<\/p>\n

Adorning the prestige of royalty and cultural heritage, the Hanuman Dhoka Palace is the symbol of past glory of the Malla kings and the shah kings that have been passed on for centuries. This ancient Hanuman Dhoka Palace situated in the middle of the old city is also listed by the UNESCO World Heritage sites. The historical and cultural tradition of a country plays an important role in the formulation of art-tradition. The pristine palace has seen the rise and fall of many kings from Mallas<\/p>\n

dynasty to the shah dynasty. The king followed the prominent sects of Hinduism and Buddhism, and has contributed their utmost possible for the construction of temples, palaces sometimes stupas and monasteries and these were readily beautified with the sculptures and paintings of gods and goddesses. The palace was residence of the Shah dynasty until 1886, when the royal residence was moved to the Narayanhiti Palace. This large square is the historic seat of the Nepalese Royalty. The Square, with its old temples and palaces, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. It is here where Kings of Nepal were crowned. With several complexes connected together spreading in about five acres explicates the rich art and craft of that time. It has ten courtyards flourishing with the statues and artifacts of the time. King Pratap Malla enlarged the original building in the 17th century, adding many of the temples. The oldest part of the palace is Sundari Chowk and Mohan Chowk in the north part of the palace. In 1768, after Prithvi Narayan Shah took over the valley he built four lookout towers in the southeast part of the palace.<\/p>\n

The hanuman dhoka durbar complex is a blend of the various styles of architectural monuments that are prevailing in Nepal. The pagoda style of architecture which is purely a Nepalese style generally is a multistoried complex built using bricks, woods and mud and that can be mostly seen in the square. There are also few temples constructed in the Shikhara architecture in which the pinnacles look like a mountain tops. The house of the living goddess kumari is built in the vihara architecture. The various temples are exclusively decorated with the intricate wooden arts, sculptures, paintings etc. 2015 earthquake had made major damage in the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in comparison to the other durbar complex. However, we are in the phase of renovation and re-construction of the temples and structured that have been destroyed. Most of the temples at the Hanuman Dhoka durbar square are opened for the tourists. The interesting things to see in the Square are:<\/p>\n