Patan durbar square is situated at the heart of lalitpur district which reflects various ancient sculptures, monuments, traditional carvings and its architecture design through the wooden crafting crafted by our ancestors. This site is popular for temples, shrines, statues, festivals, culture etc. which throwback our old age craftsmanship. This crafting is still alive and one can easily visit this area walking through the narrow alleys of patan. We can hear the tapping and hammering sound from the craftsman working on this site. Lalitpur is the second largest town of Kathmandu valley which is separated by holy Bagmati river from Kathmandu city. It is around 5 km away from the kathmandu.

During the King Ashoka time of valley visit, several buddhist stupas were built in 250 BC which marks the boundary area of the Patan. There are four ancient stupas resembling the four corners of Patan. It is believed that these stupas were developed under the supervision of King Ashoka and buddhism began to flourish at that very time. The stupas stand firmly at Gwarko (East), Pulchowk (West), Kumbeshwar (North) and Lagankhel (South) till now.

This site consists of different Newari architectural design, renowned palace, artistic courtyards and graceful pagoda style temples. The display of Newari architecture reached its pinnacle during the reign of  Malla kings. Certain transitions were done such as the renovated Keshav Narayan Chowk is now converted into a bronze artifact museum. The Sundari Chowk with the sunken bath of Tusha Hiti is a showcase of exquisite wood carvings, and stone and metal sculptures. 

The magnificent architecture of Krishna Mandir with the 21 gilded spires was built in 1637 whereas the Manga Hiti, the sunken stone water spout, found in the palace complex are but a few examples of its opulence. The Krishna Temple, built entirely of stone, is said to be the first specimen of Shikhara-style architecture in Nepal. 

Some of the important architectural sites in this area are listed below.

Mahabouddha: It is located to the east of Patan Durbar Square, an exceptional Buddhist monument reflecting terracotta art form. The 14th century architectural masterpiece is engraved with thousands of images of Lord Buddha.

Rura Varna Mahavir: It is also called as Uku Bahal and is located near Mahabouddha containing several amazing collections of images and statues with a crafted design in metal, stone and wood. The stone-paved courtyard is enclosed by a two-story building with gilded roofs. During the ancient time, Kings were crowned in this monastery and still the treasures offered by the devotee are available here.

Hiranya Varna Mahavir: It is also known as Golden Temple dating from 12th century, the three-storied shrine, houses and image of Buddha inside the courtyard Kwa Bahal. The monastery is popular for its fine wood carvings and repousse work. One can easily visit this site walking 5 minutes toward west and north from the northern end of the durbar square.

Kumbeshwar: This is the temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva which consists of a five storied pagoda in Patan. It was built in 1932 and is said to have its source in the Gosaikunda lake situated in the northern part of Kathmandu.

Jagat Narayan: The temple is located near the banks of Bagmati river at Sankhamul is a tall Shikara style design dedicated to Lord Vishnu consisting various images built from red bricks. An attractive metal statue of Garuda mounted on a stone monolith is accompanied by several images of Lord Ganesh and Hanumanji.

Ashoka stupas: There are four stupas and it is believed that it was built by Emperor Ashoka of India in 250 BC, marking the four corners of the patan. They are located at Pulchowk, Lagankhel, Ibahi and in Teta (way to Sano Gaun) respectively. During the time of construction Buddhism was flourishing and its teachings came into introduction.

Tibetan Camp: The camp is located on the edge of the patan and is the main tourist spot. There are numerous items selling on the shops such as hand woven woollen carpets and handicrafts like prayer wheels, belt buckles, wooden bowls, and jewelry. It also features stupa and several shrines.

Patan industrial estate: This industrial estate is situated at Satdobato near Lagankhel and is famous for wood carvings, metal craft, handwoven woolen carpets and Thangka paintings.