Lohan Chowk

Kathmandu


King Prithvi Narayan Shah ordered the construction of the four red-coloured towers around Lohan Chowk. The towers represent the four ancient cities of the valley: the Basantapur (Kathmandu) Tower, the Kirtipur Tower, the Bhaktapur Tower (Lakshmi Bilas) and the Patan (Lalitpur) Tower (known more evocatively as the Bilas Mandir, or House of Pleasure). The upper parts of the Basantapur and Bhaktapur towers collapsed in 2015 and are currently under reconstruction, with Lohan Chowk closed to visitors.


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Nearby Kathmandu attractions

1. Basantapur (Kathmandu) Tower

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Rising above the Tribhuvan Museum of Hanuman Dhoka is the once nine-storey Basantapur (Kathmandu) Tower (1770), which once stood like a beacon at the end…

2. Hanuman Dhoka

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Kathmandu's royal palace, known as the Hanuman Dhoka, was originally founded during the Licchavi period (4th to 8th centuries AD), but the compound was…

3. Nasal Chowk

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From the entrance gate of the Hanuman Dhoka palace you immediately enter its most famous chowk. Nasal Chowk was used for coronations, a practice that…

4. Mohankali Chowk

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Mohankali (Mohan) Chowk, inside the Hanuman Dhoka complex, was once used as a residence by the Malla kings. It's currently closed for post-earthquake…

5. Tribhuvan Museum

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The section of the Hanuman Dhoka palace west of Nasal Chowk, overlooking the main Durbar Sq area, was constructed by the Ranas in the middle to late part…

6. Sundari Chowk

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This courtyard in the Hanuman Dhoka palace is currently off-limits for post-earthquake reconstruction but should reopen eventually.

7. Jagannath Temple

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This temple, noted for the erotic carvings on its roof struts, is the oldest structure in this part of Durbar Sq. Pratap Malla claimed to have constructed…

8. Degutaleju Temple

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This triple-roofed temple is actually part of the darker, red-brick Hanuman Dhoka, surmounting the buildings below it, but it is most easily seen from…

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