National Art Gallery

The National Art Gallery is located in the beautiful historical city Bhaktapur and is housed in the old Malla Palace of 55 Windows in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The main attraction of the museum  is Collection of Manuscripts and chronicles The museum has a rich collection of paubha scroll paintings, bronze, brass, stone and wooden images.

Inside the gallery you have an impressive collection of paintings and murals from the days of dominance of Buddhism. There are some very old paintings that are known as Thangakas. Buddhist monks used these paintings for concentration at the time of prayers. These oil-on-canvas paintings are very old and dates back to Mallas era. Then there are stone-carved figures that dates back to Licchhavis and Mallas era. Most of these figures are of Hindu and Buddhist deities and, as typical of that era, have sexual overtones.

The another interesting things about the The National Art Gallery is the fact that stonework is especially fine and a room outlines the life and times of the Shah kings of Nepal. There are also samples of everyday items used in the past by famous people. Among the displays are scriptures that are among the most valuable in the kingdom.

The second floor is entirely dedicated to historical chronicles and manuscripts. These documents belong to various monarchs from Rana and Shah dynasties and provide a deep insight in to the political, cultural, social and economical conditions of that era. Some of the documents are classified and are not on public display. If you are a student of history or a researcher, then this place will be of great interest. Nevertheless, researchers are required to take a prior permission from the Ministry of Culture for getting access to the classified documents

Open daily, except Sundays, Mondays and holidays, from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Entrance costs Rs.10 for SAARC nationals and Rs.20 for other foreign visitors.