BHAKTAPUR

also called Bhatgaon, or Bhadgaon town, central Nepal, in the Nepal Valley, southeast of Kathmandu. Said to have been founded by Raja Ananda Malla in 865, it was for 200 years the most important settlement in the valley. The old palace in Durbar Square, built in 1700, is well preserved and has beautifully carved woodwork and a finely worked gilt gateway. Opposite, on a stone pillar, is the copper-gilt figure of King Bhupatindra Malla. There are other temples in the square. To the south is another square with the 18th-century Najatapola Dewai, or five-tiered temple, and a temple to Bhairava, guarded by two copper-gilt singhas (mythical lions). A local museum is devoted to the conservation of examples of fine woodwork of the past. Pop. (1981) 48,472.