What to see in Bhaktapur and the surrounding area among magnificent temples and villages set in the fertile valley of Nepal on an exciting journey through its traditions
Among the lands that have always been a destination for pilgrimages and tourist visits is the Nepal where you can breathe an air of culture and sacredness that has no equal. One of the most recommended cities for your trip is called Bhaktapur, a splendid and historic place full of attractions worth visiting such as the temples also visible in the surrounding villages.
What to see in Bhaktapur
Above the famous Durbar Square of Bhaktapur there is a delightful and fearsome place at the same time, namely the Naga Pokhari. It is an open-air swimming pool decorated with statues of terrible cobras which you can access through the decorated entrance doors. However, as you approach Durbar Square you will find the Fasidega Temple positioned on the top of 5 high steps and reachable thanks to the staircase in the middle.
Unlike many other temples in Bhaktapur, this one is not the classic red color and its walls are white and immediately striking due to the sense of purity they emanate. In the square in front there are two large statues of lions and, furthermore, on the staircase you can admire statues of elephants and representations of Hindu deities, intent on observing you carefully.
Then reach the Pottery Square, a square in Bhaktapur where you can admire the locals while they work on ceramics, a practice still typical in this area for producing everyday objects and which will allow you to witness the process from the first to the last step. One last place of interest in Bhaktapur is the Chyasalin Mandap, a canopied structure first built in the 1934th century and used for public functions. The terrible earthquake of XNUMX razed it to the ground, but it was rebuilt and is today available to anyone who wants to see it. A flight of stairs leads to the mezzanine floor, to enjoy a privileged point overlooking the square.
Tempio di Changunarayn
6 kilometers from Bhaktapur is the small village of Changunarayan, nestled in the beautiful cultivated valleys of Nepal and, not for nothing, listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In this small place you will find a very important Hindu temple dedicated to Narayan, an incarnation of the deity Vishnu who represents the creator of living beings.
The temple is similar to a pagoda and is composed of two floors, which both end with a sloping roof with a rectangular base on which a golden pyramid stands. At the base there are statues of human and animal figures, important for religion. Access is allowed only to Hindus, but it is still worth observing it from the outside.
Another significant temple is that of Mahadevra Ganesh Mandir, immersed in the countryside to the west of the village and characterized by the fiery red of its external surface. It features a statue in the main part and is decorated with religious figures, such as the sacred elephant on the roof. In this area on the outskirts of Bhaktapur, there is also the Jyotirlingeshwor Mahadev, the smallest of the temples and set in a lush landscape setting. To reach many of these structures in the surroundings of Bhaktapur it is possible to go on beautiful walking excursions starting from the city to discover a local landscape made up of rice paddies and cultivated fields.
Surroundings of Sidapol
Also 6 kilometers from Bhaktapur, this time to the south, in the Sidapol area, there is the temple of Doleshwor Mahadev, very important because it is linked to a legend known for 4.000 years. The shape that the temple takes is associated with a bust of a bull, a mythological animal present in legend.
Madhyapur Thimi
Starting from Bhaktapur on foot, walk about 6 kilometers west and you will find the town of Madhyapur Thimi. Among the many venerated deities, one of the dearest to this population is Balkumari, so much so that young couples about to get married turn to it. One of the most important city temples is linked to this deity, which is very reminiscent of the Nyatapola pagoda in Bhaktapur and which is populated especially during the various celebrations.
