The best museums Bhaktapur

Crowned by its five roofs and dominating the whole city from the top of its 30 m, the Nyatapola pagoda is probably the most beautiful of the valley and the highest. It is located on Taumadhi Square and rests on five pyramidal pedestals. Its solidity has enabled it to resist earthquakes. Each pair of animals framing its staircase is ten times more imposing than the pair above, so the two Malla wrestlers at the bottom are the largest. At the top of the staircase are statues of the goddesses Baghini and Singhini. Built in 1703 by King Bhupatindra Malla, the shrine is dedicated to Siddhi Lakshmi, a mysterious Tantric goddess, incarnation of the goddess Durga (Parvati), who is so terrifying that she appears only in the dark to Brahmin priests. She is represented in her many forms on the 180 sculpted and painted props. The power of the Tantric goddess is contrasted with the terrifying power of Bhairav, to whom the rectangular, three-storey temple of Kasi Bishvanat is dedicated. Her 30 cm high statue stands in a niche one metre above the ground. You can see his mask by looking out of an upstairs window, but it is probably another mask that is carried in great pomp during the Bisket Jatra festival in mid-April. A vaulted passage leads to the temple of Mahadev Narayan (a form of Vishnu, called Tilmadhav), which has attracted pilgrims since time immemorial.

Located in the western part of the Palace, the entrance to this beautiful museum is guarded by two male and female lions. Beside them stand the sculptures of Hanuman, the monkey god. The museum also exhibits sculptures of Narsingha dating from the 17th century, beautiful thangkas and paubhas, painted banners of mythological and religious scenes according to the Newar tradition, as well as prayer books illustrated with palm leaves. There are also portraits of all the Shah Kings who succeeded each other, which allows us to visualize the Nepalese monarchy.