Nepal's four centuries old throne kept on public display
Jun 16, 2022
Lalitpur [Nepal], June 16 : On the steps of Krishna Mandir in the premises of Patan Durbar Square, golden throne is kept on display for the public so that people can offer their prayers and worship it.
Dating back to nearly four centuries and before the formal unification of Nepal, the golden throne belongs to the then King of Lalitpur Shree Niwas Malla.
"The Krishna Mandir (Patan) also was built during the reign of Siddhi NarshingaMallaand this throne also belongs to him and the songs composed by him is also played out," KiranChitrakar, one of the trustees of Patan Durbar Square told ANI.
The throne that is kept on display at the square of PatanDubar which once used to be the royal palace was built in the year 1666 AD. As per the scriptures and data that is incurved on the throne, the royal seat is dedicated to all public not only the royal family.
"At that time, the Tamrakar and Shilpakar communities were allowed to take the throne in rent which back in then was considered a kind of conservation. The Tamrakar community does the works related to metals while the Shilpakardoes the works related to woods. All these details are carved on the throne," Suresh Man Lakhe, the Executive Director of Patan Durbar Square Museum where the throne remains for most of the time told ANI.
With the formal end of the Malla regime in Nepal and the unification of the modern nation, the throne had remained unattended and disregarded inside the Patan Durbar (the former royal palace).
Easy to carry by separating the parts and pieces, the pieces of the throne were scattered and kept at various locations around the Kathmandu Valley. Later, all the pieces were collected and now have been kept for display at the Patan Durbar Museum of Lalitpur.
The throne that goes out on display once a year is made of gold. The seat for the King is made over the structure of Garudh with two lions on both sides standing over the pair of elephants which symbolizes wealth.
A total of 11 snakes on the head of the throne are believed to saviour and protect the king or ruler from evil powers.
"On both the sides of the throne are the national flags of Nepal and the two plants that stand on both the side of the throne are Bodhi Brikshyawhich shows the combined and equalized form of Hinduism and Buddhism," Lakhe said.
