Patan, Nepal
Encyclopedia
Patan officially Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, is one of the major cities
of Nepal
. It is one of the sub-metropolitan cities of Nepal located in the south-western part of Kathmandu valley. Patan is also known as Manigal. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage
, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts. It is also called as city of festival and feast, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carving statue. At the time of the 2001 Nepal census
it had a population of 162,991 in 68,922 individual households.
Patan is situated on the elevated tract of land in Kathmandu Valley
on the south side of the Bagmati River, which separates it from the City of Kathmandu on the northern side. It was developed on relatively thin layers of deposited clay and gravel in the central part of a dried ancient lake known as the Nagdaha.
It is among the largest cities in the country, along with Kathmandu, Pokhara
, and Biratnagar.
The city spreads over 16 sq. kilometres and is divided into 22 Municipal wards. The city is bounded by:
and later expanded by Licchavis in the sixth century. It was further expanded by the Malla
s during the medieval period.
There are many legends after its name. The most popular one is the legend of the God Rato Machhindranath
, who was brought to the valley from Kamaru Kamachhya, located in Assam
, India
, by a group of three people representing three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley
. One of them was called Lalit, a farmer who carried God Rato Machhindranath to the valley all the way from Assam
, India
. The purpose of bringing the God Rato Machhindranath to the valley was to overcome the worst drought in the valley. There was a strong belief that the God Rato Machhindranath will make rain in the valley. It was due to Lalit's effort that the God Rato Machhindranath was settled in Lalitpur. Many believe that the name of the town is kept after his name Lalit and pur meaning township.
Lalitpur said to have been founded by King Veer Deva in 299 A.D. but, there is unanimity among scholars that Patan was a well established and developed town since ancient times. Several historical records including many other legends also indicate that Patan is the oldest of all the cities of Kathmandu Valley. According to a very old Kirat
chronicle, Patan was founded by Kirat rulers long before the Licchavi rulers came into the political scene in Kathmandu Valley
. According to that chronicle, the earliest known capital of Kirat rulers was Thankot. Kathmandu, the present capital was most possibly removed from Thankot to Patan after the Kirati King Yalamber came into power sometimes around second century A.D.
One of the most used and typical Newar
names of Patan is Yala. It is said that King Yalamber or Yellung Hang named this city after himself and ever since this ancient city was known as Yala..
is engaged in various trades, notably in traditional handicrafts
and small scale cottage industries and some residents work in agriculture
. Lalitpur is the city in Nepal
that has produced the highest number of renowned artists and finest craftsmen ever recorded in the history of Nepali art.
Patan has maintained a culture of craft work even in the face of rapid urbanization and many social and political upheavals.
The city is less urbanized than Kathmandu, north of the Bagmati river, but is home to many workshops, stores, restaurants, hotels, schools, embassies and other important sectors of the Kathmandu Valley economy.
Buddha Air
has its headquarters in Jawalakhel
, near Patan.
) visited with his daughter Charumati to Kathmandu in 250 B.C. and erected five Ashoka Stupas, four in the surrounding and one at the middle of the Patan. The size and shape of these stupas seem to breathe their antiquity in a real sense. There are more than 1,200 Buddhist monuments of various shapes and sizes scattered in and around the city.
The most important monument of the city is Patan Durbar Square
, which has been listed by UNESCO
as one of seven Monument Zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley
World Heritage Site
.
Patan City was planned in Vihars and Bahils. Out of 295 Vihars and Bahils of the valley 56% of them are in Patan. The water conduits, stone spouts, Jaladroni (water tanks), artistic gate ways, Hindu temples and Buddhist Vihars adorn the city. The in built cultural heritage like the royal palace, with intricately carved doors and windows and beautiful courtyards adorned with exquisite icons enhance the beauty of the city. Such art pieces are found in stone, metal, terracotta ivory and other objects. All these artifacts exhibit artistic excellence of the craftsmen and the whole city looks like an open museum.
. The seven monument zones were included in the World Heritage List in 1979 as one integrated site. All these monument zones are declared as the protected monument zones according to the Monuments Preservation Act of 1956.
Patan is renowned as a very artistic city. Most of the Nepalese art of any form is devoted to Gods, and there are an abundance of temple
s and vihara
in the city. Notable places of interest include:
Cities and Towns in Nepal
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. It is one of the sub-metropolitan cities of Nepal located in the south-western part of Kathmandu valley. Patan is also known as Manigal. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts. It is also called as city of festival and feast, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carving statue. At the time of the 2001 Nepal census
2001 Nepal census
Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2001 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics.Working with Nepal's Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the main towns and villages of each district of the country...
it had a population of 162,991 in 68,922 individual households.
Geography
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
on the south side of the Bagmati River, which separates it from the City of Kathmandu on the northern side. It was developed on relatively thin layers of deposited clay and gravel in the central part of a dried ancient lake known as the Nagdaha.
It is among the largest cities in the country, along with Kathmandu, Pokhara
Pokhara
Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City is the second largest city of Nepal. Pokhara is city of close to 350,000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28.25°N, 83.99°E, which is the centre of the country from east to west or from north to south, 198 km west of Kathmandu or 90 km west of Mugling, and...
, and Biratnagar.
The city spreads over 16 sq. kilometres and is divided into 22 Municipal wards. The city is bounded by:
- East: Imadol VDC and Harisiddhi VDC
- West: Kirtipur Municipality and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)
- North: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)
- South: Saibu VDC, Sunakothi VDC and Dhapakhel VDC
History
Lalitpur is believed to have been founded in the third century B.C. by the Kirat dynastyKirant
Kirat or Kirati are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and Yunnan in ancient times...
and later expanded by Licchavis in the sixth century. It was further expanded by the Malla
Malla (Nepal)
The Malla Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Nepal from the 12th to the 18th century. Malla kings of Nepal visited Lumbini in the 11th and 12th century. It was during their reign the people living in and around the Kathmandu Valley began to be called as "Newars" . The Mallas were the ruling clan of...
s during the medieval period.
There are many legends after its name. The most popular one is the legend of the God Rato Machhindranath
Rato Machhindranath
Rato Machhindranath is considered both a Hindu and Buddhist god, who by legend was brought from Assam, India by a farmer to Lalitpur valley in Nepal to prevent a drought during the rice season. It is known as Bundyo to local Newars. The longest running chariot festival in Nepal recreates this...
, who was brought to the valley from Kamaru Kamachhya, located in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, by a group of three people representing three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
. One of them was called Lalit, a farmer who carried God Rato Machhindranath to the valley all the way from Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The purpose of bringing the God Rato Machhindranath to the valley was to overcome the worst drought in the valley. There was a strong belief that the God Rato Machhindranath will make rain in the valley. It was due to Lalit's effort that the God Rato Machhindranath was settled in Lalitpur. Many believe that the name of the town is kept after his name Lalit and pur meaning township.
Lalitpur said to have been founded by King Veer Deva in 299 A.D. but, there is unanimity among scholars that Patan was a well established and developed town since ancient times. Several historical records including many other legends also indicate that Patan is the oldest of all the cities of Kathmandu Valley. According to a very old Kirat
Kirant
Kirat or Kirati are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and Yunnan in ancient times...
chronicle, Patan was founded by Kirat rulers long before the Licchavi rulers came into the political scene in Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
. According to that chronicle, the earliest known capital of Kirat rulers was Thankot. Kathmandu, the present capital was most possibly removed from Thankot to Patan after the Kirati King Yalamber came into power sometimes around second century A.D.
One of the most used and typical Newar
Newar
The Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...
names of Patan is Yala. It is said that King Yalamber or Yellung Hang named this city after himself and ever since this ancient city was known as Yala..
Economy
A substantial portion of the populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
is engaged in various trades, notably in traditional handicrafts
Nepalese handicrafts
Nepalese handicraft history can be traced back to the stone age when human beings were inadequate of tools of any kind. The history of artistic handicrafts only began during the 5th century AD, when different religions began to form their bases among the people of Nepal...
and small scale cottage industries and some residents work in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Lalitpur is the city in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
that has produced the highest number of renowned artists and finest craftsmen ever recorded in the history of Nepali art.
Patan has maintained a culture of craft work even in the face of rapid urbanization and many social and political upheavals.
The city is less urbanized than Kathmandu, north of the Bagmati river, but is home to many workshops, stores, restaurants, hotels, schools, embassies and other important sectors of the Kathmandu Valley economy.
Buddha Air
Buddha Air
Buddha Air Pvt. Ltd is an airline based in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur District, Nepal, near Patan. It operates domestic services within Nepal, serving mainly large towns and cities in Nepal, linking Kathmandu with nine destinations. Its main base is Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu...
has its headquarters in Jawalakhel
Jawalakhel
Jawalakhel is a town in Lalitpur District in Nepal. It is only 2 KM away from the ancient city of Patan. The town is famous for the annual Rato Machhendranath Festival which ends with Bhoto Jatra that takes place in the famous square at the heart of the town. The town also has the only Zoo in...
, near Patan.
Historical monuments
The city was initially designed in the shape of the Buddhist Dharma-Chakra (Wheel of Righteousness). The four thurs or mounds located on the perimeter of Patan are ascribed around, one at each corner of its cardinal points, which are popularly known as Ashoka Stupas. Legend has it that Emperor Asoka (the legendary King of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) visited with his daughter Charumati to Kathmandu in 250 B.C. and erected five Ashoka Stupas, four in the surrounding and one at the middle of the Patan. The size and shape of these stupas seem to breathe their antiquity in a real sense. There are more than 1,200 Buddhist monuments of various shapes and sizes scattered in and around the city.
The most important monument of the city is Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of Lalitpur city. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites...
, which has been listed by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as one of seven Monument Zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Patan City was planned in Vihars and Bahils. Out of 295 Vihars and Bahils of the valley 56% of them are in Patan. The water conduits, stone spouts, Jaladroni (water tanks), artistic gate ways, Hindu temples and Buddhist Vihars adorn the city. The in built cultural heritage like the royal palace, with intricately carved doors and windows and beautiful courtyards adorned with exquisite icons enhance the beauty of the city. Such art pieces are found in stone, metal, terracotta ivory and other objects. All these artifacts exhibit artistic excellence of the craftsmen and the whole city looks like an open museum.
World Heritage Site
The monument zone of Patan Durbar Square is one of the seven monument zone of Kathmandu ValleyKathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
. The seven monument zones were included in the World Heritage List in 1979 as one integrated site. All these monument zones are declared as the protected monument zones according to the Monuments Preservation Act of 1956.
Places of interest
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s and vihara
Vihara
Vihara is the Sanskrit and Pali term for a Buddhist monastery. It originally meant "a secluded place in which to walk", and referred to "dwellings" or "refuges" used by wandering monks during the rainy season....
in the city. Notable places of interest include:
- Patan Durbar Square: The residence of the Malla rulers of the Patan state which is now converted into a museum.
- Hiranya Varna Mahaa Vihar: A buddhist temple known locally as Golden Temple
- Rudra Varna Mahavihar :
- Mahaboudha Temple: Also known as 1000 Buddha Temple
- Bangalamukhi temple: A Hindu temple
- Kumbheshwor temple: One of the two five-story pagoda temples of the valley
- Pancheswor Mahadev temple: Kusunti
See also
- NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
- NewarNewarThe Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...
- Adarsha Vidya MandirAdarsha Vidya Mandir- Overview :A.V.M. higher Secondary School is one of the oldest and largest schools located in Manbhawan, Lalitpur, Nepal with over 5,000 students. Established in 2022B.S. by a pioneer of education in Nepal, the late Mr. Satya Narayan Bahadur Shrestha, this school is one of the top-leading schools...
- Rotaract Club of Patan Durbar Square
Cities and Towns in Nepal