With hands folded in a prayer position, the bronze statue of King Bhupatindra Malla sits atop a column in front of the Vatsala Durga Temple. The statue was created in 1699 and it is now the only surviving royal pillar in the valley; similar statues in the Durbar Sqs of Kathmandu and Patan collapsed in the disaster. Bhupatindra was the best known of the Malla kings of Bhaktapur, and contributed to much of the architecture in town.
