Just 14 kilometer east of Kathmandu, but still within the valley, is another ancient town known as Bhaktapur. Shaped like a conch-shell within an area of 6 square kilometer, the city of Bhaktapur is not as affected by modern development as Patan and Kathmandu are. Home to medieval art and architecture, Bhaktapur means "city of devotees".

Wandering around Bhaktapur can be a pleasant experience since there is very little vehicular traffic, and in some areas, totally nonexistent. Pottery, weaving, and farming, the typical industries of this city left behind by time, are sill practiced with the traditional methods passed through generations since medieval times.

As in Kathmandu and Patan, Bhaktapur too was ruled by the ancient Malla dynasty, and as such it too boasts a Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The precincts of Durbar Square is more spacious and less crowded with temples. But this has nothing to with lack to devotional vigour among Bhaktapur's rulers. Like the other Durbar squares, Bhaktapur too was once packed with temples. It was the Great Earthquake of 1934 that destroyed most of the monuments.

The main entrance to the Durbar Square is from the western end where two large stone lions stand guard. The statue of King Bhupatindra Malla in the act of worship is mounted on a column facing the Golden Gate and the palace with 55 windows. Among the countless number of statues in Nepal, this life-sized gilded model is considered to be among the finest.

The Royal Palace of Bhaktapur was founded by Yakchhya Malla but consecutive additions were made gradually by all his successors, most of all by Bhupatindra Malla. Originally said to consist of 99 courtyards, only seven remain today. Today, a National Art Gallery exists in one of the courtyards whose entrance is adorned with the attractive stone figures of Hanuman, the monkey god, Bhairab and Narasingh, the half-man-lion god.

The Golden Gate is the entrance to the main courtyard of the Palace of 55 Windows. Built by Bhupatindra Malla but completed by King Jaya Ranjit Malla in 1754, it is considered the single most precious object d'art in the Kathmandu valley. The door is surmounted by figures of Goddess Kali and Garuda, the winged carrier of Lord Vishnu attended by two sky nymphs.