Field note
Patan, Nepal
6 minute read
Morning between the bahals
A walk through Patan’s brick lanes and hidden courtyards, following bells, carved windows, and the smell of incense.
Patan wakes through sound: a temple bell, a metal shutter lifting, a broom moving across old brick. Before Durbar Square fills, the city belongs to people making their ordinary morning rounds.
I followed the narrow lanes into one bahal and then another. Carved timber windows leaned over courtyards where butter lamps flickered beside marigolds and neighbours paused to exchange news.
Kathmandu Valley is often described through monuments. What stays with me is the life between them—the craft workshops, the smell of incense and chiya, and the way centuries of history remain part of the walk home.
A field note by Khagendra Adhikari · Written from Patan