Bungamati

Bungamati is a compact Newar village set on a plateau above the Bagmati River, about 10 km south of Patan. Founded over a thousand years ago, the village is celebrated as the winter residence of Rato Machhindranath — the red-faced deity who is Patan's most beloved protector and the central figure of the valley's grandest chariot festival. For six months of each year, the deity's idol resides in Bungamati's central temple before being ceremonially paraded back to Patan on a towering chariot during the Rato Machhindranath Jatra.

The village is architecturally magnificent. A wide cobblestone square — one of the finest in the valley — surrounds the Machhindranath temple, flanked by traditional three-storey brick houses with carved wooden windows and overhanging eaves. Bungamati has been a centre of wood carving for centuries, and workshops around the square produce everything from intricate window frames to religious statues exported worldwide. Watching master carvers at work is one of the village's great pleasures.

The 2015 earthquake hit Bungamati hard, collapsing the Machhindranath temple and many surrounding houses. Reconstruction is ongoing, supported by both government and international aid. Despite the damage, the village's spirit is intact, and the annual chariot festival continues. Bungamati is often visited alongside neighbouring Khokana — the two villages are connected by a pleasant 20-minute walk through rice paddies. Reach Bungamati by local bus from Patan's Lagankhel bus park or by taxi.