That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed. A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound