Patan Museum becoming central attraction of the town

Patan Museum has become a primary attraction for tourists in Patan(Lalitpur). Patan Museum, located inside the Patan Durbar Square has been gaining gradual growth in inflow of tourists.

This year on November, Patan hosted International festival Photography, Photo Kathmandu for the very first time in Nepal. In addition to that, many of the annual Jazzmandu concerts and Film South Asia Festival of documentaries were also organized by Patan.

Patan has emerged in the past few months. Patan is not just a day trip for tourists but has turned up as a place with a rich cultural event calendar, classy new pensions and cafes that have made it a destination in its own right.

However, off late the major attraction of Patan Durbar Square is, the Patan Museum. Patan Museum is abundant with its priceless collection of Hindu, Buddhist and Tantric artefacts all housed within the grounds of Keshav Narayan Chowk: the residential palace of the Malla kings. The museum added Mul chowk and Sundari Chowk courtyard within the grounds of Keshav Narayan Complex earlier this year.

The monuments of Lalitpur were strengthened during the rebuilding works by Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust(KVPT) and thus remained unaffected by the earthquake. However, the monuments situated in the eastern wing of Sundari Chowk were in the process of renovation and were collapsed due to the earthquake in Nepal.

Each and every section of the Museum comprises of different galleries depicting certain aspects of Buddhist and Hindu heritage of Nepal. The museum as a whole is a collection of historic buildings that are itself museum pieces. The galleries showcase the history of Buddhism, , an explanation of Tantrism as well as the various manifestations of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu.

Visitors can now access the newly opened Mulchowk courtyard after the renovation. The Mulchowk courtyard boasts the radiant Yantaju Shrine as well as the Sundari Chowk showcasing the ornate details of the immaculately carved 16th century Tusha Hiti Step Well. Along with these , the courtyard also exhibits KVPT’S own exhibition describing the the restoration and an architecture gallery which gives you insights about the building principles of Kathmandu Valley monuments. After the re-building and renovation, the royal garden of Patan Palace with the exquisitely restored Bhandarkhal Tank with views of the Taleju Temple is also accessible.

The primary objective of the museum is the understanding and interpretation of sacred art, culture and iconography of Hinduism and Buddhism through preservation and exhibition’.

The recovery process of Bhai Dega Temple started on 26 February, 2015. The original three-tiered Shiva temple which was built in 1678 collapsed in the 1934 earthquake, and had been hastily rebuilt in a mughal dome style. KVPT (Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust) has taken full responsibility of reconstruction of these heritages in Patan.

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