Bhaktapur Attractions

For Bhaktapur the trade route was both arterial link and major source of wealth. Its relative remoteness allowed the city to develop independently and in ways which distinguish it from the other two. With farmers - some of the best in the Valley - numbered heavily (60 per cent) among its inhabitants, the city is self-supporting.

The traditional pattern of Newari urban life survives almost intact in Bhaktapur, and not without reason is it known as the "city of believers". In contrast to Patan and Kathmandu, the population of Bhaktapur is almost entirely Hindu. The rich Newari culture with its distinctive customs and traditions, already fast disappearing in so many places, clearly finds sustenance here. The Newari dialect is widely spoken and many of the older generation still do not know Nepalese. Almost only day tourists visit Bhaktapur, therefore the city profits little from tourism. The inner city has been closed to traffic and a charge of 5 U.S. dollars is made to enter.

With so many of its population directly dependent on the land, Bhaktapur has always retained a more rural character than the larger, more urbanized Kathmandu and Patan. Neither the Shahs nor the Ranas made any great effort to modernize it. As a result both the architectural fabric and social structure have to a large extent been preserved. Most of the changes wrought on the city have been caused by the periodic earthquakes (in 1934 70 per cent of its houses were damaged). Few buildings more than 170 years old survive. Bhaktapur's temples have all been rebuilt, some of them several times.

Bhaktapur is thought to have originated with the merging of a number of settlements which had grown up in the range of hills along the trade route to Tibet. These communities probably date from the 3rd c. This was the time when people first began to irrigate the land in preparation for agriculture. Several 6th c. inscriptions refer to the nucleus of settlement as being in the Bhaktapur area.

The best place from which to begin a tour of the city is Durbar Square where, in addition to the royal palace, several temples are also situated. From Durbar Square a small alleyway at the south-east corner leads to Taumadhi Tole and the Nyapotala and Bhairava temples. The little pagoda in the center of the square contains a restaurant, a comfortable place from which to watch the bustle outside. From Taumadhi Tole a detour can be made to the Hanumante embankments and potters' quarter. Bazaar Street, an ancient thoroughfare with innumerable fascinating little shops and tea stalls, leads to Tachupal Tole, the original center and oldest part of Bhaktapur. Here, walking around the Upper Town, the visitor will find a plethora of temples, shrines, cisterns and fountains and catch an intriguing glimpse of Nepalese life much of which is played out on the streets and in the squares.