Neighborhood · Lalitpur
A walk through Patan after the rain
The brick courtyards turn copper, the chowks empty out, and for an hour Patan belongs only to the walkers. A field guide.
After the rain
Patan is a different city for the hour after a monsoon shower. The tourists who fill Durbar Square at noon retreat under awnings. The brick takes on that particular wet-copper colour you only see on the old buildings. Cars go quiet. The smell of smoke from the Bhimsen temple cuts harder.
If you have an umbrella and an hour, this is the walk.
Start at Mangal Bazaar
Begin at the south end of Durbar Square, just below the Krishna Mandir. The square will be mostly empty — a couple of locals on plastic chairs, the lazy temple dogs.
Cross to Hakha tole
Cut west through the narrow lane next to Bhimsen Mandir. There is a chowk with a small Ganesh shrine where, almost reliably, a man sells freshly fried sel roti from a tin.
Find the carved windows on Sundhara marg
There's a stretch of three or four houses with original carved struts and lattice windows. Easy to walk past on a normal day; impossible to ignore in the wet.
End at the Patan Museum cafe
The cafe in the museum courtyard has the best view of Sundari Chowk in the rain. Order tea. Stay too long.