Lalitpur, formerly known as Patan, is a miraculous city five kilometers away from the capital of Nepal. This is the third-largest city in the country after Kathmandu and Pokhara. Lalitpur enjoys a fabulous location in the Kathmandu Valley. This is a region with numerous Buddhist pagodas and Hindu temples. In recent years, Patan has become a major center of culture and religion in Nepal. The city can be proud of its rich traditions in art and various crafts. This is a true cradle of culture with approximately one thousand and two hundred sacred places including the bahal courtyards. Nowadays, Patan has completely changed its name to Lalitpur. This name means “the land of beauty”. At the end of the eighth century, in 796 to be precise, a small settlement called Anhil Vad Pattan was established in the Kathmandu Valley. According to a legend, Buddha and his student Ananda lived in this region. In 250 BC, Asoka, the legendary king of India, decided to settle on the Nepalese land for the period of his large military campaign, during which he had conquered many lands and converted local people to Buddhism. To mark the borders of his new kingdom, Asoka ordered to install stupas with the inscriptions on all sides. The population of Patan was almost one hundred thousand people at the start of the eleventh century. The number of residents was growing continuously. At that time, Patan was among the largest cities in the world. The period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth
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In the 3rd century, the dominating Buddhist culture loses its popularity under the power of Hindu Licchavi tribes. The kingdom reached its peak in the 7th century during the reign of the Thakuri dynasty. Buddhism became the main religion during this period of time again. The next prosperity period for the kingdom started in the 15th century. Besides active construction of legendary temples and buildings, this was the period of development of crafts and agriculture. The last 500 years in the history of Nepal were connected with numerous wars, periods of isolation, and progressing stagnation in different aspects of life. However, because of limited connections with other countries, Nepal managed to maintain its cultural traditions and historic heritage.
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