Mahaboudha Temple, (5-10 minutes walking distance from Durbar Square). This is a a stone temple covered with terracotta tiles, which include 1008 Budha images. It was modelled on a larger temple in Bodhgaya, India and took one family four generations to complete �
Rudravarna Mahavihar (also known as Uku Bahal). A gem of a temple close to Mahaboudha, but much less visited. One of the oldest temples in the Kathmandu Valley with some strange and interesting statues.
Machchhendranath temple. This is a good illustration of the problems now faced with theft of artifacts. The temple is now surrounded by a strong fence and each statue has its own individual fence. Statues are missing from two stands, suggesting that the temple has already fallen victim. Machchhendranath also gives his name to an annual festival when a 25 meter tall "chariot" is paraded through Patan. If you note all the wires and cables across the streets at levels much lower than 25m. you can realise what a complicated exercise this is. The parade takes place between April and June, with the chariot staying the night at different locations. The end of the parade is supposed to coincide with the onset of the monsoon rains. The wheels of the chariot are over 2m in diameter. For the rest of the year these can be seen in the building next to the Ashok Stupa (see below).
North of Durbar Square
A view of the Golden Temple in Patan.
Golden Temple (Hiranayavarna Makavikar). An enormous number of gold- and silver-covered decorations and some excellent bronze statues make this well worth being the only temple in Patan you have to pay to enter. Construction goes back to the early 1400s, although some pieces pre-date construction.Admission Rs 50. �
Kumbheshwar Temple. One of the two five-story pagoda temples of the Valley. The sunken basin is usually empty but around August is filled for the Kumbheshwar Mela full moon day festival. At this time the temple becomes packed. Sheep roaming the temple are those that have been spared sacrifice.
Elsewhere
Ashok Stupa. Old Patan can be reached by turning left off the main road from Kathmandu after the Himalaya hotel or by continuing on the main road to Pulchowk and then turning left. Immediately after the pedestrian bridge at Pulchowk is the old Buddhist stupa of Ashok. Next to that is the building where the structure of the Machchhendranath chariot is kept when not being used,
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Patan
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Patan - updated May 2024
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Patan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
