A visit to Patan

This weekend I visited the city of Patan. Instead of taking a taxi, bus or tuk-tuk, I decided to walk. This way, besides the workout, I could also get to see some of the neighborhoods in Kathmandu I haven't had the chance yet, like Dilli and Bag Bazaar and Singha Durbar.

Walking around Kathmandu is always very interesting but my favorite day to walk is Saturday, because it is holiday there are few cars in the streets and less pollution.

The town of Patan is just south of Kathmandu, across the Bagmati River. It is the second largest town in the valley and it has amazing buildings and temples! My guidebook said more than 600 stupas and 185 bahals.. obviously I did not have the chance to see all them or check this information...:-)

I entered the town thru the footbridge at the Gaths of Sankhamul. Although it is a footbridge, animals, motorbikes and bikes take much of the space in this bridge, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery can be very dangerous...

Ghats of Sankhamul

From the footbridge to Durbar Square, I could see several stupas, temples and bahals. Among them the Northern Ashoka Stupa ( there 4 Ashoka stupas, one in each corner of the town) below. Ashoka was a famous Buddhist emperor, who ruled around 250 B.C.

Uma Maheshwar Temple

and Kumbeshwar Temple, one of the valley's three five storey temples. All of them very beautiful!

A little farther, I arrived at the impressive Durbar square. Truly beautiful!!!

Royal palace

Gorgeous wood carvings on Vishwanath Temple
Khrisna Mandir and its Garuda Statue (Garuda is the man bird that is Krishna's vehicle)

Entrance to Vishwanath Temple

I just loved the architecture and town of Patan, it is less crowded than Kathmandu and it has endless buildings and scenes to appreciate.

Naga Bahal, one of the many courtyards with hitis (water tanks) in Patan

Besides the fancy and famous temples, there are small and unpretentious temples everywhere I go... I love them and I like to observe how much they are a part of the Nepalese life.

Patan Dhoka (Gates of Patan)

On the way back, I crossed the Bagmati river on the main access Bridge, then I was back to the hectic traffic and crowded streets. This is what is fascinating about the Kathmandu valley, the scenery completely changes from one neighborhood to the next..

I walked past the National Stadium, Thundikel Parade Ground and Ratna Park arriving at the beautiful Rani Pokhari. To recharge the batteries I ate lunch in a nice Japanese restaurant in Sherpa Mall at Durbar Marg. I was so lucky that it only started drizzling when I was almost home, after a 17 km walk.

What a great way to spend the Saturday!

Ratna Park

Rani Pokhari