Durbar Square, which means Royal Squares in English, is the generic name used to describe plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. The name comes from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

دربار ( Darbar). It consists of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and more. Before the

Unification of Nepal The Unification of Nepal, also known as Expansion of Gorkha Kingdom, officially began in 1743 AD (1799 BS) after King Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha launched an aggressive annexation campaign seeking to broaden his own kingdom's border. After ...

, Nepal consisted of small kingdoms, and Durbar Squares are most prominent remnants of those old kingdoms in Nepal. In particular, three Durbar Squares in the

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...

, belonging to the three

Newar Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...

kingdoms situated there before unification, are most famous:

Kathmandu Durbar Square Kathmandu Durbar Square (''Basantapur Durbar Kshetra'') is located in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom and is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNES ...

Patan Durbar Square Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attractions is the ancient royal palace w ...

, and

Bhaktapur Durbar Square Bhaktapur Durbar Square (Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: , ''Khwopa Lāyekū,'' ) is a former royal palace complex located in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It housed the Malla dynasty (Nepal), Malla kings of Nepal from 14th to 15th century and the kings of the ...

. All three are

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s.These sites have received significant damage due to the devastating earthquake of 2015 but most structures still remain.

*von Schroeder, Ulrich. 2019. ''Nepalese Stone Sculptures''. Volume One: ''Hindu''; Volume Two: ''Buddhist''. (Visual Dharma Publications). . Contains SD card with 15,000 digital photographs of Nepalese sculptures and other subjects as public domain.
Kathmandu-Durbar Square-38-Maju Dega-Narayana-Shiva Parvati Mandir-2013-gje.jpg, Maju Dega-Narayana-Shiva Parvati Kathmandu-Durbar Square-10-Pratapamalla-Jagannath-2013-gje.jpg, Pratapamalla-Jagannath Kathmandu-Bhimeshwara-04-Garuda-2013-gje.jpg, Bhimeshwara-Garuda Kathmandu-Maju Dega-04-Kamadev-2007-gje.jpg, Maju Dega-Kamadev Kathmandu-Taleju-04-2007-gje.jpg, Taleju Kathmandu-Chyasin Dega-04-Saraswati-2007-gje.jpg, Saraswati-Chyasin Dega Kathmandu-Gaddi Baithak-06-Festwagen-Erdbebenschaden-2015-gje.jpg, Gaddi Baithak Kathmandu-Durbar Square-92-Souvenierladen-2007-gje.jpg, Souvenirs File:Kathmandu Darbar0511.JPG, Bhagwati Temple (left), Big Bell or Taleju Bell, small Vishnu Temple (right), Kathmandu File:Patan Durbar Square 2007-12-0278 (2580566218).jpg, Patan Durbar Square File:Patan Durbar Square 2007-12-0282 (2579737535).jpg, Patan Durbar Square

Further reading

See also