PATAN MUSEUM

Situated in the Keshav Narayan Chowk on the northernmost side of the Patan Durbar Square, the Patan Museum is a repository of various artefacts that exhibit the significance and diversity of Hinduism and Buddhism, keeping Nepal's rich culture and history in the backdrop. While the palace was built in 1734, it suffered major damage in the 1934 earthquake. Eventually, its restoration began in 1982, and the museum was inaugurated in 1997. Gotz Hagmuller, an Austrian architect, was at the forefront of the preservation work of the Patan Royal Palace and converting it into the museum we see today. The first and second floors were converted into exhibition spaces for the museum whereas the galleries on the top floor and the attics were restored with substantial remodelling based on the original design from the pre-earthquake photographs. 

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The palace complex is built around three major courtyards - Sundari Chowk, Mul Chowk, and Keshav Narayan Chowk. The palace unveils itself in multiple layers characterised by the play of light and shadow, transitioning through the built spaces and the courtyards. The renovation of the museum by Götz Hagmüller is inspired by the work of Carlo Scarpa who has repaired and restored historical buildings in Italy. Like Scarpa’s work, Hagmullerr juxtaposes old and new materials  in the museum through a set of meticulous and poetic details. The ground floor houses the museum shop and administration along with arcades surrounding the courtyard on the three sides. Such walkways keep the essence of Old Patan's houses and monasteries alive, as seen through its patis and mandapas. The timber staircases, latticed windows, doors, railings, brackets, and jambs are restored to their original features, displaying the elaborate details of Newari craftsmanship. The internal staircases connect the exhibition spaces to the top-floor viewing gallery that opens to the entire Durbar Square. The interiors of the gallery, in contrast to the outer spaces, are rather subtle without any decorative elements, or "historic pastiche" as Gotz Hagmuller describes it. The use of the original thick load-bearing walls as niches for exhibiting the artefacts emphasises the basic aspects of the Hindu-Buddhist iconography between the plain walls and the meticulous lighting of the gallery.  

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Being the centre of royal power, the urban transformation of Durbar Square revolved around this palace, and hence it is associated with many myths and legends. The locals strongly believe in these myths, and the rituals linked  to  these  are  still  followed. An  example  of  the