A Newar city- traditional houses, bricked roads, dark wood frames, the sound of bells and the smell of incents. These cities have seen the rise and fall of great empires. Time flies by everywhere but inside the city. Situated about 30 kilometres southeast of Kathmandu is Panauti, a city that dates back to the 13th century or before. Bright green farms at the outskirts of the valley and the sacred Punyamati and Roshi rivers encompass this city.
A 17th-century temple dedicated to Brahmayani lies at the edge. The path from it leads to a suspension bridge across the Punyamati river. It is as though the bridge is a time travel tunnel leading you to a city that has survived its cultural essence through the austerity of time.
Origin of the city
“This younger brother (Ananda Malla,) being very generous and wise, gave up the sovereignty over the two cities, and having invoked Annapurna Devi from Kasi founded a city of 12,000 houses which he named Bhaktapur(Bhatgaon) and included sixty small village in his territory.After this, the Raja having obtained the favour and directions of Chandeswari, founded seven towns; viz. Banepur (Banepa) near Chandeswari Pitha, Panavati (Panauti), near the Pragaga Tirtha of Nepal, celebrated in the Shastras on the site where Panchala-des formerly stood, Nala, near Nala Bhagavati, Dhaukhle near Narayana; Khapu near Dhaneswari, Chaukot near the residence of Chankora Rishi; Sanga near Nasika Pitha.” - Wright 1877: 163
King Bhupatindra Malla presented this state as dowry to his sister in the 17th century.
Temples and Monuments
This town was a state with its kingship in the Malla era. It features a lyakhu (Durbar) in the centre. Today, in the central vicinity, the city boasts a beautiful museum (Panauti Museum). The space features numerous artefacts found in the town. The town is also an open-air museum. It features more than 40 temples, open squares and various other heritages.
The tallest temple in Panauti is of Indreshwar. The elders speak of how the linga (a monolithic idol symbolised as Lord Shiva) was created by Lord Indra. The construction of the temple dates back to the 1200s. This three-storied pagoda is rich in wood carving and ancient artefacts that warmly sit beneath its warm and peaceful atmosphere. Various smaller temples surround the main temple.
Towards the south of the city lies Unmatta Bhairab Temple. It is a one-storied temple with three human figures in its three windows representing the King, a saint, and devotees of the deity. A temple dedicated to god Naryan, the preserver, is also found in this area.
Festivals and Dances
Panauti Jatra, is the most symbolic in the city. It is held every year from the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Jestha and continues till the full moon- Panauti Punhi/ Jya Punhi. The chief gods and goddesses of the town are placed on palanquins and brought to the lyakhu. The chariot festival commences during the evening of the first day. The procession features unique chariots- an open roof chariot, pagoda chariot and a peculiar cross bamboo construction with a structure similar to a birdhouse, is placed in the centre.
As the city is a sound amalgam of both Hinduism and Buddhism, the people celebrate majority of the festivals alike their neighbouring cities.
Panauti Today
Today, Panauti still stands with its cultural and historical pride flourishing through its streets, houses, and temples. It is a real-life reflection of how the Kathmandu Valley used to look decades ago.
The lost lustre of this town is slowly but steadily returning. Post the construction of the Arniko Highway and the end of salt trading in the mid-20th-century economic stagnation plagued the city. Once a prominent hub between the trade route between India and Tibet, the cities glory came from commerce and hospitality.
Local and state efforts have allowed the same spirit to rekindle in the town. The growth of infrastructure for hospitality and tourism is breathing life back into this beautiful arcane city.
