The past glory of the Malla rulers continue to be reflected at the Durbar Square. Pottery and weaving are its traditional industries. The city lies about 14 km east of Kathmandu.

Historical Background:

The oldest part of the town is around Tachupal Tole (the Dattatraya Square), to the east. Bhaktapur was the capital city of the whole valley during the 14th to 16th centuries and during that time the focus of the town-shifted west, the Durbar Square area. Much of the town�s great architecture dates from the end of the 17th century during the rule of King Bhupatindra Malla. On Yaksha Malla�s death, the kingdom after a period of joint rule among his sons eventually became divided into three small kingdoms, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Patan.

Orientation:

Bhaktapur drapes across an east-west fold in the valley, its southern fringe sliding down towards the sluggish Hanumante River. Owing to a long-term westward drift, the city has two centres (residents of the two halves stage a boisterous tug- of-war during the city's annual Bisket festival} and three main squares. In the west, Durbar Square and Taumadhi Tol dominate the post-fifteenth-century city, while Tachapal Tol presides over the older east end.

You'll arrive by one of two routes. Our Private car/coach or local buses that leaves from Old Bus park Kathmandu every 10 minutes drops you on the main road about ten minutes' walk south of town. Arriving by minibus from the City Bus Park, you'11 be deposited near Sidha Pokhri, a five-minute walk west of Durbar Square. Local buses from Nagarkot terminate at Kamal Binayak, five minutes northeast of Tachapal; tourist buses from Nagarkot continue to the main intersection just north of Durbar Square.

Bhaktapur has no rikshaws and just a few resident taxis, but it's compact enough to be explored on foot One-speed bikes can be rented along the road east of minibus park (west of Durbar Square).

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the plaza in front of the royal palace of the old Bhaktapur Kingdom, 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) above sea level.It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is located in the current town of Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon,which lies 13 km east of Kathmandu. While the complex consists of at least four distinct squares (Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square and Pottery Square),the whole area is informally known as the Bhaktapur Durbar Square and is a highly visited site in the Kathmandu Valley