Fourth day in Nepal

Bhaktapur, meaning the city of devotees, was founded by King Ananda Dev in 1197 AD.

The Durbar Square was the seat of the Malla Kings and the present structures were erected from the 12th to the 18th century AD.

A religious center, Bhaktapur was founded in 12th cent. by King Ananda Malla as Khwopa, the capital of the Newar Malla kingdom.

It was built in Shikhara style by Jaya Ranajit Malla in the 17th century AD. The temple is dedicated to the mother goddess Durga.

This temple of Bhairav- the ferocious form of Shiva- was first built by Jagat Jyoti Malla as a one storied temple and later king Bhupatindra Malla added two more stories to it in 1718 AD. The legend says that Vishwanath, a manifestation of Shiva, once visited Bhaktapur to observe Bisket Jatra and when the locals recognize him they beheaded him in order to retain him permanently in the temple.

The temple was founded by king Bhupatindra Malla in 1702 AD. Nyatapola in Newari means five-tiered temple symbolizing the five basic elements of Nature.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Siddhi Laxmi- a Tantric deity representing the most powerful female force. Legend goes that the temple was built by the king on the advice of the astrologers to please god Bhairav and maintain a harmonious balance between male and female principles.

The temple stands above five plinths and rises 30m above the top plinth. Pairs of statues of animals and men flank the stairway. It is believed that every pair of guardians is ten times more powerful than pair immediately below.