Marco Polo Restaurant offers decent food at very reasonable prices. There is a small balcony with views of the Taumadhi Tole.

Location: Bhaktapur

Café Nyatapola is located in a building that was once a traditional Pagoda temple. The food is good. Part of the profit earned goes to a local hospital.

Location: Bhaktapur
Phone: 6610346

Heritages
Bhaktapur Durbar Square has one of the best collections of the finest medieval arts of Nepal. There are many beautiful temples, palaces and buildings in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square which are examples of superb architecture. These include The Lion Gate, The Golden Gate, the 55 window palace, the statue of Bhupatindra Malla, Nyatopola temple, Vatsala Temple, Dattatraya temple, The Art Gallery, Pujari Math, Bhairav Nath temple, The Shiva Parvati Temple and the Pashupatinath Temple. Dattatreya Temple, built by King Yaksha Malla, is the oldest temple structure in Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Temples
The Lion Gate was built by King Bhupatindra Malla in the 17th century. The Lion Gate is guarded on each side by huge statues of lions and by two stone statues of Lord Bhairab and Goddess Ugrachandi. It is said that the sculptor who made these statues had his hands cut off so that he could not duplicate these masterpieces. The Golden Temple, which was built by King Ranjit Malla, has an image of Goddess Kali and Garuda (the mythical man – bird) at the top. It is embellished with various mythical creatures and nymphs with marvelous intricacy. The Golden Gate is also the entrance of the 55 window palace and the Taleju Temple. A group of four temples at the western end of the Durbar Square, namely Rameshwar Temple, Badri Temple, Krishna Temple and Shiva Temple, are referred to as the Char Dham.

The Pashupatinath Temple in Bhaktapur Durbar Square, also known as the Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple, is a replica of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. Legend has it that a Bhaktapur king had a dream in which Lord Shiva asked him to build a temple for him. The king obeyed Lord Shiva’s command and built the Pashupatinath Temple. Nyatopola temple in Bhaktapur is 5 storied and is 30 meters high. Nyatopola Temple, dedicated to Goddess Siddhilaxmi, is one of the best examples of traditional Nepali architecture. In Newari, Nyatopole refers to the 5 basic elements – water, wind, fire, earth and sky.

Palaces
The Palace of 55 Windows was built by King Yaksha Malla in 1427 AD. The 55 Window Palace has a balcony of 55 windows and is considered a unique masterpiece of woodcarving. The palace was remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the 17th century.

Bhakapur Royal Palace was constructed by King Yaksha Malla and was added to by many kings. The western end of the palace has been converted into an Art Gallery. The Art Gallery has a display of Hindu and Buddhist paintings, paubha (paintings on cloth) and metal, stone and woodcrafts. The Art Gallery is open everyday except on Tuesdays. Vatsala Temple in Bhaktapur which was built by King Jagat Prakash Malla, is a beautiful Shikhara style temple. This temple which is dedicated to the mother Goddess has a strong resemblance to the Krishna Mandir in Patan.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is located in the center of Bhaktapur city. Bhaktapur Durbar Square was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is larger in area than Kathmandu Durbar Square and less crowded than Patan Durbar Square. The devastating earthquake of 1934 is believed to have destroyed many temples and buildings of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. There is a ticket booth at the western end of the Durbar Square where foreigners and SAARC nationals have to pay an entry fee to Bhaktapur.

Specialty
Bhaktapur is referred to as the ‘Living Heritage’, ‘City of Culture’, ‘An Open Museum’ and ‘Nepal’s Cultural Gem’. Bhaktapur is renowned for its colorful festivals, craftsmanship of its locales, beautiful monuments and brilliant handicrafts. The handicrafts found in Bhaktapur include paubha scroll paintings, papier mache masks, jewelry, ceramic products, woodcarvings, and metalwork. Bhaktapur is best known for Bhaad Gaule Topi (a special type of cap), ju-ju dhau (yoghurt, ju-ju dhau literally means the king of all yoghurt varieties) and the home spun haku-patasi (black sari). Foreigners and SAARC nationals have to pay an entry fee to enter this city.

Heritages and Temples
Tachupal Tole is located in the older east end of Bhaktapur while Taumadhi Tole and Durbar Square dominate the west end. Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Changunarayan Temple of Bhaktapur district are the two monuments enlisted by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites

Some of the other important Hindu and Buddhist temples and shrines in Bhaktapur are the Nyatopola Temple, Bhairabnath Temple, Peacock Window, Big Bell, Lokeswor Mahavihar, Prassannasheel Mahavihar, Chattu Brahma Mahavihar, Jaya Kirti Mahavihar, Sukra – varna Mahavihar and Dipanker Mahavihar.

Festivals
Some of the important festivals of Bhaktapur are Gai Jatra (July or August), Bisket Jatra (April) and the tantrically inspired Nava Durga Dance during the Dasain festival (October or November).

Places to Eat
Some of the popular restaurants of Bhaktapur are Bhaktapur Gate Restaurant, Café de Peacock, Café Nyatopola, Durbar Square Restaurant, Marco Polo Restaurant, Nyatopola Restaurant and Rooftop Café.

Transportation
There are buses that leave for Bhaktapur from Bagbazaar. These buses will drop you off at Taumadhi Square. You can also board a Dhulikhel bound bus or a Nagarkot bound bus and get off at Thimi. There are minibuses that leave for Bhaktapur from the City Bus Park, Kathmandu. These minibuses drop you at Sidha Pokhari, which is a five minute walk west of Durbar Square.

Changu Narayan temple, Nyatopola Temple, Bhairabnath Temple, Peacock Window, Big Bell, Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple, Dattatreya Temple, Peacock Window, Wakupati Narayan Temple, Nava Durga Temple, Chandeswori Temple, Barahi Temple, Pujari Math and Taja Math are some of the important hindu temples.

Some of the important Buddhist shrines in Bhaktapur are Lokeswor Mahavihar, Prassannasheel Mahavihar, Chattu Brahma Mahavihar, Jaya Kirti Mahavihar, Sukra–varna Mahavihar and Dipanker Mahavihar.

Other notable monuments in Bhaktapur are the octagonal Chyasin Mandap, Shiva Temple (Fasi-dega), Vatsala Temple, Bhandarkhal Complex, Indrayani Temple, Balakhu Ganesh Temple, Tripura Sundari Temple and the Char Dham signifying four of the greatest Hindu pilgrimages.

The 55 Window Palace, the Golden Gate and the Taleju temple are situated in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The 55 window Palace was built by King Bhupatindra Malla and was the royal palace till 1769. The palace now houses the National Art Gallery. The National Art Gallery is known for its rich collection of paubha scroll paintings and magnificent stone works. Just nearby is the Golden Temple which leads to the temple of Taleju Bhawani. Taleju Temple is dedicated to the temple of Taleju Bhawani and contains shrines of both Kumari and Taleju Bhawani. Foreigners are not allowed to enter the temple or to take any photographs.

Bhaktapur, locally known as ‘Khwopa’ and ‘Bhadgaon’, is situated at about 12 kilometers south east of the city of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur is situated at an altitude of 1401 metes and covers a total area of four square miles. It is located in the Bhaktapur district and is one of the most visited places of the Kathmandu Valley.

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Date: April 13, 2008
Venue: Bhaktapur

Public holiday is given on this day.

A five day long Bisket Jatra starts from this day in Bhaktapur. During the festival, a chariot procession is held in Bhaktapur and images of Ganesh, Lakshmi and Mahakali are carried around town.