LALITPUR

Lalitpur is the district headquarter of Lalitpur district at a distance of 5 km. from Kathmandu. Malla kings ruled, lived and worshipped in Lalitpur. The Patan Durbar Square is a study of the various style of architecture that have made their homes in this courtyard. If there were any truth in the story that King Ashoka erected the four stupas next to the palace, it would make Patan the oldest existing Buddhist city. There is little demarcation, with the traffic flowing from the streets of Kathmandu across the Bagmati Bridge into the industrial areas of Patan. But once you step into Darbar Square, you move into another world.
The Royal Palace is made up of three choks (courtyards). The gate to the oldest, Mul Chok, is guarded by twostone lions. To th south of Mul Chok lies Sundari Chok and a recessed bath called Tusha Hiti. Stone Nagas, the delicately carved figures that adorn the side of the bath are stunning in their detail and in quality of their craftsmanship. Originally, eight miniature statues of the Ashta Matrikas earth mother goddesses, Bhairava and Nagas (serpants) were varved; some are missing today. Finally, a gilded stone spout feeds water into the bath.
One of the most beautiful temples in the country and generally regarded as a masterpiece of architecture, the Krishna Mandir is built entirely of limestone and is the legacy of the King Siddhi Narsimha Malla, who regned for 41 years in the 17th century. In 1682, the king's son, ShriNivasa Malla, restored the undated Bhimsen temple after it was damaged by fire. Since then it has been restored once more, following the 1934 earthquake.
King Prithvi Narayan Shah swept into the Valley in 1768 to oust the Mallas, the 14th century Royal Palace was badly damaged. However, its ornate gates, delicately-carved struts, statues, open courtyards and many rooms, conference halls, sleeping Chambers, kitchens and so forth recall the glory of Malla architectural splendour.