen of its kind in the entire world. The door is surmounted by a figure of the goddess Kali and Garuda (mythical man-bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It is also embellished with monsters and other mythical creatures of marvellous intricacy. In the words of Percy Brown, an eminent English art critic and historian, the Golden Gate is "the most lovely piece of art in the whole Kingdom; it is placed like a jewel, flashing innumerable facets in the handsome setting of its surroundings." The gate was erected by King Ranjit Malla and is the entrance to the main courtyard of the palace of fifty-five windows.[2]
  3. The Palace of Fifty-five Windows: This magnificent Palace was built during the reign of King Yaksha Malla in 1427 A.D., and was subsequently remodelled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls, with their gracious setting and sculptural design, is a balcony of fifty-five windows, considered to be a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.[2]
  4. The Picture Gallery: The Picture Gallery is of considerable value which contains ancient paintings belonging to the Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism of various periods and descriptions. This gallery is open everyday except Tuesday.[2]
  5. The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla: This statue showing King Bhupatindra Maila in the act of worship, can be seen placed on a column facing the palace. Of the square's many statues, this is considered to be the most magnificent.[2]
  6. Batsala Temple: The stone temple of Batsala Devi depicts many intricate carvings; however, it is most famous for its bronze bell, known to local residents as "the bell-of barking dogs," as when it is rung, all dogs in the vicinity begin barking and howling! The colossal bell was hung by King Ranjit Malla in 1737 A.D. and was used to sound the daily curfew. It is nowadays rung every morning when goddess Taleju is worshipped.[2]
  7. The Pashupati Temple: This temple is a replica of the famous temple by the Bagmati river in Kathmandu and is widely noted for the erotic carvings on its struts. 11 was built by King Yakshya Malla.[2]

The royal palace was originally situated at Dattaraya square and was only later moved to the Durbar square location. The Durbar square in Bhaktapur was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1934 and hence appears very spacious than the other ones located at Kathmandu and Patan.

Nyatapola Temple

This five-storeyed pagoda was built by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1702 A.D. It stands on five terraces, on each of which squat a pair of figures: two famous wrestlers, two elephants, two lions, two griffins, and Baghini and Singhini - the tiger and the lion goddesses. Each pair of figures is considered ten times stronger than the ones immediately below, while the lowest pair, the two strong men Jaya Malla and Phatta Malla, were reputedly ten times stronger than any other men. This is one of the tallest pagoda-style temples in Kathmandu Valley and is famous for its massive structure and subtle workmanship.[2]

Just beside temple is a monastery (Math) with exquisitely carved peacock windows. These famous windows were also carved during the reign of King Vishwa Malla. The monastery is full of artistic facades of latticed windows and engraved columns.[2]

Bhairab Nath Temple

This is another pagoda temple of lord Bhairab, the dreadful aspect of Shiva. It stands a short distance away from the temple of Nyatapola and was originally constructed by King Jagat Jyoti Malla on a modest scale. It was later remodelled by King Bhupatindra Malla, a zealous lover of the arts, into what it is now a three-storeyed temple.[2]

Dattatraya Temple

The temple of Dattatraya is as old as the Palace of fifty-five windows. Consecrated by King Yakshya Malla in 1427 A.D., this temple, according to popular belief, was built out of the trunk of a single tree. It was subsequently repaired and renovated by King Vishwa Malla in 1458 A.D.[2]

Kailashnath Mahadev Statue

Main article: Kailashnath Mahadev Statue

This is the World's tallest Lord Shiva statue till date. It is 143 feet high and is situated 20 km from Katmandu, Nepal. It was completed in 2012 and started in 2004. This statue has recently attracted a lot of tourism into Nepal due to it being the tallest. It was commissioned by Kamal Jain, and he has continued to develop and maintain the site without any support of the government of Nepal. This statue stands on the 32nd position in the list of statues by height in the whole world. It has been made of copper, cement, zinc, and steel. To make this gigantic structure possible there were many professional workers and statue makers.

In Popular Culture

Portions of the movie Little Buddha starring Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda were filmed in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Gallery

Foot Notes

  1. ^ City Population [1]. Retrieved: 9 Dec, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Destination Nepal: Bhaktapur [2]. Retrieved: 9 Dec, 2011.

References

  • Bindloss, Joe; Holden, Trent; Mayhew, Bradley. (2009). Nepal. Lonely Planet.
  • Destination Nepal: Bhaktapur [3]. Retrieved: 9 Dec, 2011

External links

Template:Link FA

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