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Lalitpur,
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Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city, popularly known as Patan is currently one
of the most vibrant cities of the kingdom of Nepal. It is located in about
5 kilometers south-east of Kathmandu. With its urban history dating back
to as far as 2300 years, LSMC is one of the three major cities located
inside the Kathmandu valley, besides Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.
Rich historic past, centuries old living culture of the people, thriving
city development are what this historic city today boasts of. Of the
fifty-eight municipalities of Nepal, Lalitpur is the third largest city.
Lalitpur, since ancient times has been preserving its unique place and
role in the geo-political and economic arena of the country. For many
centuries, Lalitpur was a sovereign city-state. In 1768 AD, King Prithivi
Narayan Shah assimilated it into the Kingdom of Nepal.
Lalitpur is extremely rich in its arts and architecture and boasts on the
largest community of artisans, especially metal and wood workers. In fact,
the literary meaning of Lalitpur means the city of fine arts. It nurtures
a large number of sacred buildings, temples, pagodas, Stupas and Shikharas,
monasteries, math and Chaitya.
The city is renowned the world over for its art and craftsmanship and has
produced number of famous artists and master craftsmen, the most famous
being Arniko, who spread the legacy of this city far and wide.
In other words, Lalitpur may be termed the artistic capital of the
country. In recognition, UNESCO has enlisted the conglomerate of the
buildings in Patan Durbar Square as a World Heritage Site, one of the
seven Heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley.
Located adjacent to the capital city of Kathmandu, LSMC has today become
an integral part of the valley capital region, called Greater Kathmandu,
consisting of two major cities Kathmandu, and Lalitpur.
The urban history of the city of Lalitpur is as old as the urbanization of
the valley itself, which seems to have started about a little over two
thousand years ago, during the Kirat rule. The city was rich and
self-sustained, with its strong agricultural and economic base. Various
rulers of different dynasties Kirat, Licchavis, Mallas to Shahs
contributed in its development and prosperity.
The city of Lalitpur was one of the three main cities of Kathmandu valley
which also consisted of several other small satellite settlements like
Lubhu, Khokana, Bugamati, and there existed close socio-economic and
cultural linkages between. The city like other cities in the valley shows
distinct urban settlement and land use pattern. The settlements were
compact in nature and within them were hierarchy of spaces depending upon
the social position held by the people especially during the Malla period.
The royal palace or Durbar Square with series of courtyards and big open
spaces with temples in it occupied the central position within the city.
The immediate area surrounding the palace was allocated for the priests,
noblemen and people belonging to the high castes. Next to this were people
of the business community, craftsmen, farmers and workers. To the
outermost boundary or the periphery of the city were the lower caste
groups such as cleaners, podes, butchers etc. Agricultural land extends
beyond the city area. This is in consonance with the traditional urban
settlement pattern of human history.
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Incredible Real India - Destination List of Nepal
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