Editing Kathmandu (section)

=== Durbar Squares ===
{{Main|Kathmandu Durbar Square|Hanuman Dhoka}}

The literal meaning of [[Durbar Square]] is a "place of palaces". There are three preserved Durbar Squares in Kathmandu valley and one unpreserved in [[Kirtipur]]. The Durbar Square of Kathmandu is in the old city and has heritage buildings representing four kingdoms (Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur); the earliest being the Licchavi dynasty. The complex has 50 temples and is distributed in two quadrangles of the Durbar Square. The outer quadrangle has the [[Kasthamandap]], [[Kumari (goddess)|Kumari Ghar]], and Shiva-Parvati Temple; the inner quadrangle has the [[Hanuman Dhoka]] palace. The squares were severely damaged in the [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake|April 2015 earthquake]].

Hanuman Dhoka is a complex of structures with the royal palace of the Malla kings and of the Shah dynasty. It is spread over five acres. The eastern wing (with ten courtyards) is the oldest part, dating to the mid-16th century. It was expanded by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century with many temples. The royal family lived in this palace until 1886 when they moved to Narayanhiti Palace. The stone inscription outside is in fifteen languages.

Kumari Ghar is a palace in the centre of the Kathmandu city, next to the Durbar square where a royal [[Kumari (goddess)|Kumari]] selected from several Kumaris resides. Kumari (or Kumari Devi), is the tradition of worshipping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy (or ''devi'') in South Asian countries. In Nepal, the selection process is very rigorous. Previously, during the time of the monarchy, the queen and the priests used to appoint the proposed Kumari with delicate process of astrological examination and physical examination of 32 'gunas'. The ''china'' ({{Langx|ne|चिना}}), an ancient Hindu astrological report of the Kumari and the reigning king, has been said to be similar. The Kumari is believed to be a bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju (the Nepali name for Durga) until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury also causes her to revert to common status. The current Kumari, Trishna Shakya, age three at the time of appointment, was installed in September 2017 succeeding Matina Shakya who was the first Kumari of Kathmandu after the end of the monarchy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitnepal.com/nepal_information/kumari.php |title=Kumari Devi&nbsp;– The Living Goddess |publisher=Visitnepal.com |access-date=19 December 2009 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807200215/http://www.visitnepal.com/nepal_information/kumari.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Kasthamandap]] is a three-storeyed temple enshrining an image of [[Gorakhnath]]. It was built in the 16th century in the [[pagoda]] style. The name of Kathmandu is a derivative of the word ''Kasthamandap''. It was built under the reign of King Laxmi Narsingha Malla. Kasthamandap stands at the intersection of two ancient trade routes linking India and Tibet at [[Maru, Kathmandu|Maru]] square. It was originally built as a rest house for travellers.