Durbar Square (दरबार क्षेत्र) means “palace square” — each of the three ancient Malla kingdoms in the Kathmandu Valley built a magnificent royal palace complex at the heart of their capital. These squares are open-air museums of Newari architecture, packed with pagoda temples, stone sculptures, ornate wooden windows, and courtyards that span centuries of artistic achievement. Together, they form the core of the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1979. Bhaktapur's ensemble extends to Taumadhi and Dattatraya squares, each a masterpiece in its own right.
Kathmandu
काठमाडौं1Kathmandu Durbar Square (Hanuman Dhoka) — the historic royal seat of the Shah and Malla kings, with the Kumari's residence and the iconic Taleju Temple.
Patan (Lalitpur)
ललितपुर1Patan Durbar Square — the most refined of the three, lined with Krishna Mandir and the Patan Museum housed in the old royal palace.
Bhaktapur
भक्तपुर3Bhaktapur's three squares — Durbar, Taumadhi (Nyatapola Temple) and Dattatreya — together preserve the most complete medieval city in the valley.
Taumadhi Square
Bhaktapur's busiest heritage square, home to the five-storey Nyatapola Temple — the tallest pagoda in Nepal — and the Bhairavanath Temple.
Dattatraya Square
The oldest square in Bhaktapur, home to Nepal's only Dattatraya Temple, the famous Peacock Window, and two heritage museums.
Bhaktapur Durbar Square
The best-preserved medieval city in Nepal, famous for its pottery squares, Nyatapola temple, and living Newari culture.
Entry: NPR 1,500
Other Squares
Nuwakot Durbar
The seven-storey palace Prithvi Narayan Shah ran the Gorkha conquest from after 1744 — a ridge above the Trishuli, three hours from Kathmandu, and almost empty.
Gorkha Durbar
The ancestral hilltop palace of Prithvi Narayan Shah — the king who unified Nepal — perched above Gorkha town with sweeping Himalayan views and the Gorakh Nath temple that gives the Gurkha soldiers their name.
Entry: NPR 300