Kathmandu tours, tour kathmandu, tours in kathmandu, Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, kathmandu durbar square, catmandu, living goddess, kumari

Himalayan Trips

Nepal Tours Package

Festival Tours Offer

Nepal Trekking & Tours

Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square/ Kathmandu Durbar (Palace) Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square
The Kathmandu Durbar Square holds the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. Along with these palaces, the square also surrounds quadrangles revealing courtyards and temples. The square is presently known as Hanuman Dhoka, a name derived from the statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, near the entrance of the palace. The preference for the construction of royal palaces at this site dates back to as early as the Licchavi period in the third century. Even though the present palaces and temples have undergone repeated and extensive renovations and nothing physical remains from that period, names like Gunapo and Gupo, which are the names referred to the palaces in the square in early scriptures, imply that the palaces were built by Gunakamadev, a king ruling late in the tenth century. When Kathmandu City became independent under the rule of King Ratna Malla (1484-1520) the palaces in the square became the royal palaces for its Malla kings. When Prithvi Narayan Shah invaded the Kathmandu Valley in 1769, he also favored the Kathmandu Durbar Square for his palace. Other subsequent Shah kings continued to rule from the square until 1896 when they moved to the Narayan Hiti Palace. However, the square is still the center of important royal events like the coronation of King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in 1975 and King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah in 2001.

Though there are not any written archives stating the history of the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the construction of the palace in the square is credited to Sankharadev (1069-1083). As the first king of the independent Kathmandu City, Ratna Malla is said to have built a Taleju temple at the Northern side of the palace in 1501. For this to be true then the temple would have had to have been built in the vihara style as part of the palace premise surrounding the Mul Chok courtyard for no evidence of a separate structure that would match this temple can be found within the square.

The construction of the Karnel Chok is also not clearly stated in any historical inscriptions although it is probably the oldest among all the courtyards in the square. A Bhagavati Temple, originally known as a Narayan Temple, rises above the mansions surrounding it and was added during the time of Jagajaya Malla in the early eighteenth century. The Narayan idol within the temple was stolen so Prithvi Narayan Shah replaced it with an image of Bhagavati, completely transforming the name of the temple.

The oldest temples in the square are those built by Mahendra Malla (1560-1574). They are the temples of Jagannath, Kotilingeswara Mahadev, Mahendreswara, and the Taleju Temple. This three-roofed Taleju Temple was established in 1564, in a typical Newari architectural style and is elevated on platforms that form a pyramid-like structure. It is said that Mahendra Malla, when he was residing in Bhaktapur, was highly devoted to the Taleju Temple there; the Goddess being pleased with his devotion gave him a vision asking him to build a temple for her in the Kathmandu Durbar Square. Then with a help of a hermit, he designed the temple to give it its present form and the Goddess entered the temple in the form of a bee.

His successors Sadasiva (1575-1581), his son, Shiva Simha (1578-1619), and his grandson, Laksminar Simha (1619-1641), do not seem to have made any major additions to the square. During this period of three generations the only constructions to have occurred were the establishment of Degutale Temple dedicated to Goddess Mother Taleju by Shiva Simha and some enhancement in the royal palace by Laksminar Simha.

It was in the time of Pratap Malla, son of Laksminar Simha, that the square was extensively developed. He was an intellectual, a pious devotee, and he was especially interested in arts. He called himself a Kavindra, king of poets, and boasted that he was learned in fifteen different languages. A passionate builder, following his coronation as a king, he immediately began enlargements to his royal palace, and rebuilt some old temples and constructed new temples, shrines and stupas around his kingdom.

During the construction of his palace, he added a small entrance in the traditional, low and narrow Newari style. The door was elaborately decorated with carvings and paintings of deities and auspicious sings and was later transferred to the entrance of Mohan Chok. In front of the entrance he placed the statue of Hanuman thinking that Hanuman would strengthen his army and protect his home. The entrance leads to Nasal Chok, the courtyard where most royal events such as coronation, performances, and yagyas, holy fire rituals, take place. It was named after Nasadya, the God of Dance, and during the time of Pratap Malla the sacred mask dance dramas performed in Nasal Chok were widely famed. In one of these dramas, it is said that Pratap Malla himself played the role of Lord Vishnu and that the spirit of the Lord remained in the king's body even after the play. After consulting his Tantric leaders, he ordered a stone image of Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Nara Simha, the half lion and half human form, and then transferred the spirit into the stone. This fine image of Nara Simha made in 1673 still stands in the Nasal Chok. In 1650, he commissioned for the construction of Mohan Chok in the palace. This chok remained the royal residential courtyard for many years and is believed to store a great amount of treasure under its surface. Pratap Malla also built Sundari Chok about this time. He placed a slab engraved with lines in fifteen languages and proclaimed that he who can understand the inscription would produce the flow of milk instead of water from Tutedhara, a fountain set in the outer walls of Mohan Chok. However elaborate his constructions may have been, they were not simply intended to emphasize his luxuries but also his and the importance of others' devotion towards deities. He made extensive donations to temples and had the older ones renovated. Next to the palace, he built a Krishna temple, the Vamsagopala, in an octagonal shape in 1649. He dedicated this temple to his two Indian wives, Rupamati and Rajamati, as both had died during the year it was built. In Mohan Chok, he erected a three roofed Agamachem temple and a unique temple with five superimposing roofs. After completely restoring the Mul Chok, he also donated to the adjoining Taleju Temple. To the main temple of Taleju, he donated metal doors in 1670. He rebuilt the Degutale Temple built by his grandfather, Siva Simha, and the Taleju Temple in the palace square. As a substitute to the Indreswara Mahadeva Temple in the distant village of Panauti he built a Shiva temple, Indrapura, near his palace in the square. He carved hymns on the walls of the Jagannath Temple as prayers to Taleju in the form of Kali.

At the Southern end of the square, near the Kasthamandapa, which was the main city crossroads for early traders, he built another pavilion named Kavindrapura, the mansion of the king of poets. In this mansion he set an idol of dancing Shiva, Nasadyo, which today is highly worshipped by dancers in the Valley.

In the process of beautifying his palace, he added fountains, ponds, and baths. In Sundari Chok, he established a low bath with a golden fountain. He also built a small pond, the Naga Pokhari, in the palace adorned with Nagakastha, a wooden serpent, which is said he had ordered stolen from the royal pond in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. He also restored the Licchavi stone sculptures such as the Jalasayana Narayana, the Kaliyadamana, and the Kala Bhairav. An idol of Jalasayana Narayana was placed in a newly created pond in the Bhandarkhal garden in the Eastern wing of the palace. As a substitute to the idol of Jalasayana Narayana in Buddhanilkantha, he channeled water from Buddhanilkantha to the pond in Bhandarkhal due bestow authenticity. The Kalyadana, a manifestation of Lord Krishna destroying Kaliya, a water serpent, is placed in Kalindi Chok, which is adjacent to the Mohan Chok. The approximately ten feet high image of terrifyingly portrayed Kal Bhairav is placed near the Jagannath Temple. This image is the focus of worship in the chok especially during Durga Puja.

With the death of Pratap Malla in 1674, the overall emphasis on the importance of the square also came to a halt. His successors retained relatively insignificant power and the prevailing ministers took control of most of the royal rule. The ministers encountered little influence under these kings and, increasingly, interest of the arts and additions to the square was lost on them. They focused less on culture than Pratap Malla during the three decades that followed his death, steering the city and country more towards the arenas of politics and power, with only a few minor constructions made in the square. These projects included Parthivendra Malla building a temple referred to as Trailokya Mohan or Dasavatara, dedicated to Lord Vishnu in 1679. A large statue of Garuda, the mount of Lord Vishnu, was added in front of it a decade later. Parthivendra Malla also added a pillar with image of his family in front of the Taleju Temple.

Around 1692, Radhilasmi, the widowed queen of Pratap Malla, erected the tall temples of Shiva known as Maju Deval near the Garuda image in the square. This temple stands on nine stepped platforms and is one of the tallest buildings in the square. Then her son, Bhupalendra Malla, took the throne and banished the widowed queen to the hills. His death came early at the age of twenty one and his widowed queen, Bhuvanalaksmi, built a temple in the square known as Kageswara Mahadev. The temple was built in the Newari style and acted as a substitute for worship of a distant temple in the hills. After the earthquake in 1934, the temple was restored with a dome roof, which was alien to the Newari architecture.

Jayaprakash Malla, the last Malla king to rule Kathmandu, built a temple for Kumari, Durga in her virginal state. The temple was named Kumari Bahal and was structured like a typical Newari vihara. In his house resides the Kumari, an immature girl who is revered as the living goddess. He also made a chariot for Kumari and in the courtyard had detailed terra cotta tiles of that time laid down.

During the Shah dynasty that followed, the Kathmandu Durbar Square saw a number of changes. Two of the most unique temples in the square were built during this time. One is the Nautale, a nine storied building known as Vasantapur Durbar. It has four roofs and stands at the end of Nasal Chok at the East side of the palace. It is said that this building was set as a pleasure house. The lower three stories were made in the Newari farmhouse style. The upper floors have Newari style windows, sanjhya and tikijhya, and some of them are slightly projected from the wall. The other temple is annexed to the Vasantapur Durbar and has four-stories. This building was initially known as Vilasamandira, or Lohom Chok, but is now commonly known as Basantapur or Tejarat Chok. The lower floors of the Basantapur Chok display extensive woodcarvings and the roofs are made in popular the Mughal style. Archives state that Prthivi Narayan Shah built these two buildings in 1770.

Rana Bahadur Shah was enthroned at the age of two. Bahadur Shah, the second son of Prithivi Narayan Shah, ruled as a regent for his young nephew Rana Bahadur Shah for a close to a decade from 1785 to 1794 and built a temple of Shiva Parvati in the square. This one roofed temple is designed in the Newari style and is remarkably similar to previous temples built by the Mallas. It is rectangular in shape, and enshrines the Navadurga, a group of goddesses, on the ground floor. It has a wooden image of Shiva and Parvati at the window of the upper floor, looking out at the passersby in the square. Another significant donation made during the time of Rana Bahadur Shah is the metal-plated head of Swet Bhairav near the Degutale Temple. It was donated during the festival of Indra Jatra in 1795, and continues to play a major role during the festival every year. This approximately twelve feet high face of Bhairav is concealed behind a latticed wooden screen for the rest of the year. The following this donation Rana Bahadur donated a huge bronze bell as an offering to the Goddess Taleju. Together with the beating of the huge drums donated by his son Girvan Yudha, the bell was rung every day during the daily ritual worship to the goddess. Later these instruments were also used as an alarm system. However, after the death of his beloved third wife Kanimati Devi due to smallpox, Rana Bahadur Shah turned mad with grief and had many images of gods and goddesses smashed including the Taleju statue and bell, and Sitala, the goddess of smallpox.

In 1908, a palace, Gaddi Durbar, was built using European architectural designs. The Rana Prime Ministers who had taken over the power but not the throne of the country from the Shahs Kings from 1846 to 1951 were highly influenced by European styles. The Gaddi Durbar is covered in white plaster, has Greek columns and adjoins a large audience hall, all foreign features to Nepali architecture. The balconies of this durbar were reserved for the royal family during festivals to view the square below.

Time and again the temples and the palaces in the square have gone through reconstruction after being damaged by natural causes or neglect. Presently there are less than ten quadrangles in the square. The temples are being preserved as national heritage sites and the palace is being used as a museum. Only a few parts of the palace are open for visitors and the Taleju Temples are only open for people of Hindu and Buddhist faith.

Some of the parts of the square like the Hatti Chok near the Kumari Bahal in the Southern section of the square were removed during restoration after the devastating earthquake in 1934. While building the New Road, the Southeastern part of the palace was cleared away, leaving only fragments in places as reminders of their past. Though decreased from its original size and attractiveness from its earlier seventeenth century architecture, the Kathmandu Durbar Square still displays an ancient surrounding that spans abound five acres of land. It has palaces, temples, quadrangles, courtyards, ponds, and images that were brought together over three centuries of the Malla, the Shah, and the Rana dynasties

Most of the cultural centers of Nepal are concentrated around the Kathmandu Valley and from the point of view of art and architectural concentration, Kathmandu Valley could be considered as an open-sky museum. Among those cultural sites, the important one is the Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace. Centrally located royal palace in the capital city of Nepal is thus termed as the Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace because a Hanuman image in the entrance of the palace has been established by the King Pratap Malla in 1672 A.D. It also began to be called as Basantapur Durbar after the erection of nine storied temple residence by King Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1770/71. Thus the Palace complex is known as the Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace in the Malla period and the Basantapur Palace in the shah period respectively. What was the name of this palace before that period is not known although there existed some form of royal palace in the very site. There is still a paucity of historical documents about who established the palace. All the architectural remains and art objects which we see now within the palace complex are coming down from Malla, Shah and Rana periods of Nepal.

There are some references of royal palace in the same area during Lichhavi period also. A Lichhavi inscription of Sambat 535 (612/13 A.D.) from Joshi Deval which mentions about a royal palace with its four side boundaries (of inscription area) known as Dakshinrajkula. It gives the site to be located in the north east direction which definitely indicates area of the Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace of today. There is an additional evidence of the existence of a royal palace there. An inscription executed during the period of Amsuvarma (605 A.D.-621 A.D.) which mentions about the renovation of a Lichhavi royal palace. This is attached to the plinth of Degutalezu temple. There are also other cultural evidence which dates back to the antiquity of a royal palace. There is a tradition of bringing the image of Changu Narayana to the royal palace twice a year, in the month of Sravan (July-August) and Poush (December-January). It is proved that Changu Narayan is older than King Manadeva (464-505 A.D.). If the origin of Changu Narayana and custom of bringing him into the Hanuman Dhoka royal palace is contemporaneous, then there is no controversy about the hoary antiquity of Hanuman Dhoka royal palace. In addition to all those evidences, the icons found from the site also gives the proof that the site or royal palace is really old one.

Hanuman Dhoka royal palace is also designed as other royal palaces of Kathmandu Valley, with big courtyards, gardens and open spaces for the temples in which Gods and Goddesses reside. The temple styles comprised pagodas, sikharas and dome shaped architectures. The royal palace during medieval period was not erected merely for king and queens but also used as the centre of administration, and cultural activities and festivals. Hanuman Dhoka royal palace also comprised all these activities and thus the architectural buildings were also erected in order to meet those necessities.

All the monuments- historical buildings religious temples and shrines which are concentrated to -day in and around Hanuman Dhoka were not built in a day. They are the result of the donation by numerous patrons and builders in hundreds of years. They were erected from the time of King Ratna Malla (1484-1520 A.D.) to Prithvi Vir Bikrma Shah (1875-1911 A.D.) Ratna Malla, the second son of King Yakshya Mall, declared kantipur as an independent principality in 1484 and separated it from the clutches of Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur was then the capital of entire valley and patan was still to come into an independent state. There are some monuments still standing near Hanuman Dhoka royal palace which is the creation of Ratna Malla.

According to some chronicles, Ratna Malla had erected a small temple of Talezu near Tana Bahal. The Goddess Taleju is considered to be the tutelary deity of Malla dynasty. He had also constructed Hiti Chowk. Surya Malla and Amar Malla, the successors of Ratna Malla did not leave any meritorious works. Then comes the reign of Mahendra Malla who had contributed a lot to enhance the beauty of the Hanuman Dhoka. He enlarged the small temple of Talezu into a marvelous size and made the main courtyard- the Mul Chowk. All the rituals and ceremonies pertaining to the kings take place in this courtyard even to-day. Still there exists one of the oldest part of the Hanuman Dhoka. He also consecrated the icon of Mahendresvara and made the temple for him in 1561 A.D. In addition to that he had made a temple near the main entrance of royal palace and enshrined the image of Chatrumukhi Bishnu in it.

Another important royal personage was born in Malla Dynasty. He was King Pratap Malla (1641-1674 A.D.). His reign was marked by development such as literature, religion, culture, art and architecture. He was the fore runner in building activities among all the Malla kings in Kantipur. He was not only embellished the royal palace but also made a lot of temples and shrines in every nook and corner of kantipur city. In fact, it was the period, when most of the building activities in Kathmandu valley was in the height of progress. There was some sort of competition among three petty kingdoms in building and furnishing their royal palaces with temples and monuments. There was full scale development in the architecture of royal buildings. Also it was during his reign that the area of royal palace was extended. There was new addition of Sundari Chowk, Nasal Chowk and Bhandarkhal Royal Garden. Immediately after ascending the throne, he had erected the lion capital on a stone pillar in front of the Degu temple. He did the consecration of the image of Hanuman and Vishvaroopa in the royal entrance, erected the temple of Panchamukhi Hanuman in Nasal Chowk along with Narasingh image and golden Chaturmukha Bishnu. Krishna temple Kavindrapur and famous Kalabhairava image are other additions to the royal palace complex made by Pratap Malla. Besides royal palace, in Pasupati, Guhesvari and Swayambhu Nath area also he left his marks.

After Pratap Malla, Parthivendra Malla added another temple of Trailokyamohan in 1660 A.D. Similarly, the queen mother Riddhi Laxmi erected the high temple in front of royal palace dedicated to Shiva. The temple is called Maju Deval (the mother temple). Another queen mother Bhuvan Laxmi also added many temples to embellish the site between 1802-1810 A.D.

Jayaprakash Malla, last king of kantipur had added in 1756 A.D. a remarkable monument of Kumarighar, also called Kumari Bahal in which the living Goddess the kumari (the virgin) resides even to-day. The kumarighar is made in the architectural form of a Buddhist vihar and is decorated with the intricate wood carvings and terracotta art as well. The inner wall of the monument is further decorated with the freeze art of the day. The monument is called now with different names- Kumarighar,Kumari Vahal, Kumari Chowk, and Kumari Mandir. The site is equally important from cultural religious and architectural point of view.

In addition to all these monuments, another most important monument is the Kastha Mandapa which is located to south west of Hanuman Dhoka and was already in existence from 1142 A.D (NS 262). Although made in a temple architecture, its function is of a sattal type which serves as the shelter house for the Jogis the hermits. This monument carries another importance, since last few decades all the state dignitaries are honoured in this monument by handling over the key of the Kathmandu city by the city Mayor. The name of the Kathmandu city is derived from this monument which has enhanced the glory of this city.

After the conquest of Kantipur by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768 A.D. Kathmandu was declared the capital city of entire country. Prithvi Narayan Shah erected a tallest residential palace in the form of temple architecture and called it a Nautale Durbar (the nine storied palace) in 1770 A.D. It is the only residential pagoda style architecture in Nepal.

Although short reigned, the son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, King Pratap Singh Shah enlarged the temple of Basantapur and Vilas Mandir along with the courtyard occupied by them. Rana Bahadur Shah added the shrine of Sweta Bhairav and big bell and likewise Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah embellished the main entrance with gold gilding in 1810 A.D. Rajendra Bikram Shah renovated the Mul Chowk and Mohan Chowk in 1822 A.D. and paved the floor with flag stones two years earlier. Again next year Nasal Chowk was paved, along with the construction of Sish Mahal. Although enlarged, the architectural norms were not much altered during the renovations of those times.

But after the return of Prime Minister Jang Bahadur's visit from Great Britain in 1857 A.D. there was a new style of neo-classic buildings from Europe added to the architecture of Kathmandu Valley. From then onwards about fifty such neo-classical palaces were built in and around Kathmandu Valley for the Kings, Prime ministers and their relatives. Likewise, Chandra Shumser built the Gaddhi Vaithak in this style in 1907 A.D. removing some of the older buildings from there. This happened during the reign of King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah thus Ranas brought the change in palatial architecture and introduced the European style into Nepalese Architecture. Many parts added later on by the Ranas in Hanuman Dhoka royal complex are quite conspicuous.

During the survey conducted in 1830 the Hanuman Dhoka palace complex was shown quite bigger and wider than to-day. There were about thirty five courtyards and the people remember even to-day that the Hanuman Dhoka royal palace included the compound of present Super Market, Bhugol Park Nepal Bank building and the present New Road gate, as its limit. But the area of the present palace has shrinked and brought to its present shape due to many reasons, such as the major one being the devastation of the Great Earthquake of 1934, opening New Road and Indra Chowk still it is the biggest royal palace complex of the medieval period among all medieval royal palaces in Nepal. There are only ten courtyards left to-day with its boundary.

The Hanuman Dhoka royal palace is included in the protected Monument zone along with other private buildings. It is one of the sites which is included in the World Heritage list the map showing boundary line of the site included in the world heritage list is attached herewith.

It will not be an exaggeration to call the complex as the open museum of the Nepalese culture, art and architecture. One feels as if he/she is within a pilgrimage centre when one enters and ceremonies organized often in the palace complex adds to its cultural value even more. Actually these cultural activities architectural monuments and art piece in the form of icons images and statues have contributed its glory in the past, present and will enhance even in the future. No tourists visiting Nepal would miss this place.

In one way all those palace complexes are exhibiting its own glory and in other way- they are also the pride of our cultural heritage and the sign of national integrity as well. Therefore, it is our collective duty and responsibility now to preserve them and maintain the environment of those historical and cultural heritages.

Listing in the World Monument List:
This site had been listed in the World Monument List in the year 1979