The Patan Museum display the traditional sacred arts of Nepal in an illustrious architectural setting.Its home is the old residential court of Patan Durbar, one of the royal palaces of the former Malla kings of the Kathmandu Valley. Its gilded door and window face one of the most beautifull squares in the world. The museum,s exhibits cover a long span of Nepal,s cultureal history and some rare objects are among its treasures. Their meaning and context within the living traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism are explained. Most of the objects are cast bronzes and gilt copper repouse work, traditional crafts for which Patan is famous.The Museum Building The residential palace compound of Keshav Narayan Chowk, which houses the museum dates from 1734.It displaces a Buddhist monastery that is still remembered in an annual public rite on the palace rest on far older foundations that may date from the Lichavi Period (ca.3rd to 9th century).
Altered over time to suit other purposes, and partly fallen into decay, the building has undergone a thorough restoration for more than a decade through the joint efforts of the governments of Nepal and Austria.Some parts are new, others were reconstructed to their original appearances, and interiors were adapted to the needs of a museum with appropriate modern facilities added. It is also Nepal,s first selfsustaining museum, with expenditures covered from its own revenues.
The Museum Collection
From existing national collection comprising more than 1100 objects, some 200 were selected for permanent exhibition and augmented with a few recent donations. The majority of exhibits are sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities which were created in Kathmandu Valley, many in the nearby workshops of Patan itself. Others accompanied by written commentary explaining their spiritual and art exhibits are also designed to assist in interpreting the living culture that lies beyond the museum,s walls.
Ground floor arcade and main staircase:In the arcade is a representative selection of inscribed stone stelae from the mid-17th to the late-19th century. Flanking the stairs above are six 17th century wooden temple brackets carved with images of the Hindu pantheon.
Gallery A- Introduction to the exhibits:Through a combination of specially selected images, explanatory, and line drawing, this small gallery explains how to recognize Hindu and Buddhist deities by a combination of symbolic features such as how they sit or stand, how they hold their hands and what they hold in them, what ornaments they wear, they dress, and who and what accompanies them.
Gallery B-Shiva: One of three galleries devoted to Hinduism, this gallery introduces the religion and present various manifestations of the great god Shiva, his consort Parvati, and the familiar elephantheaded Ganesha. A highlight is the stone relief of the divine couple, stolen from Nepal in 1992, but officially restituted in 1990 from a museum in Berlin
Gallery C-Vishnu:The theme of Hinduism continues with various images and artifacts associated with Vishnu. One important object in this gallery is a rare, ivory-handled bronze mirror while another is gilded throne of the former king of Patan. Together with a narrative painting also on exhibit,the throne still plays an active role in Nepalese culture when annually venerated for a day at the Krishna temple opposite the museum.
Gallery D-Early Hinduism & Tantrism: The diverse objects exhibited range from images of the most ancient Vedic gods to the most recent Tantric manifestation. Three stunning repousse masks of Indra and a cast image of the goddess Siddhi Lakshmi should not be missed nor the intriguing group of 11th century sculptures found near Pharping on the Valley,s rim.
Gallery E-Buddhism: The origin and history of the development of various schools of Buddhism are introduced and various Buddhist images are displayed, including a group of rare 11th and 12th century bronzes originating in India. As part of a comprehensive exhibit on the stupa, or monument unique to Buddhism, one may circumambulate a large scale model of Boddhnath(Bauddha).
Gallery G- Metal technology:The technique of hammering sheet metal into relief designs – called repouse – is shown in consecutive stages from initial pencil drawing through a finished, gilded Bhairava face, a display supplemented by large scale repouse sculptures. Similarly, based on reproduction of the head of the superb seated Buddha in Gallery E, a series of models explain the process of casting images in the technique known as "lost wax".These skills have been practiced for centuries in Nepal, especially in the nearby family workshops in Patan, the traditional center of the metallurgical arts.
Gallery H- Historical Views of Nepal:An allbum of photographs from 1899, discovered at the Volkerundemuseum in Vienna, was the beginning of a collection of historic Views of Nepal. These, together with reprints of water colours(1850-63) by Henry A. Oldfield and engravings after photographs by Gustave Le Bon (1885) are on display in the West wing,s top floor, accessible from Gallery G
