INTRODUCTION

Bhaktapur(is also known as khwopa)is world renowned for its hist

orical art, fantastic culture and its lifestyle. For its monarchy m

on

uments, colorful and enjoyable festivals and the Newars best

known for their long history of wooden temples and houses, Bhaktapur is also variously known as the "City of Cult

ure", the "Living Heritage" and "Nepal’s Cultural Gem". Given such unequaled opulence in ancient art and culture, Bhaktapur is more like an open museum, and the ambiance here i

s such that it instantly transports visitors back by centuries the moment they step into its territory.

Bhaktapur has its symbolism in the Durbar Square is also listed by UNESCO in world heritage sitea. With unique palaces, temple

s and monasteries best admired for their ancient artworks in wood, metal and stone which is attracting travelers for cent

uries. Yet, they are not all though. Adding to the mesmerizing environments in the holy Himalaya that makes the city beautiful. Stretching all along the township, the panoramic Himalaya levitates in the skyline as if to keep vigilance on the city’s enviable beauty and splendor.
Bhaktapur, at 1,401 meters above sea level over and 6.88 square kilometers away from kathmandu. It grows from a collection of villages strung along the old it also the heart of nepal.

MONUMENTS

Monumental masterpieces in Bhaktapur are innumerable, and each is more attractive than the other. Mostly terra-cotta structures supported by carved wooden columns, elaborately carved struts, windows and doors, gilded roofs and pinnacles, open spacious courts all around and, above all, the fascinating divine images presiding over the monument—many edifices have many things in common, yet their varied shape, size and designs make the one even more wondrous than the other. Furthermore, each of their components reflects the religious belief, social outlook and the economic status of the builders, and the monuments in all carry along a rich artistic tradition of the native Newars.

In Bhaktapur, visitors confront a smaller or larger monument almost at every ten or twenty steps. Perhaps stunned by the clusters of monuments, a visitor in the past had admired the Kathmandu Valley, saying that "every other building (in the Valley) is a temple and every other day a festival". The proportion, owing to continual external invasions and natural calamities, might have changed over centuries, yet the presence of variously shaped and sized monuments in Bhaktapur is still awe-inspiring. The world-famous Nyataponla Temple, Bhairavnath Temple, Taleju Temple, 55-Window Palace, Golden Gate, Golden Faucet, Big Bell, Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple, Dattatreya Temple, Peacock Window, Taja Math, Pujari Math, Wakupati Narayan Temple, Nava Durga Temple, Chandeswori Temple, Barahi Temple, Bharbacho Gate, Terra-cotta Windows and Nepal’s largest Shiva Lingum at Hanumanghat, and such historic ponds as Ta-Pukhu, Na-Pukhu, Bhajya-Pukhu and Bahre-Pukhu (Kamal Pokhari) are simply a few among many that embellish the city’s brick- and stone-paved squares, courtyards and open fields. Besides, the presence of a great many Buddhist monuments, many of them rubbing shoulders with Hindu shrines, simply reaffirms the age-old Nepalese tradition of social harmony and religious tolerance among its peace-loving populace. Because of this time-tested tradition, Bhaktapur’s well known Lokeswor Mahavihar, Prasannasheel Mahavihar, Chatu Brahma Mahavihar, Jaya Kirti Mahavihar, Sukra-varna Mahavihar, Dipanker Mahavihar and many other Buddhist shrines have been the places of esteem and adoration for the Hindus alike.

CULTURE & FESTIVALS

The cultural traditions of Bhaktapur are no less glorious than its artistic masterpieces. The ancient ritual dances and festivals here are observed with the same fervor and enthusiasm as they were centuries ago. Consequently, the city is still a venue for a great many festivals and cultural dances, many of them as unique as the city itself. While Bhaktapur’s Gai-Jatra (July/August) and the tantrically-inspired Nava Durga Dance (October-June), which is comprised of the city’s protectress deities, are the "only ones of their kinds" in Nepal, the Biska Jatra (April), one of Nepal’s greatest and most exciting festivals, is the only such event observed according to the official solar calendar.
Gai- jatra

Biska jatra

HANDICRAFTS

Besides the physical monuments and cultural festivities, the Newars of Bhaktapur have also inherited a long history of craftsmanship. It is here where visitors can have rare close-up views of Nepal’s master craftsmen giving continuity to their time-honored traditions of art. In its two famed Pottery Squares, they can see potters giving shape to lumps of clay on their traditional wooden wheels. Besides, they also encounter the city’s well-acclaimed artisans who, with their wondrously skilled hands, produce a great variety of handicrafts. Bhaktapur’s indigenous handicraft varieties include paubha scroll paintings, papier-mâché masks, cotton cloth, woodcarvings, metalwork, jewelry and ceramic products. In addition, the home-spun haku-patasi (black sari), black cap and the delicious Juju-dhau, literally the "King of all yogurt varieties", have also made this city a favored spot for tourists and the Nepalese alike.

Newari Dress and Ornaments

The dress of Jyapu men and women is an exception to general Newar costumes. They wear their own home-made garments from homespun cotton materials.
The women have black saris with red bordering, their blouses are of finely woven cotton material, and huge waist bands of plain cotton complete the costume. The style of wearing the sari varies from the standard of other Newar communities. Furthermore, Jyapu women have tattoos on their calves and ankles, which are exposed while wearing the sari, and they ornament themselves with gold earrings and silver necklaces.

Among the various ornaments worn by Newars, the one that distinctly stand out are, "Loonswan" which is a gold plate worn at the center of the head with superb designs all over with a coral containing an image of Lord Ganesh in the middle.

A huge golden necklace known as "Tayo" which hold significant meanings is also important.

A "Ghau", which is golden pendant with stones joined to the necklace is also impressive.


"Kilip" as the name suggest is worn at the back of the head. The word probably came from the english word 'clip'.

Te "Teek Ma" is another elaborate pieceworn on the head. It has many small strings attached to a point and is worn on the side.

Beside these, some of the commonly worn ornaments are "Patachin shikha" or a simple gold necklace, "Company shika" which is a necklace made of coins, and "Bhimpuma", another necklace made of coral.

The earrings are u-shaped and are called "Makansi". The hand are adorned with gold rings and bangles.

"kalli" which is usually made of silver is also worn around the ankles.

The Jyapu woman is kept busy throughout the year because of her obligation to weave all the cotton material for family clothing requirements, in addition to her responsibilities in the family fields.




Jyapu men wear the Nepali suit without the western suit jacket which is seen so often on other Nepali men. Instead, they wear a waist-band of plain white cotton material and a waistcoat of their own style, which is slightly different form the western one.

Newari Traditional Music

Newar Music is a traditional music developed in Nepal by the Newars. It mainly consists of percussion instruments, some wind instruments and no string instruments.

Instruments
The instruments can be categorized as

1.Membranophones: Dhimay, Pachhima, Khin, Kwonchakhin, Damakhin, Dhaa, Nayekhin,Dholak, Nagara, Kal dab dab
2.Chordophones: Piwancha
3.Aerophones: Bansuri, Baye, Mwaali, Ponga, Kaahan
4.Idiophones: Taa, Babhu, Chhusyaa, Kaynpin, Bhusyaa
Traditional music
The traditional Newar music have been arranged into a particular schedule. One of the dominant forms of traditional Newar music is 'Dapha'. Dapha music is a classical newar music that probably originated during late 'Lichhavi Period' and flourished in the 'Malla period'. Basically, the songs of Dapha music are devotional songs based on classical ragas. Dapha music is played by bands known as 'Dapha Khalah' that may be associated with a traditional groups called 'guthi'. According to the ragas certain songs are played at certain season or time of day. The songs generally narrate or depict the mood of the particular season.

Season Festival
Song

Grishma (Summer)
Sithinakha to Gathāmuga Chare
Sinjyā

Warshā (Monsoon)
Gathāmuga Chare to Yanlā Punhi
Tukājyā

Sharad

Silu mye

Hemant
Dashian (Mohanee)
Mālshree

Shishir

Holi mye

Basanta
Shree panchami(Basanta panchami) to Buddha Jayantee



Besides these, there are certain pieces played at particular time of day.


Rāg Time of day

Kola
Midnight to 1 am

Namāmi
1 am to 2 am

Mālawā
2 am to 3 am

Bihan chuli
3 am to 5 am

Bhakta
5 am to 7 am

Jayashree
7 am to 9 am

Māluwā
9 am to Noon

Bibhaash
Noon to 1 pm

Āsāwari
1 pm to 2 pm

Padmajati
2 pm to 3 pm

Deshā
3 pm to 4 pm

Kausi
4 pm to 6 pm

Kedār
6 pm to 7 pm

Wijaya
7 pm to 10 pm

Wimāsa
10 pm to 11 pm

Nāya
11 pm to Midnight

Ranjana script

Origin
The Ranjana script, which is also known as Kutila or Lantsa, is one of the many alphabets derived from the Brahmi script. It developed during the 11th century AD and was used until the mid-20th century in India and Nepal by the Newar people to write the Newar language.

Tibetans use this script, which they call Lantsa, for writing the Sanskrit titles of books which have been translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan, and for decoration in temples and mandalas. There are also a few texts printed with alternating lines in Sanskrit in theLantsa script followed by a Tibetan translation. There were many original Sanskrit manuscripts written in Lantsa preserved in the old monasteries of Tibet but most of these were destroyed following the Chinese take-over.

In addition, the Ranjana script is/was used mainly for decoration by Buddhists in China, Mongolia and Japan.
Notable features
Ranjana is a syllabic alphabet - each letter has an inherent vowel [a]. Other vowels can be indicated using a separate letters or diacritics.
Used to write:
Nepal Bhasa (Newah Bhaye/Newar), a member of the Tibeto-Burman group of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Nepal and India by about 775,000 people. Nepal Bhasa is also written with the Devanagari alphabet.
Also used to write Sanskrit, the classical language of India.