Photo of a Courtyard & Shrine, Patan, Nepal

We came across this beautiful courtyard with a stupa and shrine in the back lanes of Patan in the Kathmandu valley.

The towns of the Kathmandu valley traditionally consisted of houses clustered around small squares or courtyards often containing shrines. Reflecting the nature of Nepali culture the shrines often contain Hindu and Buddhist images.

The faces of the statues of the Buddha or a Hindu god such as Ganesh are usually worn smooth from the repeated blessings with red vermilion paste as the local people follow the rounds of their daily homage. The Kathmandu valley has many festivals and both Buddhist and Hindu communities join in with the others' festivals.

Portrait format. The image you get is the second image showing more detail in the wall at the top.

A guide to approx sizes
A3: paper size 42x29.7cm, image size 40x26cm
A2: paper size 59.4x42cm, image size 58x38cm
70x50cm image size 70x48cm