Hanuman Dhoka Durbar

	The Palace of Kathmandu
	King Mahendra Malla built the palace of Kathmandu in the sixteenth century. The kings resided in this palace until the end of the nineteenth century, and during the intervening centuries it underwent many additions and alterations, leaving little of the original structure. Looking from the outer courtyard one can see half of the palace in traditional Nepalese architecture and the other half in neo-classical. Many of the old structures were later plastered and white washed to match the new structures, which reduced a great deal of the historic value of these structures. The palace has a decorated entrance gate called “Hanuman Dhoka” from which the palace received its name Hanuman Dhoka Palace.
		Hanuman Dhoka
	Nassal Chowk Nasal Chowk is the first and the biggest courtyard inside the palace. It is decorated with some of the finest woodcarvings in Nepal. A number of decorative wooden windows framed by complex wooden patterns can be seen on the walls. On the north side of thee courtyard is the unique five-tiered temple of Panch Mukhi Hanuman. This temple, built by Pratap Malla, is the only example of a circular pagoda Nepal.
	Basantapur Tower is on the south side of the Nassal chowk. This tower is based on a rectangular plan. It has nine stories, a four-tiered roof and a copper pinnacle at the top. This thirty meters high tower was built to create a pleasant pavilion and was named Basantapur Tower, meaning the pleasant pavilion. LohanChowk On the south side of the Nassal chowk is the Lohan Chowk, which was the residential wing of the Malla kings. The entrance of the chowk is surmounted by two images of Lord Ganesh on either side, who was believed to protect the palace. All four corners of the courtyard support the four different types of towers named Lalitpur Tower, Bhaktapur Tower, Kirtipur Tower and the Basantapur Tower.
		Basantapur Tower
	Kumari Ghar

	Kumari Chowk inside kumari ghar	The residence of the Living Goddess (Kumari Ghar)