Bhaktapur, known locally as Khwopa and historically called Bhadgaon, is a city in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal located about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the capital city, Kathmandu. Bhaktapur is the smallest city of Nepal as well as the most densely populated. Along with Kathmandu and Lalitpur, Bhaktapur is one of the three main cities of the Kathmandu Valley and is a major Newar settlement of the country. The city is also known for its Newar tradition, cuisine and artisans. Bhaktapur suffered heavy damage in the April 2015 earthquake.
Kirtipur is a Municipality and an ancient city of Nepal. The Newars are the natives of Kipoo (Kirtipur). It is located in the Kathmandu Valley 5 km south-west of the city of Kathmandu. It is one of the five dense municipalities in the valley, the others being Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi. It is one of the most famous and religious places to visit. Many people visit this place not only for its natural environment but also to visit temples. The city was listed as a UNESCO tentative site in 2008.
Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced the Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newar people. Buddhism is Nepal's second-largest religion, with 8.2% of the country's population, or approximately 2.4 million people, identifying as adherents of Buddhism in a 2021 census.
The Kathmandu Valley, also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley, National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. It lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of the Indian subcontinent and the broader Asian continent, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. The valley holds seven World Heritage Sites within it.
Naga Panchami is a day of traditional worship of nagas or snakes observed by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists throughout India & Nepal, and other countries where Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist adherents live. The worship is offered on the fifth day of bright half of lunar month of Shravana (July/August), according to the Hindu calendar. Some Indian states, such as Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat, celebrate Naga Panchami on the dark half of the same month. As part of the festivities, a Naga or serpent deity made of silver, stone, wood, or a painting is given a reverential bath with milk and their blessings are sought for the welfare of the family. Live snakes, especially cobras, are also worshipped on this day, especially with offerings of milk and generally with the assistance of a snake charmer.
Bhaktapur District located in the eastern part of Kathmandu valley, is the smallest among Nepal's 77 districts. It is part of Bagmati Province. Bhaktapur District Post Office is 44800. The district, with Bhaktapur as its district headquarters, covers an area of 119 km2 (46 sq mi) and in 2011 had a population of 304,651 of whom 9,701 people were absent.
The Malla dynasty also known as the Malla confederacy, was the ruling dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal from 1201 to 1779. This dynasty was founded by Arideva Malla. Though the latter Mallas were regarded as belonging to the Raghuvamsha dynasty, they were also seen as continuations and descendants of the Licchavi dynasty. Later Malla kings also traced one section of their lineage from Nanyadeva, the founder of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila. The term malla means wrestler in Sanskrit. The first use of the word malla in the Kathmandu Valley began in 1201.
The Pashupatinath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a form of Shiva. It is located in Kathmandu, Nepal near the Bagmati River. The temple was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river", and is one of seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley. The temple, considered one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Hindus, is built on an area of 246 hectares and includes 518 mini-temples and a main pagoda house.
Durbar Square or royal Squares in English, is the generic name that refers to the plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal. The name comes from Persian دربار (Darbar). The durbar squares are full of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and much more. Before the Unification of Nepal, Nepal consisted of smaller independent kingdoms, and Durbar Squares are some prominent remnants of those old kingdoms in Nepal. There are three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, belonging to the three Newar kingdoms who were situated there before unification, are most famous: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. All three of these landmarks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.These sites had received significant damage due to the devastating earthquake of 2015 but most structures still remain or were reconstructed.
Bhupatindra Malla was a Malla Dynasty King of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur who reigned from 1696 until his death in 1722. He is the most widely known king of Bhaktapur and is among the most popular of the Malla dynasty. He is popularly known in Bhaktapur as nepaḥ juju, meaning the king of the Newars. His reign was characterized by the construction of numerous palaces and temples with the Nyatapola temple being his most revered contribution. An integral part of the local folklore, Bhupatindra Malla is regarded as a great builder and a lover of arts whose reign is considered the cultural high point of Bhaktapur. In particular, he was a scholar of the Maithili language and composed 26 plays in Maithili throughout his lifetime.
Hanuman Dhoka is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square of central Kathmandu, Nepal.The Hanuman Dhoka Palace gets its name from the stone image of Hanuman, the Hindu deity, that sits near the main entryway. 'Dhoka' means door or gate in Nepali. The buildings were severely damaged in the 2015 earthquake.
The architectural heritage of Kathmandu city is integral to that of the Kathmandu valley since all monuments have evolved over centuries of craftsmanship influenced by Hindu and Buddhist religious practices. The architectural treasure of the Kathmandu valley has been categorized under the well known seven groups of heritage monuments and buildings. In 2006, UNESCO declared these seven groups of monuments as a World Heritage Site (WHS). The seven monuments zones cover an area of 188.95 hectares, with the buffer zone extending to 239.34 hectares. The Seven Monument Zones (Mzs) inscribed originally in 1979 with a minor modification in inscribed year as 2006, are: Five monuments in Kathmandu – Durbar square of Hanuman Dhoka, Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changunarayan, the Buddha stupas of Swayambu and Boudhanath; and two monuments outside Kathmandu city limits, in the satellite towns of Patan and Bhktapur – Durbar square at Patan, Durbar square at Bhaktapur. Brief details of the five Kathmandu city monuments are elaborated here.
Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a former royal palace complex located in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It housed the Malla kings of Nepal from 14th to 15th century and the kings of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur from 15th to late 18th century until the kingdom was conquered in 1769. Today, this square is recognised by UNESCO, managed jointly by the Archeological Department of Nepal and Bhaktapur Municipality, and is undergoing extensive restoration due to the damages from the earthquake in 1934 and the recent earthquake of 2015.
Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attractions is the medieval royal palace where the Malla Kings of Lalitpur resided.
Rajopadhyaya also called Newari Brahmin is the main division of Newar Brahmins in Nepal. The Rajopadhyayas claim to be originated in Kānyakubja or modern day Kannauj, in the north of India, a city with a prestigious history from where the Bahuns also claim to come. They along with Bahuns claim to be sub-division of Kānyakubja Brāhmins.
Budhanilkantha Temple, located in Budhanilkantha, Nepal, is a Hindu open air temple dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu. Budhanilkantha Temple is also known as the Narayanthan Temple for Hindus, and can be identified by a large reclining statue of Lord Mahavishnu. However In the Buddhist community, the term "Buddhanilkantha" refers to one of the various manifestations of Avalokiteshvara. The name means "Blue-Throated Buddha."
Stone inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley refer to ancient stone slabs, pillars and pedestals with text carved on them. They are the most important sources for the history of Nepal. A vast majority of the inscriptions found in Nepal are from the Kathmandu Valley where they are an ubiquitous element at heritage sites. They consist of royal edicts and dedicatory notes on Hindu and Buddhist temples, stupas, statues, water spouts and other architectural structures. Stone inscriptions are locally referred as Lōhan Pau.
The sculpture of Nepal is best known for small religious figures and ritual objects in bronze or copper alloy, but also has other strengths. The Newar people of Nepal had a long-lasting specialism in casting small bronze figures, mostly religious and especially Buddhist, considerable numbers of which were exported to India and Tibet over many centuries.
Koteshwor Mahadevsthan is one of the holy places of Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone. It lies in Koteshwor, Kathmandu, Ward No. 32 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. This place is popularly known as Koteshwor Mahadevsthan, and the Shiva lingam here is believed to have appeared divinely. But there are no written scriptures about the exact date of its appearance. This temple also has another name: Kotinath. According to a popular legend, the Shiva Lingam here is believed to be one of the 64 sacred Shiva Lingams.
The Statue of Lakshmi-Narayana is a historic Vaikuntha Kamalaja murti (statue) that composites the androgynous form of the Hindu god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. The statue dates back to the 10th to 15th century and it was originally located in Patan, Nepal. The statue had been worshipped for 800 years until it was stolen in 1984 and ended up at the Dallas Museum of Art in the United States, before being returned to Nepal 37 years later on 5 March 2021. On December 5, 2021 statue is reinstated in Narayan temple, Patan lalitpur
