Yama Dwar Chowk: Your Guide to Bhaktapur Durbar Square's Gate of Yama - Nepal Purple Travel Guide

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After passing through the Golden Gate of the Bhaktapur Royal Palace, you will come to the first courtyard: Yama Dwar Chowk. Signs direct you to other parts of the palace that are currently open for visitors. Please be advised that there is a lot of restoration work ongoing to repair the damage for the 2015 earthquake.

For your orientation, here is the layout of the Bhaktapur Royal Palace:

Here at Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides, we typically promote self-guided walking tours.
But we realize that not everybody likes to walk by themselves in a foreign city. So, just in case that you rather go with ab guide: NO PROBLEM! Please see the Viator tours below.

Origin of the Name Yama Dwar Chowk

The name Yama Dwar comes from two Sanskrit words:

• Yama, the Hindu god of death and justice, guardian of the departed and ruler of the afterlife.

• Dvāra, meaning ‘gate’ or ‘entrance’.

Put together, Yama Dwar literally means ‘Gate of Yama’, evoking the cosmic passage between life and death.

Significance of Yama Dwar Chowk

Yama Dwar Chowk (Yamadvar Chowk) is the first courtyard after the main gate (Golden Gate) of the royal palace. The king used to grant audiences to his people in this place. Two stones considered to be symbols of Kshetrapala Chhwasa (deity of protection or guardian god) had been placed in a rectangular pit in this courtyard – at the time of writing, they were (temporarily?) removed. The remains of the ritual offering to the goddess Taleju were placed here. On Pisacha Chaturdahi (the 14th dark day of Chaitra month according to the lunar calendar), the deity is worshiped.

Yama Dwar Chowk and the rest of the Royal Palace that is accessible from here is free to enter with your admission ticket to Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Back to your self-guided tour

Author: Rudy at Backpack and Snorkel

Bio: Owner of Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides. We create in-depth guides to help you plan unforgettable vacations around the world.

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