Dattatreya Square and the Peacock Window

Walk about fifteen minutes east from Durbar Square and you reach Tachupal Tole, the oldest part of Bhaktapur and, according to tradition, its original centre. Here, around a long sloping square, stand the Dattatreya temple, the Bhimsen temple, several old monasteries and two museums. It is quieter than Durbar Square and full of beautiful details.

Dattatreya Temple

Dattatreya is a deity who unites Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one form, and is revered by Hindus and, in a different way, by Buddhists. The temple dedicated to him at the east end of the square is traditionally dated to 1427, in the reign of Yaksha Malla. A popular legend says it was built from the timber of a single tree, just as Kathmandu's Kasthamandap was said to be. The temple has three roofs and stands on a high platform, with its stairway guarded by the same wrestlers Jayamel and Phattu who appear on Nyatapola. Around the base are erotic carvings, common on valley temples.

Bhimsen Temple

At the opposite end of the square stands a temple to Bhimsen, the god of trade and commerce, popular with Newar merchants. A small square pond beside it, the Bhimsen Pokhari, adds to the calm atmosphere.

Pujari Math and the Peacock Window

Along the square stand several old priests' houses, or maths. The finest is Pujari Math, which now houses the National Woodcarving Museum. In a narrow lane beside it — look for the small signs and the crowd of photographers — is the famous Peacock Window. Carved in the 18th century, it shows a peacock spreading its tail in a perfect fan of feathers, surrounded by birds and flowers. It is small, delicate and considered one of the finest examples of Newar woodcarving anywhere.

Pujari Math was restored in the 1970s with support from Germany, marking the beginning of the Bhaktapur Development Project, which did much to preserve the old city.

Brass and Bronze Museum

Across the square, the Brass and Bronze Museum displays ritual vessels, lamps, water jugs and cooking pots used in Newar homes and temples. It is a good introduction to the metalwork traditions of the valley.

Shopping and cafés

Tachupal is also a good place to buy woodcarvings, thangka and paubha paintings, and handmade paper. Workshops in the lanes around the square let you watch carvers at work. Several cafés with upper-floor terraces look out over the square.