Basantapur Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square ( "UNESCO World Heritage Site") also known as Hanuman Dhoka square is one of the major attractions in Kathmandu Valley. Most of the cultural centers of Nepal are concentrated around the Kathmandu valley; among those cultural sites, the important one is the Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square. The name Hanuman-dhoka Durbar came from the statue of Hanuman established by the King Pratap Malla at the entrance of the royal palace in 1672 A.D. storeyed residence built by King Prithvi Narayan shah in 1770,is called Basantapur Durbar(palace). The whole complex is also known as Kathmandu Durbar Square. Located at the heart of ancient city in Kathmandu it is srounding both Hindu and Buddhist temple. Most of them are built in the pagoda style embellished with intricately carved exteriors as well as Most of the buildings we see here date from 15th to 18th century . The Durbar Square, with its old temples, palaces, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. The major Interesting things to see here are "Kumari (The Living Goddess) Gar" "Kastha Mandap"Maru Ganesh, Mahadev Temple, Shiva Parvati Temple, Bhagwati Temple, Old palace, Saraswoti temple, Krishna Octangular Temple, Big drums, Kal Bhairav, Jagannath Temple, and Taleju Temple etc..The Durbar Square are is actually made up of two sub-areas. The outer complex is renowned for numerous interesting temples as Kumari Ghar , Kasthamandap , Shiv-Parbati Temple, Jagannath Temple, Big Bell etc ,while the inner complex comprises the old palace area ,Hanuman-dhoka and itscourtyards as Nasal Choke ,Mul Choke ,Sundari Choke, Basantapur Durbar and other. Besides the magnificent temples and shrines, it has other interesting aspects are various festivals , cultural activities and traditions people are following from centuries, which are presented in the Durbar Square. The major festivals include Indrajatra, Dashain, Gaaijatra, Machchhindra-nath jatra ets. These are the occasion when the people from all over the city gather here to mark their centuries old traditions. All the carving and architecture in this area are exceptionally fine which make the architecture in this Hanuman-dhoka Durbar square among the most important sights for travelers to see.