r), city (1991 pop. 115,865), central Nepal, in the Katmandu valley, c.4,000 ft (1,220 m) above sea level. Agriculture and grazing are important in the surrounding area. The city is the center of the Banra sect of goldsmiths and silversmiths. Founded in the 7th cent., Patan is the oldest of Nepal's chief cities. It was the capital of a Nepali kingdom from the 17th cent. until captured and plundered by the Gurkhas under Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768. Its decline continued with the rise in importance of Katmandu. According to legend, the Indian Maurya emperor Asoka visited the area c.250 B.C. and built the four stupas that still stand on the four sides of Patan.Patan
a city in the Valley of Nepal (the Katmandu Valley), Nepal, situated on the Bagmatti River south of Katmandu. Population (with suburbs), 135,200 (1970). There is cottage-industry production of fabrics, rugs, and metal goods, as well as wood carving. There is a brick-and-tile plant outside the city. Patan also has a zoo. It is one of the oldest cities in Nepal, founded in the third century B.C.
Patan has retained its medieval aspect, with narrow streets, small squares, and two- and three-story brick buildings with exquisite carved-wood ornamentation. On or near the Durbar Square are a royal palace (ninth to 17th centuries); the towerlike temples of Krishna Mandir (15th—17th centuries), which are surrounded by three tiers of galleries with pavilions and balustrades, and Mahabuddha (16th century), which is faced with terra-cotta tiles bearing reliefs on subjects from the life of Buddha; and the Mahendranath Temple (early 15th century). Patan also is the site of the Golden Monastery, which was founded in the 12th century and is known for its frescoes and its collection of Nepali sculpture and decorative and applied arts.
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