The Golden Temple and Patan's Buddhist courtyards

Patan is laid out around its bahal and bahi, Buddhist monastery courtyards that once housed communities of married Newar priests and craftsmen. Many are still lived in, with a shrine at one end and family houses around the other three sides. The most celebrated is Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, the Golden Temple, a few minutes' walk north of Durbar Square. Its roof and facade are covered in gilded copper, and the inner courtyard is lined with prayer wheels, bells and carved images of the Buddha.

At the Golden Temple, the chief priest is a boy under the age of twelve, who serves for a month before handing on to another. Early in the morning he performs the daily rituals while local people come to make offerings. Turtles wander the courtyard, kept as guardians of the shrine. Shoes and leather items, including belts and bags, are left at the gate. Visitors may watch quietly from the edges, and our guide explains the images of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas around the walls.

From here the walk continues north to Kumbheshwar, a five-tiered Shiva temple whose ponds are said to be fed by the sacred lake of Gosainkund in the mountains, and then through smaller courtyards where children play around old stupas. It is a gentle walk of about 2 km on flat lanes. We finish at a café near the square for breakfast or coffee before the museum opens, or carry on to the metal workshops if you would like to see them while the morning is still cool.