Basantapur is known for Kathmandu Durbar Square, with centuries-old palace buildings, courtyards, and temples, some damaged in a 2015 earthquake. Exhibits at the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Museum include the Shah throne and intricate stone carvings. Worshippers offer marigold garlands at the huge 6th-century sculpture of Kaal Bhairav, a fierce Hindu deity, and visit Kumari Ghar palace to glimpse the young.Although the construction of the square began in the 3rd century, the major structures within it were added in later periods. The outer complex consists of a number of 16th-century temples built during the reign of the Malla kings. These buildings are adorned with meticulously carved facades characteristic of Newar architecture. The central square is surrounded by palace complexes built during the Malla and Shah periods.[1] The most well-known among them is the Nautalle Durbar, a nine-story palace built by Prithvi Narayan Shah to commemorate the Unification of Nepal.[2]
A three-story temple called Kumari Chouk or Kumari Bahal is located at the southern edge of the Durbar square. This Malla-era temple is used by the resident of the Kumari, a young girl worshipped as a living embodiment of the Hindu Goddess Durga.[1]