Bhaktapur Durbar Square
Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a former royal palace complex located in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It housed the Malla kings of Nepal from 14th to 15th century and the kings of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur from 15th to late 18th century until the kingdom was conquered in 1769. Today, this square is recognised by UNESCO, managed jointly by the Archeological Department of Nepal and Bhaktapur Municipality, and is undergoing extensive restoration due to the damages from the earthquake in 1934 and the recent earthquake of 2015.
The Durbar Square is a generic name for the Malla palace square and can be found in Kathmandu and Patan as well. The one in Bhaktapur was considered the biggest and the grandest among the three during its independency but now many of the buildings that once occupied the square has been lost to the frequent earthquakes. During its height, Bhaktapur Durbar Square contained 99 courtyards but today hardly 15 of these courtyards remain. The square has lost most of its buildings and courtyards to frequent earthquakes, particularly those in 1833 and 1934 and only a few of the damaged buildings were restored.
Etymology
The term Lāyakū is used to refer to any of the Malla dynasty palace or palace square. In order to differentiate it from the palace square of other cities, the name khwopa, the Newar name of Bhaktapur is prefixed. The term Lyākū originates from the Sanskrit word rājakula, meaning "royal palace". Today, the term Bhaktapur Durbar Square and its Nepali translation is also widely used.Layout
The Durbar Square of Bhaktapur once fortified and occupied a very large area. After, Bhaktapur was defeated by the Gorkhali forces, the palace square fell into disrepair and the earthquakes of 1833 and 1934 reduced the square to its present size. The former palace ground have been used as government offices, schools and private houses. Like the ones of Kathmandu and Patan, Bhaktapur Durbar Square contains various temples, palaces and courtyards all of which were built in the traditional Nepalese architecture.In general, the Durbar Square is divided into three parts based on its location: Kvathū Lyākū, literally meaning 'lower part of the royal palace' in Nepal Bhasa, the Kvathū Lyākū is the westermost part of the palace and is bounded by the Khaumā district in the west and the Vyāsi district in the north. This part contains the Lyākū Dhvākhā gate, the ruins of Basantapūra and Chaukota palace and a replica of the Char Dham of India.
Dathū Lyākū, literally means 'middle palace' and contains the principal buildings and temples of the square. This part contains the two main royal palaces, the Luṁ dhvākā which servers as the main entrance to the inner courtyards of the palace and a few temples. The final part of the palace square is Thanthū Lyākū, literally meaning 'upper palace', it is the least preserved of the three parts as the former palaces and temples after being destroyed by an earthquake in 1833 has been replaced with government offices, schools and even residential buildings.
Monuments
Following are a brief introduction of the palaces, temples and other historical monuments located in the square, starting from the westernmost parts:Statues of Ugrachandi and Ugrabhairava
They are situated on the westernmost part of the square, beside two large stone statues of guardian lions. They are placed on the entrance to the now lost Basantapūra palace The statue on the left depicts Ugrachandi, a fierce manifestation of Chandi, who herself is the fierce manifestation of Parvati while the statue on the right depicts Ugrabhairava, a fierce manifestation of Bhairava, who is a fierce manifestation of Shiva. Today, these statues are a tourist attraction in Bhaktapur and the local government describes them as "a masterpieces of the medieval period".They were commissioned by Bhupatindra Malla and based on the inscription on it pedestal, installed on the Akshaya Tritiya of 1706. Recently, a hoax has surfaced about these statues which says that Bhupatindra Malla had cut off the hands of the artisan who carved the statue of Devi so that he may not replicate it in Kantipur or Lalitpur and then he went on and carved the Bhairava statue with his feet after which his feet was also cut off. While it was true that there was a fierce competition between the three cities, there are no historical records of the artisan's hand being cut off. It is likely that these statues were carved by a group led by Tulasi Lohankarmi who just a year before carved a ten foot statue of Devi for the Nyatapola temple. For his work, Tulasi was rewarded with a tola of gold along with his wage when the temple was inaugurated.
Char Dham and the Krishna temple
The replica of the Char Dham of India was commissioned by Yaksha Malla in the 15th century with the intention of giving old, weak and handicapped citizens the satisfaction of worship the Char Dham without having to go on a pilgrimage to these sites. The temples within the Char Dham includes terracotta temple of Kedarnath and Badrinanth, domed temple of Ramesvar and Nepalese pagoda styled temple of Jagannath. Among these the Jagannath temple was the largest and was destroyed in the earthquake of 1833 after which a shed like structure was built. It is presently being restored to its original architecture. In 1667, the Gopinath Krishna temple was consecrated in the Nepalese style akin to the Dwarkadhish Temple which replaces Kedarnath as one of the Char Dham in Indian traditions. Similarly, all five of these temples were restored in the 18th century by Bhupatindra Malla to its present state. It is believed that each of the four temples stood on the direction of the four corners of the roof of the Gopinath Krishna temple. While it is true for three of the temples, the domed temple of Ramesvar is joined with the floor plan of the Jagannath temple, although it is said to be the product of renovation works in 1856.Nhēkanjhya Lyākū palace
The name of this palace, Nhēkanjhya Lyākū is derived from a lattice window which had a glass pane placed in it. The window, which has been lost today was placed by Bhupatindra Malla with the intention of exhibiting a glass pane which he had received as a gift from a Mughal emperor. The palace is also known by other names such as Simhādhwākhā Lyākū , named after the two large statues of guardian lions and Mālatīcuka Lyākū after the name of the courtyard north of the palace.It was the main residence of the royals of Bhaktapur. The construction of the palace was completed in 1698 during the reign of Bhupatindra Malla. The current façade of the palace dates from 1856 when the eastern part of the palace was demolished by Dhir Shumsher Rana, who after a trip to Britain, commissioned a British style building named "Lāl Baithak" in its place. The western half of the palace was also altered to some degree in 1856, as although the interiors were built in a British style, the outer façade still retained some of the old Newar windows including the old palace's namesake lattice window. The earthquake of 1934 destroyed the western half of the palace and its namesake window, including the glass pane and after the earthquake it was haphazardly reconstructed in its present form.
It is very likely that the 1698 form of the palace was a remodeled version of a previously existing palace which was probably damaged by an earthquake in 1681. The namesake of the palace, the lattice window with a glass pane was placed right above the main portal on the second floor. Glass was considered extremely rare in Nepal, even till the first half of the 20th century and the glass pane was kept by Bhupatindra Malla to exhibit it to the locals. This window has often been dubbed as the first use of glass pane on a window in Nepal. Both the glass piece and the window itself were lost after the earthquake of 1934 destroyed the palace.
There are two large stone images of Narasimha and Hanuman beside the two large stone lions on the either side of the main portal to the interior of the palace. An inscription in the pedestal of these statues dates them to 9 February 1698 and attributes them to Bhupatindra Malla and his uncle Ugra Malla. Bhupatindra Malla and Ugra Malla set up guthi and gave it the job of washing these statues with ghee six times a year on the dates mentioned in the inscription.
Behind the palace is a courtyard named, Mālati chuk which is one of the few remaining of the 99 courtyards of the royal palace. The courtyard is noted for a set of stone inscription set up by Bhupatindra Malla and his father Jitamitra Malla which contains short descriptions of the festivals celebrated in Bhaktapur. The courtyard once housed a golden water spout as well but it has been stolen. This hiti was also placed by Bhupatindra Malla along with gilt copper statues of Hindu deities. Unfortunately, the sculpture decorating the courtyard has been stolen as well. Bhupatindra Malla also built a single-storey temple with a gold-plated roof in the courtyard which was destroyed during the earthquake of 1934 and was not reconstructed. There was also a large relief of Barahi and two other goddesses placed in the courtyard but was shifted to one of the restricted courtyards in 1957.