Patan (Sanskrit: पाटन Pātan, Nepal Bhasa: यल Yala), officially Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, is one of the major cities of Nepal located in the south-central part of Kathmandu Valley. Patan is also known as Manigal. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts. It is called city of festival and feast, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carving statue.
Lalitpur is believed to have been founded in the third century BC by the Kirat dynasty and later expanded by Licchavis in the sixth century. It was further expanded by the Mallas during the medieval period.
There are many legends about its name. The most popular one is the legend of the God Rato Machhindranath, who was brought to the valley from Kamaru Kamachhya, located in Assam, India, by a group of three people representing the three kingdoms centered in the Kathmandu Valley.
One of them was called Lalit, a farmer who carried God Rato Machhindranath to the valley all the way from Assam, India. The purpose of bringing the God Rato Machhindranath to the valley was to overcome the worst drought there. There was a strong belief that the God Rato Machhindranath would bring rain in the valley. It was due to Lalit’s effort that the God Rato Machhindranath was settled in Lalitpur. Many believe that the name of the town is kept after his name Lalit and pur meaning township.
Lalitpur said to have been founded by King Veer Deva in 299 AD, but there is unanimity among scholars that Patan was a well established and developed town since ancient times. Several historical records including many other legends indicate that Patan is the oldest of all the cities of Kathmandu Valley. According to a very old Kirat chronicle, Patan was founded by Kirat rulers long before the Licchavi rulers came into the political scene in Kathmandu Valley. According to that chronicle, the earliest known capital of Kirat rulers was Thankot. Kathmandu, the present capital was most possibly removed from Thankot to Patan after the Kirati King Yalamber came into power sometimes around second century AD.
One of the most used and typical Newar names of Patan is Yala. It is said that King Yalamber or Yellung Hang named this city after himself, and ever since this ancient city was known as Yala.
In 1768, Lalitpur was annexed to the Gorkha Kingdom by Prithvi Narayan Shah in the Battle of Lalitpur.
December 2013, Patan, Nepal
Olympus OM-D/E-M1
パタン（ネパール語: यल、英語: Patan、サンスクリット:पाटन, ヤラ）はネパールの古都。正式の都市名をラリトプルといいます。ネパール第3の都市で，カトマンズ盆地南西部に位置し、準大都市自治体。豊かな文化遺産に恵まれます。（カトマンズ中心部から，タクシーで40分程度）。
パタンは西暦299年ヴィール・デーヴァ王により設立されたと言われていますが、学者たちの定説ではパタンは古代に設立され、発展したとされています。
中世にはマッラ王朝により、さらに拡大され， 多くの伝説を含むいくつかの歴史的記録によれば、パタンはカトマンズ盆地で一番古い都市であるとされています。 非常に古いキラット年代記の一つにはパタンはリッチャヴィ王朝の支配者たちがカトマンズ盆地に侵入する前に創設されているとされています。 その年代記によればキラット王朝の最も古い首都はタンコットであったということです。キラットの王、ヤランベルが権力を掌握すると、現在の首都、カトマンズは2世紀頃、タンコットからパタンに移動させられたと考えられています。パタンをネワール語で表現するときに最も使われる「ヤラ」はヤランベル王が自分の名前をつけたといわれています。
統一マッラ王朝は1484年にバクタプル王国からカトマンズ王国が独立し、さらに、1619年までに、パタン王国が独立して三王国時代に入ります。パタン（ラリトプル）には当時の王宮はじめ多くの文化財が残されています。
私は，三連休弾丸でカトマンズを訪れ，中一日を観光に充てましたが，パタンともう一つの世界遺産都市もカトマンズから大変近く，双方に十分な時間を割くことができました。
2013年12月撮影。
Olympus OM-D/E-M1