Patan has always been the art capital of Nepal, and while people in the valley will always argue over which city does it best, I have always appreciated Patan’s art and architecture the most.
Around 2009 or 2010, we went on a school field trip to Patan. Back then, most of the museum was closed for renovation, so we spent our time wandering Patan Durbar Square. A museum staff member quietly offered to take a few students inside, probably fewer than six of us, and I jumped at the chance immediately. He led us into this courtyard, and the entire space felt completely different. As a 15-year-old, I was in total awe. It felt like an exclusive look into something hidden from the public, and the architecture and history completely blew my mind. Nepal has always been known for its spiritual roots and figures like the Buddha, but we also had rulers like the fascinating king who built this courtyard.
This is Sundari Chowk in Patan, built in the 17th century by the ascetic Malla dynasty king, Siddhi Narsingh Malla.
The courtyard centers around Tusha Hiti, a sunken stone basin guarded by a carved serpent and lined with exactly 72 miniature shrines. Historical guides, including the museum staff member who showed us around that day, often call this a royal bath. Looking at it, that makes very little sense. Splashing dirty bathwater onto sacred statues would be completely unthinkable for a devout king. The space was almost certainly used for ritualistic oblations or purification.
Just steps away is the king’s solid stone bed. He used this slab for extreme physical penance to master his senses. During the freezing winter, he would sleep completely naked on the cold stone, and in the peak of summer, he would sleep on the same bed surrounded by open fires. The entire courtyard remains a physical record of a king who stripped away royal comfort and turned his palace into a place of intense spiritual discipline.
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