Culture · Bhaktapur, Nepal
Morning puja at Nyatapola and Taumadhi
See Taumadhi Square wake up: puja trays at the Bhairab temple, vegetable sellers, tea stalls, and Nyatapola's five roofs catching first light. Climb the stairway past the stone guardians for a view over the old town's roofs.
Photo: Hari Paudyel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsTaumadhi Square is a five-minute walk from Durbar Square and is dominated by Nyatapola, the five-roofed pagoda completed in 1702 under King Bhupatindra Malla. It is the tallest temple in Nepal and survived the great earthquakes of 1934 and 2015. Its stairway is flanked by pairs of stone guardians, each pair believed to be ten times stronger than the one below, from legendary wrestlers at the bottom to tiger and lion goddesses at the top.
Come at dawn. The squat three-roofed Bhairabnath temple across the square receives offerings through a small hatch, and women arrive with plates of rice, flowers and vermilion. Tea stalls open, porters carry vegetables in baskets, and pigeons fill the steps. This is also where Bisket Jatra's great chariot of Bhairab is pulled in April.
Climb Nyatapola's steps for a view over the brick rooftops. Visitors may not enter the sanctum, which is opened only to priests. Afterwards, walk east through the lanes to Dattatreya Square to see the carved peacock window of the Pujari Math, and stop for chiya and sel roti on the way.
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Questions
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Can visitors enter Nyatapola temple?
No. You can climb the stairway and walk around the plinth, but the sanctum is closed to visitors.
Is the city entry ticket needed early in the morning?
Ticket counters may be unstaffed at dawn, but you are expected to pay; keep your ticket from the day before if you are staying the night.
When is the best light for photos at Nyatapola?
Early morning, from sunrise to about 8 am, and late afternoon. Midday light is flat and the square is crowded with groups.