Nepal day 3: Kathmandu. Durbar Square

Submitted by maria on Fri, 15/12/2023 - 11:47

Today we visit Kathmandu's Durbar Square and the Thamel district.

Durbar Square

We get up early to get the pulse of the city but we are wrong, although the sun rises at 6 am, Thamel does not wake up until 9 or 10 am, well the faithful devotees of the temples are making offerings first thing in the morning, but if you want to have breakfast it gets complicated.

It starts to rain and we go into the Little Buddha restaurant for breakfast. We hate to say it but we don't recommend it, it's an expensive and bad breakfast. We look for a shop with umbrellas and it costs us, finally we buy two for 1,000 rupees.

Shree Ghah Chaitya

We followed Lonely Planet's suggested two-kilometre itinerary from Thamel to Durbar Square, visiting other lesser-known temples in the city. As we have already mentioned, the Nepalese are very devout and almost on every corner there is a temple or a small altar to stop and observe.

Drugon Jangchu Monastery

Once in Durbar Square you have to pay an entrance fee of 1,000 rupees per person per day.

Tip. If you want to visit the square for more than one day and don't want to pay the entrance fee again, you have to go to the tourist office, located next to the Kumari Palace, with a photograph and your passport to get a card that gives you the possibility to visit the square as many days as you want during your stay in the country for the price of one day's entrance fee. At every exit from the square there is a guard who will ask you for it, so we recommend that you ask for it.

Mahendreshwor Temple

Durbar Square or Basantapur Darbar Square in Kathmandu is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley. Durbar means place of palaces and is located in the old city which was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake. Work is still going on to rebuild the temples and some of them have completely disappeared. Although all three squares were damaged, Bhaktapur square suffered the least damage.

You may be interested in Durbar Square in Patan and Durbar Square in Bhaktapur

Kathmandu's Durbar Square is an architectural gem with buildings dating back to the 11th century, an exponent of Newar architecture that showcases the wood carving skills of craftsmen over the centuries.

Kathmandu

This UNESCO World Heritage Site of temples and palaces is one of the few places in Kathmandu city where traffic is restricted, providing a small oasis from the noise and pollution.

If you arrive early in the morning (in this case at 8.30 am) or at sunset, you will have the opportunity to enjoy and observe how the most devout people make their offerings at the main temples. We were most impressed by the Mahendreshwor Temple, a Hindu temple located off the square next to the Taleju cafe, which has a terrace with a view. Most Hindu temples are off-limits to non-Hindus.

Mahendreshwor Temple

Velas de mantequilla

What temples you can see in Kathmandu's Durbar Square

Taleju Bhawani Temple, from the 16th century. As in most Hindu temples, entry is not permitted, although it is one of the most prominent.

Shiva Parvati Temple, 17th century.

Ashok Binayak, dedicated to Ganesha, the god of luck in Hinduism.

Maju Deval, this temple located opposite the Kathmandu Museum is one of the city's nerve centres.

Kumari Palace, where the Kumari Devi or living goddess lives.

Durbar Square

The Kumari is a girl chosen from among the shakia caste to temporarily reincarnate the goddess Taleju. Her role as a living goddess begins from the time she is chosen at the age of four or five until she reaches puberty, when she is replaced by another girl, as Kumari girls must have a pure heart, body and soul.

She lives in isolation from the rest of the population inside the palace from which she leaves once a year during the Indra Jatra festival.

Only Nepalis can visit her and worship her in her chambers, although once a day she looks out of her window and for a few seconds you can see her.

Kumari Palace

Tradition has it that it is bad luck for the Kumari to look at you and smile at you from the window. We were able to see her, she looked out for a few seconds at 11am. You can ask at the entrance to find out what time you can see her. You are not allowed to photograph or film it.

There is a lot of controversy about the Kumari and human rights. In the end, these girls live isolated from their families and other children, treated as divine beings for a few years and once their reign is over, they do not have enough training or education to start a new life, apart from the psychological damage they may suffer.

Gaddi Baithak

Very interesting is the book Himalaya by the Norwegian sociologist Erika Fatland, in which after a journey through the various lost kingdoms of the Himalayas, upon arriving in Nepal, she talks to some Kumaris about their lives once they return to society.

Durbar Square

Other temples of note in the square are the Saraswati Temple, Bhangwali Temple, the Great Bell, Shri Shri Shri Shri Mahayogi Gorakhnath with the image of Kaala Bhairava, Krishna Temple, Indrapur Temple, Kathmandu Museum, Jagannath Temple, Gaddi Baihak, or Swet Bhairav among others.

Kaal Bhairab

Swet Bhairav

For a break, another café-restaurant with a good view of Durbar Square is the Himalayan Java, where we had a coffee and a soft drink for 460 rupees.

Durbar Square

Garood Baahan

Outside Durbar Square, in the surrounding area, there are markets and plenty of lively temples to visit. We recommend you wander around the Surya Binayak area, down Paropakar Marg or Guna Kamdev Marga and stop at the dozens of temples you'll find. It's worth getting out of the centre and talking to the people.

Durbar Square

Kasthamandap

Nhu Ghah Jaisidewal Temple

Back at Durbar Square we explore the area to the north and then head back into Thamel. Don't miss Indra Chowk. This junction will drive you crazy, the traffic is unbearable but a visit to the Akash Bhairab temple is a must. Hundreds of butter candles along with a motorised jungle and stalls selling raw rice and yoghurt make this a very curious place.

Indra Chowk

Sale of rice pudding

This area of Thamel is full of shops, each street specialising in a particular type of product. If you are interested in spices, the best place to buy them is in front of the Annapurna Temple, in Asan Bazar.

Annapurna Temple

Asan Bazar

We are looking for a place to eat, Yala Cafe is an excellent place. In an alleyway you find this restaurant with a great inner courtyard. The food is very tasty. We ordered vegetable soup and vegetable momos with a soft drink and water for 710 rupees.

Momos

At 17.30 we return to our hotel because Obin from the agency is coming to pay for the rest of the trek. Dipendra is out of the country and we cannot meet him in person. He is very kind and punctual. We chat about the trek and the country and he tells us that he is waiting for us at the airport tomorrow.