Nepal Travel Guide
Sightseeings in Nepal
Nepal Visitor Guide
Patan
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Patan Introduction
Sightseeings in Patan
Patan Museum
Patan's Kumari
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Patan Museum and its sustainability
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Patan
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Patan Museum
Patan is honoured as one of the three old cities of Nepal. There is little historical evidence, which sheds light on its antiquity. Some chronicles mention Emperor Ashoka's visit to the Valley in 250 BC and the erection of the five Ashoka Stupas, four of them in the four cardinal directions and one in the middle of Patan city. Patan developed into a melting pot of art, architecture and culture and is thus called "City of Fine Arts". Patan Durbar Square situated in the heart of the city, attracts visitors to this city.

The square is adorned with a magnificent ancient palace, various temples and shrines in different styles, art work and architectural monuments, illustrating the skill of ancient hands on stone, metal and wood.

Patan Durbar square consists of three main Chowks or Courtyards, the central Mulchowk, Sundari Chowk, and Keshav Narayan Chowk. Keshav Narayan Chowk was famous under the name of Chaukawath Durbar.

The ultimate result is a self sustaining, world-class museum that attracts 40,000 visitors a year or 5 percent of the total number of tourists visiting Nepal. It has been acclaimed around the world and its growing popularity guarantees its sustainability in future. A decaying old building has gained a new life with the preservation of ancient arts and cultural. It will certainly be Nepal's pride for the coming generations.

Almost all the historical documents mention Chaukawath Durbar. The local people are of the opinion that before the construction of Chaukwath Durbar a monastery called Ratnakara Mahavihar occupied the site. Once a year, a square copper vessel is placed in front of the gate. It contains an image of the Akshoby Buddha emerged in water. For a whole month, this image is worshipped in a public ritual recalling the ancient sanctity of the spot at the edge of a stream. However, its normal home is an old residential court of Patan Durbar, one of the royal palaces of the former Malla kings who ruled over the Valley.

The massive earthquake in 1934 caused terrible damage to the palace. It was restored with the joint efforts of His Majesty's Government and the Austrian Government. Some modern elements were added to the building, as part of the renovation and the result is a beautiful blend of old and new architecture.

Only new feature added is a pair of bronze plaques flanking the gate. They were made through the traditional 'lost wax' casting process. The interior of the museum has been beautifully restored with dramatic lighting and spotlights. Restoration of Patan's former royal palace and it's adaptation to a museum occurred in the period 1983-1997. The project began with the restoration of the most endangered wing of Keshav Narayan Chowk. Over the years, all parts of the palace premises were included in the conservation and reconstruction programme with an additional wing converting the whole into a museum of international standard for the permanent exhibition of the ancient art of Nepal. Completed at a total cost of 2.7 million US$ and established as a semi -autonomous and self -sustaining cultural institution, the museum was inaugurated by His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on October 28, 1997.

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Main feature of the museum

The main feature of the museum is an outstanding collection of cast bronze and gilt copper Hindu and Buddhist deities, mostly created in the valley, many in nearby workshops Patan itself. Others originated in India, Tibet and the western Himalayas. Mary Slusser, one of the leading experts on the cultural history of Nepal, was involved in the museum project for several years. She studies the existing collection of more than 1,500 objects, selected fewer than 200 of them to be put on permanent display and advised on the acquisition of additional exhibits.

The 9 galleries of the Museum

This museum contains 9 galleries. The ground floor arcade and the main staircase play a vital role in attracting visitors.

Gallery 'A'
The small gallery 'A' illustrates how to recognize Hindu and Buddhist deities by a combination of symbolic features such as how they sit or stand, how they hold their hands and what they hold in them, what ornaments and dresses they wear, who and what accompanies them, and various associated animals, birds and other beings known as mounts or vehicles such as the humanized bird Garuda which accompanies Vishnu and the bull Nandi, Shiva's mount.

Gallery 'B'
Similarly, Gallery 'B' is devoted to Hinduism. The Gallery introduces and presents, various manifestations of the great god Shiva, his consort Parvati, and the familiar Ganesh. In addition, the stolen 12th century stone, Uma Maheshor, returned from the Berlin Museum is a big draw.

Gallery 'C'
There are also various images and artifacts of Vishnu. Some show him with his consort Laxmi and some with Garuda in gallery 'C'. The image of a fluting Vishnu on Garuda is very nice to see in this gallery. A rare, ivory-handled bronze mirror and other ivory objects are magnificent examples of ivory carving. A gilded throne with inscriptions of the former Malla Kings of Patan is also a most important object. Similarly, a painting of Krishna Lila from the 17th century is notable.

Gallery 'E'
Gallery 'E' devoted to Buddhism is the other gallery that has been drawing in most of the Buddhist visitors. This gallery introduces the genesis and evolution of the various schools of Buddhism. There are various Buddhist images on display, including a group of rare 11th & 12th century bronzes originated in India. The major attractions are the images of Sakyamuni Buddha, 12th century, Dipankar Buddha 17-18th, and a large-scale model of Bodnath.

Gallery 'F'
The emphasis in gallery 'F' is on the Buddha and Chaityas. This gallery concentrates on the spiritual guides who in many forms, peaceful, fierce and ostensibly erotic, lead humans to salvation and Buddhahood.

Gallery 'G'
Gallery 'G' depicts the metallurgical arts. Illustrations of the hammer bitten and lost wax processes can be observed here. Similarly, the silver seathing of the original Bagalamukhi shrine is also on exhibit. Furthermore, fascinating photographs of different world heritage sites and others taken at the turn of the century are on view.

The illustrated manuscripts in Gallery D, E and M are also considered exquisite exhibits.

During the peak season, the museum has logged up to one hundred visitors per day. Otherwise, a minimum of 50 tourists visit the museum daily. But the number of tourists visitors has nose-dived, following the levying of an entrance fee of Rs 200 on foreign tourists since January 1st 2000 by Lalitpur sub-metropolis. After paying that much just to enter the palace complex, only a few tourists would be ready to pay an additional entrance charge of Rs 120 for the museum. The entrance fee levied by sub-metropolis has not only discouraged tourists, but affected the business stalls and Patan Museum Cafe which is in operation inside Keshav Narayan Chowk.

In order to generate revenue, the museum has now raised its ticket price to Rs 250 effective from the 1st of Baisakha 2058 BS. The museum has also upgraded its services to the International standard with a number of facilities including a guest studio for foreign scholars and artists. The main and back courtyards remain open for cultural events in the afternoon and evening. A gift shop focusing on Nepal's art and culture is also open here.

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