Travel and Tour in Nepal : Travel to Patan 'City of fine arts'

Some eight kilometers south of central Kathmandu situated on a plateau across the Bagmati river is a lovely little city called Lalitpur, the city of fine arts.

This city also known as Patan, once an independent Newar kingdom before the present dynasty took over, is best known for its finest traditional crafts and rich artistic heritage.

This city of Lalitpur divided into 22 municipal wards and is inhabited by approx. 160,000 people. A substantial portion of its population is engaged in various trades, specially in traditional handicrafts and cottage industries. Lalitpur in fact is the only town in entire Nepal that has produced the highest number of most talented artists anf finest craftsmen ever recorded in Nepalese art history. The most famous newar artists and master craftsmen like Arniko, Adhay Raj and Siddhi Raj, were all born in Lalitpur.

It is said that the city was designed and built after the Buddist Dharma Chakra (the wheel of righteousness). It is surrounded by four big stupas - one at each corner of its cardinal points. These monuments are said to have been built by the Indian Emperor Ashoka when he came to Kathmandu Valley on his pilgrimage tour some 2,250 years ago. When we look at the size and shape of these stupas, in many ways they seem to breathe their antiquity in a real remote past. It is interesting to note that there are more that 1,200 Buddhist monuments of various shapes and sizes scattered in and around this city alone. However, the most important monumental centre of this city is of course, Patan Durbar Square, which to our great delight has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

A British traveller Percival London was highly impressed by the sight of this beautiful square wrote way back in 1928 "As an ensemble, the Durbar in Patan probably remains the most picturesque collection of buildings that have been set up in so small a place by the piety of oriental man."

In fact, Patan Durbar Square is the only monumental area in all three cities of Kathmandu Valley that still outstands with its most Magnificent architectural splendour and unique artistic beauty. Patan, in its long chequered history, has undergone many sociopolitical upheavals. Even so this lovely little city seems to have fairly well preserved its glorious cultural heritage and the history of its finest craftsmanship.

Lalitpur said to have founded by King Veer Deva in 299 AD has many old names such as Yala, Yupagram, Lalitpatan, and Maningal. Several historical records plus many other legends, aslo indicate that Patan is the oldest of all three cities of Kathmandu Valley.

According to a very old Kirat chronicle edited by a noted research scholar Prem Bahadur Subba, Patan was founded by Kirati rulers long before the Lichhavi rulers came into the political scene in Kathmandu Valley. According to him the earliest known capital was most possibly shifted from Thankot to Patan after the Kirati King Yalamber came into power sometime around second century AD.

It must be mentioned here that one of the most common and typical Newari name of Patan is Yala. It is said that King Yalamber name this city after himself and ever since then this ancient city was known as "Yala".