Nuwakot Durbar (Seven-Story Palace)

Nuwakot Durbar is the historical palace of Nepal since ancient time which is located in Nuwakot district of Nepal. The palace (Durbar) situated at the mid hills standing proudly at the elevation of 900 meters of central Nepal which was built during the regime of Prithivi Narayan Shah in the 18^th century and considered as the important landmark in the history of Nepal. The Durbar is a seven-story palace with historical and attractive architecture and can be reached after an hour uphill climb from Trisuli Bazaar. The recent earthquake of Nepal in 2015 damages the interiors of the palace but still there is a possibility for its visitors to roam around.

The seven-story palace (saat tale durbar) was built by Prithivi Narayan Shah by hiring laborers from Lalitpur which is still regarded as a model of architecture. This used to be a typical place and is also a place where King Rana Bahadur Shah met Mr. William Kirkpatric (the British representative) in 1793 just after the war between Nepal and China. Just east-southern side of Seven-story Darbar, There is a west facing palace called as Rangamahal made of oily bricks, which was built as a recreational spot for the three Malla Kings of Kantipur (Kathmandu) Valley. There are many dabalis and Rest houses which were built with religious and social purposes. Cultural practices of the Malla period continue to be the main attraction for tourists in this area. Sindure Jatra, Narayan Jatra, Gai Jatra, Shipai Jatra, Devi Jatra, Lakhe dance, Fulpati, and Krishna Janmashtami are some of the cultural festivals which are observed in this area in today’s days too.

However, Nuwakot Durbar area is composed of Malla style palace, Stone inscription, Taleju goddess, Taleju Bhawani temple complex with beautiful views all around. At that time, different places, rest houses, dabalis, temples and stupas of archeological significance were built during Malla and Shah Periods and various cultural customs practiced in Nuwakot have been still observed with pride.