Where do travelers go when they come to London or Moscow for the first time? Of course, they go to the most famous squares of Great Britain and Russia, since visiting these countries and not walking across Trafalgar or Red Square would be an unforgivable mistake. When tourists go to travel around mysterious Nepal, they also strive to visit one of its main squares – the famous square of Durbar, which is located in the capital of Kathmandu.
The history of the construction of the palaces, temples and other significant constructions on the royal square is rooted in the 3rd century AD. Unfortunately, since then, as a result of numerous deconstructions and reconstructions, no buildings have survived. The most ancient temple, built in 1564, is the temple of Taleju. According to local legend, one of the kings of the Malla dynasty had a vision that the Hindu goddess wants to build a temple on the territory of Kathmandu. Soon the three-story construction was finished, and the satisfied goddess flew inside in the form of a sacred bee.
Another Hindu temple – Sri Bhagavati –, which is more famous among locals as the temple of Narayana, was built at the beginning of the 18th century. An idol of Narayana, which was stolen from the shrine, was substituted by an image of Bhagavati. After some time the name of the temple was also changed.
In total, on the territory of the square, there are more than 50 ancient temples and various architectural monuments. The main landmark is a royal palace called Hanuman Dhoka, where the coronation of all the Nepal kings was organized. From this place, they ruled their kingdom for many years. Currently, the palace square of Kathmandu is still a place for organizing all the important events of the modern republic. Huge flocks of pigeons became its hallmark. In this place, you can wander among ancient buildings for hours and examine finely carved details or go up to the highest layer of the temple of Maju Deval and enjoy the fairy-tale view of the whole square.