Durbar Square or royal Squares in English, is the generic name that refers to the plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. The name comes from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

دربار ( Darbar). The durbar squares are full of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and much more. Before the Unification of Nepal, Nepal consisted of smaller independent kingdoms, and Durbar Squares are some prominent remnants of those old kingdoms in Nepal. There are three Durbar Squares in the

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley (), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley (, Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayas, Hima ...

, belonging to the three

Newar Newar (; , endonym: Newa; , Pracalit script: ), or Nepami, are primarily inhabitants in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and its surrounding areas, and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. Page 15. Newars are a distinct linguisti ...

kingdoms who were situated there before unification, are most famous:

Kathmandu Durbar Square Kathmandu Durbar Square (Nepal Bhasa: येँ लायकु/𑐥𑐾𑑄 𑐮𑐵𑐫𑐎𑐹, Nepali: हनुमानढोका दरबार; ''Basantapur Durbar Kshetra'') is a historically and culturally significant site in Kathma ...

, Patan Durbar Square, and

Bhaktapur Durbar Square Bhaktapur Durbar Square (Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: ) is a former royal palace complex located in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It housed the Malla dynasty (Nepal), Malla kings of Nepal from 14th to 15th century and the kings of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur f ...

. All three of these landmarks are

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s.These sites had received significant damage due to the devastating earthquake of 2015 but most structures still remain or were reconstructed.

Gallery

Kathmandu-Durbar Square-38-Maju Dega-Narayana-Shiva Parvati Mandir-2013-gje.jpg, Maju Dega-Narayana-Shiva Parvati Kathmandu-Durbar Square-10-Pratapamalla-Jagannath-2013-gje.jpg, Pratapamalla-Jagannath Kathmandu-Bhimeshwara-04-Garuda-2013-gje.jpg, Bhimeshwara-Garuda Kathmandu-Maju Dega-04-Kamadev-2007-gje.jpg, Maju Dega-Kamadev File:Taleju Temple (17231063613) (cropped).jpg, Taleju Kathmandu-Chyasin Dega-04-Saraswati-2007-gje.jpg, Saraswati-Chyasin Dega Kathmandu-Gaddi Baithak-06-Festwagen-Erdbebenschaden-2015-gje.jpg, Gaddi Baithak Kathmandu-Durbar Square-92-Souvenierladen-2007-gje.jpg, Souvenirs File:Kathmandu Darbar0511.JPG, Bhagwati Temple (left), Big Bell or Taleju Bell, small Vishnu Temple (right), Kathmandu File:Patan Durbar Square 2007-12-0278 (2580566218).jpg, Patan Durbar Square File:Patan Durbar Square 2007-12-0282 (2579737535).jpg, Patan Durbar Square

Further reading

Gallery

See also