Durbar Square is the emotional hub of Kathmandu. This is what everyone gravitates towards, and it's easy to spend hours just walking around, acquiring a feel of the city. The area is made up of three loosely linked squares - Basantapur Square to the south, the main Durbar Square area to the west, and the second part of the Durbar Square with the old Royal Palace and an assortment of temples to the northeast.

The focal point of the square is Hanuman Dhoka - the old durbar. Statues of Hanuman, the monkey god who remained zealously by the side of Rama in the Ramayana, are often used to guard important entrances. The statue guarding Kathmandu's old Royal Palace has even given the palace its name. The Old Royal Palace was originally founded during the Licchavi period but what stands today, was constructed by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century. It was renovated several times in later years. The oldest parts - Sundari Chowk and Mohan Chowk - are now both closed.

Inside Hanuman Dhoka palace lies Nasal Chowk, which over the centuries has served as a royal theatre for dance dramas, a meeting place for the king and his subjects and the coronation site of the Shah kings. King Birendra was crowned in 1975 on the platform in the center of the courtyard. Nasal means 'dancing one', and the courtyard is named for the Dancing Shiva inside the whitewashed chamber on the eastern side of the square. A stone statue of Narsimha (Vishnu in his man-lion incarnation) shown killing a demon, was erected by Pratap Malla in 1673. The Kabindrapur Temple in Durbar Square was also built to propitiate Vishnu. The Audience Chamber of the Malla kings is an open veranda that houses the Malla throne and portraits of the Shah kings. An elaborate gilt image of Mahavishnu embracing Lakshmi was retrieved from the rubble when the Mahavishnu Temple in the square was struck by earthquake in 1934. It now takes pride of place in a glass case along the eastern wall.

The Panch Mukhi Hanuman Temple, with its five circular roofs, stands at the northeastern corner of Nasal Chowk. Hanuman is worshipped here but only the priests of the temple may enter it.

The nine-storeyed Basantapur Tower was constructed by King Prithvi Narayan Shah around Lohan Chowk and was extensively restored prior to King Birendra's coronation. A series of stairs lead up to the top of the tower, which affords superb views of the palace and the city. The struts along the façade of the tower, particularly those facing out to Basantapur Square, are decorated with erotic carvings. The stone-paved Chowk has three other towers at its corners - the copper-roofed Kirtipur Tower, octagonal Bhaktapur Tower and the square Lalitpur Tower - each sponsored by former kingdoms of the Valley in recognition of their unification. Between the Lalitpur Tower and the Basantapur Tower is the three-storeyed Vilas Mandir, 'Temple of Luxury', adorned with finely carved woodwork.

Mul Chowk, a courtyard completely dedicated to Taleju Bhawani, the royal goddess of the Mallas, is built like a vihara (dwelling place for Buddhist monks), with a two-storeyed building surrounding it. Sacrifices to the goddess are made in the center of the courtyard during the festival of Dasain. The river goddesses Ganga and Jamuna guard the golden temple doorway, which is topped by a golden torana.

The exquisite triple-roofed Degutaleju Temple, another private shrine of the Malla rulers, starts from above the common buildings it surmounts. Opposite is King Pratap Malla's Column, a gilt statue of King Pratap Malla kneeling in prayer, surrounded by images of his sons and wives. The column, erected in 1670, started a trend, as the rulers of other kingdoms in the Valley promptly immortalized themselves on top of pillars raised in their own Durbar Squares. The area is usually covered with flocks of pigeons and you can buy packets of grain to feed them.

The ferocious mask of Seto Bhairab is an enormous piece of metalwork commissioned in 1796 to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. It is displayed once a year during the festival of Indra Jatra, when people jostle for a mouthful of the rice beer gushing from a pipe stuck between the Bhairab's teeth. During the rest of the year the mask is hidden behind a red-painted wooden lattice screen.

Behind the Seto Bhairab is the representation of the Kala Bhairab, a huge stone image of Shiva in his most fearsome aspect. With its six arms and garland of skulls, it is a terrifying symbol of mankind's ignorance. Supposedly, whoever tells a lie in front of the image will die immediately, a belief once used to wring the truth out of suspected criminals.

The mysterious Indrapur Temple stands immediately to the east of the Kala Bhairab. Little is known about its history, including to which deity it was originally meant to be dedicated - the lingam inside indicates Shiva; the Garuda image half-buried on its southern side indicates Vishnu; and the name indicates Indra!

North of the triple-roofed Vishnu Temple adjoining the Indrapur Temple, is the Kakeshwar Temple built in 1681 and rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake. The temple is a strange combination of styles - part Nepali and part Indian shikhara.

A stone inscription to the goddess Kalika is written in 15 languages, including French, on the outside of the palace wall. The inscription dating back to 1664 was set up by King Pratap Malla, who was renowned for his scholastic abilities. Legend has it that milk will flow from the spout in the middle if anyone is able to read all the languages.

The Jagannath Temple probably dates back to 1563 to the rule of Mahendra Malla, although Pratap Malla claimed to have constructed it. The temple, with a three-tiered platform and two storeys, is known for its erotic carvings and is the oldest monument in this part of the square.

Mohan Chowk, situated north of Nasal Chowk, was constructed in 1649. At one time, a Malla king had to be born here to be eligible to wear the crown. The last Malla king, Jaya Prakash Malla, actually had difficulties during his reign because he wasn't born here, despite the fact that he was the legitimate heir to the throne. The richly sculpted golden waterspout known as Sun Dhara lies in the center of the courtyard and delivers water from Budhanilkantha which the kings used for their ritual baths every morning. The courtyard has four towers at its corners.

The credit for constructing the part of the palace west of Nasal Chowk overlooking the main Durbar Square area goes to the Rana rulers. It is now home to the Tribhuvan Museum, which is a must-see for anyone with an interest in modern Nepali history. There are lots of newspaper clippings, some magnificent thrones, stone carvings, and even a coin collection. Trivia from the royal life includes stuffed pets, boxing gloves and a drained aquarium.

The Kasthamandap or 'House of Wood', lies in the southwestern corner of the Durbar Square. It is this structure that gave Kathmandu its name. The history of the Kasthamandap is uncertain, but it was possibly constructed in the 12th century. According to legend, the entire building was built from the wood of a single sal tree. It was originally intended to function as a community center where visitors gathered before a major ceremony, but was later converted to a temple. The ground floor, with its small shrine to Gorakhnath, the patron of the Shah kings, is a favourite venue for religious meetings. Also on this square lies the Kabindrapur, built by Pratap Malla in 1673, with an image of Nasadyo, the dancing Shiva, inside.

The Ashok Binayak or Maru Ganesh Shrine stands on the northern side of the Kasthamandap. Though small, it is renowned as one of the Valley's four most auspicious Ganesh temples, and crowds of people step in to ensure safety on a forthcoming journey. The brightly gilded little pagoda houses a stone image of Ganesh beneath a gilded ashoka tree. Across the way is a charming larger-than-life brass image of Ganesh's mount, the rat.

Maru Tole leads down to the Vishnumati River. The place used to be a bustling one during the flower power era, but is now much quieter and cleaner. Maru Hiti, one of the finest sunken water conduits in the city is located here.

Maju Deval, a temple dedicated to Shiva, provides a fascinating overview of the busy square. Its nine-stage platform is one of the most popular meeting places in the city. This triple-roofed temple with erotic carvings, was built by the mother of King Bhupatindra Malla of Bhaktapur in 1690. Although it houses a well-known Shiva lingam, the temple has a pinnacle shaped like a Buddhist stupa. Another small temple dedicated to Kam Dev, Shiva's companion, is built at the bottom of its stairway.

Another temple standing in the open area of the square is the Trailokya Mohan Narayan Temple built by Prithvibendra Malla in 1680. The massive stone Garuda kneeling in front of it immediately indicates that it is dedicated to Vishnu or Narayan. Look for the carved images on the roof struts and the decoratively carved medallions on the window screens.

The Shiva-Parvati Temple is a rectangular wooden shrine dedicated to and depicting the nine Navadurga goddesses. Brightly painted wooden images of Shiva and Parvati peer at the comings and goings below them from an upper window. The temple was built in the late 1700s by Bahadur Shah,son of Prithvi Narayan Shah. It is not very old by Kathmandu standards, but the two-stage platform on which it stands may have been an open dancing stage hundreds of years earlier. A Vishnu temple stands to one side of it.

The Kumari Ghar or 'House of the Living Goddess' at the junction of Durbar and Basantpur squares, is the abode of the young Newari girl worshipped as the embodiment of the Hindu Goddess Taleju, a manifestation of Goddess Durga. Built in the style of a Buddhist bahal by Jaya Prakash Malla in 1757, the Kumari Ghar is adorned with elaborate woodcarvings depicting Hindu mythology. The building faces Durbar Square and is guarded by stone lions in front of the doorway. Inside the building, the three-storeyed courtyard known as the Kumari Chowk is enclosed by magnificently carved wooden balconies and windows. A miniature stupa carrying the symbols of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, stands in the courtyard. The Kumari selected to be the living goddess must be within the age of four and puberty. A huge chariot takes her around Kathmandu once a year, a festival begun during the reign of Jaya Prakash Malla. The Kumari's reign ends when she reaches puberty or if she bleeds due to any other reason.

The east side of the square is dominated by the dazzling white façade of Gaddi Baithak, a turn-of-the-century addition to the royal palace modeled on London's National Gallery. It was built during the Rana period and its imported European style makes a strange contrast to the traditional Nepali architecture that dominates the square.

The golden-roofed Bhagwati Temple next to the Gaddi Baithak is best viewed from the Maju Deval across the square. King Jagat Jaya Malla had the original temple built for Lord Narayan but the image was stolen in 1766. When Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the Valley two years later, he substituted it with an image of the goddess Bhagwati. The image is taken to the village of Nuwakot, 65 kilometres to the north each year in April, then returned a few days later.

The Great Bell in front of the palace was erected by Rana Bahadur Shah,son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, in 1797. The bell's ring is believed to drive off evil spirits, but it is only rung during puja (worship) at the Degutaleju Temple. Next to the Great Bell is a small stone Vishnu temple about which very little is known. It was seriously damaged during the earthquake of 1937 and has only recently been restored. The Saraswati Temple close by also suffered badly from the earthquake, and little is known about its history.

The unusual,octagonal Krishna Temple was built in 1648 by Pratap Malla. Inside, there are images of Krishna and two goddesses who the Sanskrit inscription claims are modeled on the king and his wives. Just beyond are the Great Drums to which a goat and a buffalo must be sacrificed twice a year. Beyond the police headquarters is Kot Square, where Jung Bahadur Rana perpetrated the infamous 1846 massacre that led to a hundred years of Rana rule. Hundreds of buffaloes and goats are still sacrificed here during the Durga Puja festival every year.

The Kotilingeshwar Mahadev Temple dates back from the reign of Mahendra Malla in the 16th century. The bull facing it indicates that it is a Shiva temple.

The Mahendreshwar Temple, dating from 1561 during Mahendra Malla's reign, is located at the extreme north end of the square. It was restored in 1963 and is a Shiva temple, as the images of Shiva's bull Nandi and his companion, Kam Dev, indicate. The temple has a wide, two-level plinth and a spire topped by a golden umbrella.