This medieval palace complex situated in the heart of the city consists of spectacular m?lange of palace buildings, artistic courtyards and graceful multi-tiered temples. This former royal palace complex is still the centre of Patan's religious and social life that one can experience at different times of the day. There are three main courtyards or chowks in the palace complex, Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk and Keshav Narayan Chowk.
This palace complex along with the other monuments and vernacular buildings surrounding it forms the Patan Monument Zone, one of the seven monument zones included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This central courtyard is the largest and oldest of the palace’s three main chowks. Two stone lions guard the entrance to the courtyard which was built by Siddhinarsingh Malla, destroyed in a fire in 1662 and rebuilt by Srinivasa Malla in 1665-66.At the centre of the courtyard stands the small gilded Bidya Temple said to exist before the courtyard was built around it.

Krishna Mandir is Nepal's finest piece of stone architecture. Siddhinarsingh Malla, a passionate devotee of Lord Krishna, built this temple in the 17th century when he dreamt of Krishna and Radha?s union at this spot. This magnificent temple is a delicate, airy creation which defies its heavy material. The first storey of the temple consists of scenes from the Hindu epic Mahabharata; the second storey pavilions are banded by friezes from the Ramayana. Atop a stone pillar in front, a brilliantly executed large metal Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Krishna kneels in homage.

The five-storey pagoda of Kumbeshwor is one of the oldest temples of Patan. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was originally constructed in 1392 as a two storied shrine, but later in the 17th century Srinivasa Malla added the upper three tiers of the temple. This is the older of the two five-storied temples in Kathmandu (the other is the more famous Bhaktapur's Nyatpola).
There are numerous statues and sculptures around the courtyard dating from a number of Nepali dynasties, from the Lichhavis to the Mallas, including a particularly fine Ganesh figure. The main temple is dedicated to Shiva as indicated by the large Nandi (bull) facing the temple inside the main entrance. The temple complex has two ponds whose water is said to come straight from the holy lake at Gosainkunda, which lies several days' walk north of Kathmandu. An annual ritual bath in the Kumveshwore Temple’s tank is claimed to be as meritorious as making the arduous walk to Gosainkunda.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the temple during the Janai Purnima festival in July and August each year to worship the silver and gold lingam which is set up in the tank while members of the Brahmin and Chhetri castes replace the sacred thread they wear looped over their left shoulder. Jhankris (sorcerers) also participate in this festival beating drums and wearing colourful headdresses and skirts dancing around the temple to complete the dramatic scene.
On the southern side of the temple complex is the single storey shrine of goddess Baglamukhi with green painted woodwork. The goddess Baglamukhi is embodied in a tiny image beneath an elaborate silver torana and canopy of snakes. Baglamukhi is considered as the wish-fulfilling goddess. Many devotees visit the temple with hopes that their wishes get rewarded and fulfilled by goddess Baglamukhi at one point of their life. The temple is unusually crowded by many devotees on every Thursdays of the week.

The Red Machhendranath temple was built in 1408 AD and is situated in Tabahal. For six months the deity is taken to its other shrine in Bungamati. The Rato (Red) Machhendranath temple, the god of rain and abundance comes in a variety of incarnations. To Buddhists, he is the Tantric side of Avalokiteshvara while to Hindus he is another face of Shiva. The temple has four elaborately carved doorways that are each guarded by lion figures and at ground level on the four corners of the temple plinth are reliefs of monkeys. The metal roof is supported by struts, each showing Avalokiteshvara standing above figures being tortured in hell. Prayer wheels are set into the base of the temple. The Machhendranath image is just a crudely carved piece of red-painted wood, but each year during the month-long Rato Machhendranath celebrations it is paraded around the town on a large temple chariot. The complex celebration moves the image from place to place over a period of several weeks in the month of Baishakh (April/May), finally ending at Jawalakhel where the chariot is dismantled. Once every twelve years, the chariot is pulled all the way from the ancient city of Bungamati and is continued through the narrow lanes on Patan to be once again pulled to Bungamati where the procession finally ends.

Minnath temple is a two storey temple dedicated to a Buddhist Bodhisattva who is considered to be the brother of Rato Machhendranath. The Minnath image is also towed around town during the Rato Machhendranath festival, but in a much smaller chariot. The temple originally dates from the Licchavi Period but has undergone several resent restorations and ‘improvements’ and has roof struts carved with figures of multi-armed goddesses, all extraordinarily brightly painted. A large prayer wheel stands in a cage beside the temple.

The Temple of the thousand Buddha (Mahabouddha Temple) is a Shikhara-style temple, modeled after the Mahabouddha temple at Bodhgaya in India, where the Buddha gained enlightenment. The temple takes its name from the terracotta tiles covering it, each bearing an image of the Buddha. It is believed to have originally been built in 1585 although some sources suggest an earlier date. It suffered severe damage in the 1934 earthquake and was totally rebuilt. Unfortunately, without plans to work from, the builders ended up with a different-looking temple and there were enough bricks left over to construct a smaller Shikhara- style shrine to Maya Devi, the Buddha’s mother which stands to the south-west of the Mahabouddha temple.

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