The stupas
Stupa are Buddhist shrines and places of devotion, the term comes from Sanskrit and means reliquary. Originally, it is a dome-shaped burial mound or funerary mountain topped by an arrow, containing the relics of Buddha or a holy man, built of brick, stone or earth. Devotees perform circular processions by turning in the solar direction around the stupa. Visits to the Bodnath and Swayambhunath stupa are a must. Large and particularly majestic, they stand out from their Southeast Asian cousins.
The Darbâr squares: Newar treasures of the Kathmandu valley
Kathmandu, Patan (Lalitpur) and Bhaktapur, the fortified capitals of the Malla kings, were all designed along the same lines. Divided into blocks and quarters, each has its own palaces and temples with ponds and fountains, as well as an administrative and political centre bounded by the residence of the sovereign. The oldest palaces are located in their Darbâr (or Durbar, which means "royal audience") squares. Basantapur Darbâr Kshetra (Kathmandu), Bhaktapur Durbar Kshetra and Patan Durbar are all part of the UNESCO World Heritage. They are home to the palaces of Kings Malla and Shah, who ruled the valley from the 13th to the 18th century and from the 18th century to 2008 respectively. The plan of the Darbâr squares follows a skillfully arranged geometrical construction. The main temples are located to the west of the palace and their entrances face east towards the palace. These squares with their red brick tiled floors are true wonders of Newar architecture.
Hanuman Dhoka (which means Hanuman Gate), named after the statue of the sacred monkey that stands at the entrance, is a famous complex of royal palaces on Kathmandu's Dârbar Square. It includes the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Museum. Singha Durbar, the Lion Palace, the official seat of the Nepalese government, is the largest palace in Asia. Thirteen kilometres east of Kathmandu is Bhaktapur Durbar Square, one of the most visited places in the country. Its palace has fifty-five windows which give it its name: "The palace with fifty-five windows".An example of neo-traditional architecture
Right in the centre of Kathmandu is the Narayanhiti Palace Museum. It was built by King Mahendra in 1961 as his residence, and designed by the American architect Benjamin Polk (1916-2001). After the revolution in 2006, the palace was transformed into a public museum. Its pink spire dominates the surrounding landscape. One of its particularities is its pagoda cut out of a large vertical glass roof. A curious mix of traditional architecture and modernism, this massive building was the scene of a tragedy: the massacre of the royal family took place there in 2001. The massacre was probably perpetrated by King Birendra's brother, Gyanendra, in order to accede to the throne.
