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Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon)
Situated at an altitude of 1,401 m, Bhaktapur
covers an area of four square miles. Bhaktapur or "the
City
of Devotees" still retains the medieval
charm and visitors to this ancient town are treated with myriad wonders
of cultural and artistic achievements. 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.
Orientation
and Arrival
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'11 arrive by one of two
routes. The handy trolley bus, departing from the National Stadium south of
Kathmandu's GPO every fifteen minutes or so, drops you on the main road about
ten minutes' walk south of town, as do the frequent Barhabise-bound buses from
Kathmandu's City Bus Park. 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).
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