Nepal: Durbar Square with King Bhupatindra Malla sitting on top of his column (centre) looking...

That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed. A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound; in 1742, only 12 remained, and today there are but six. The Vatsala Temple, a few metres southeast of the Bhupatindra Pillar, was built in 1672 CE by Jagatprakasha Malla. Its most conspicuous feature is a bell, about four feet high and set in a massive stone frame, which was added by Ranajit Malla in 1737. The bell was rung to call the faithful to the morning prayers conducted for the goddess Taleju.