Kathmandu Valley
comprises the three royal cities of
Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur which
share amongst themselves seven World
Heritage Sites. The valley is like a
vast open-air museum of Newar culture
with its colossal ensemble of sculptures,
temples, monuments and magnificent art.
 Kathmandu
Durbar Square: Kathmandu, the capital
and the largest city of Nepal, derives
its name from Kasthmandap or "house
of wood" a pagoda-style temple.
A few steps away is the Temple of the
Living Goddess, where the clients may
catch a glimpse of the Kumari at one
of the open windows overlooking the
inner courtyard. All around the splendour
of historical monuments is the hustle
& bustle of the market place. Vegetable
vendors, trees of flutes, salesmen with
their wares displayed on their person,
souvenir hawkers, street shop selling
imported goods and tucked away in a
quiet corner the glittering bead market
for custom made bead necklaces.
 Patan
Durbar Square: Patan is also known
as Lalitpur or the "city of fine
arts" and is the oldest city in
the valley. This Buddhist City is said
to have been founded by Emperor Ashoka
in the 3rd century BC. Patan is the
cradle of arts and architecture of the
valley, a great center both of the Newari
Buddhist religion and of traditional
arts & crafts with 136 bahals or
courtyards and 55 major temples. Well
known among these are the Krishna Mandir,
Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, Kumbheshwar
temple, Jagatnarayan temple & the
Mahabouddha temple. Patan is enclosed
within 4 Buddhist stupas set on the
four-corners of the outer boundaries
of this ancient city. A tour of Patan
would also include a visit to the Tibetan
refugee village to witness the hand
weaving of Tibetan carpets using age-old
methods of dyeing and finishing. Three
or four persons at each loom weaving
traditional designs, chatting &
singing can also be seen here.
 Bhaktapur
Durbar Square: Bhaktapur or Bhadgaon
meaning the "city of devotees"
lies 14 km east of Kathmandu. It is
the home of medieval art & architecture
and still retains its rich medieval
aroma. A city of farmers, Bhaktapur
is also known for it's pottery and weaving.
Bhaktapur is the most charming and the
best preserved of the valley’s
three cities. The intricately carved
temples, alleyways and timeless atmosphere
of this place is simply intriguing.
The major sightseeing places in Bhaktapur
include Durbar Square, the Golden Gate,
Palace of 55 windows, Bell of the barking
dogs, Nyatapole Temple, Bhairavanath
Temple, Dattatrya Temple, Pujari Math
etc;
 Pashupatinath
Temple: (World Heritage site) :
Pashupatinath temple, one of the most
sacred Hindu shrines in the world, is
about five kilometers northeast of Kathmandu.
The two-storied pagoda style temple
houses a sacred lingam, the phallic
symbol of Lord Shiva. Through the eastern
Nepalese Kiranti rulers established
the temple before 4th century, it was
given the present shape only in the
early 18th century. The temple, noted
for its gold-plated roofs and silver-coated
doors, is open only for Hindus. The
temple has remained the presiding deity
of ruling Nepalese Royalty. Located
on the banks of the Bagmati River, this
two-tiered magnificent golden temple
with four triple silver doorways is
unique example of the Nepalese temple
architecture. It is one of the largest
Hindu temple complex in'South Asia with
hundreds of Shiva lingams, shrines icons
of various Hindu god and goddess insides.
This temple site occupies an area of
281 hectors in total.
 Syambhunath
Stupa: (World Heritage site): This
is one of the world's most glorious
Buddhist Chaityas. It is said to be
2000 years old. Painted on the four
sides of the spire bases are the all-seeing
eyes of Lord Buddha. It is 3km west
of Kathmandu city and is situated on
a hillock about 77m. above the level
of the Kathmandu Valley.
Located in a lovely little hill rock
Swayambhu Nat Stupa was built around
250 B.C. Generally a holy memorial site
Stoup represents a typical Buddhist
architecture. Its main feature the white
dome is identified with a spotless pure
jewel of Nirvana and a thirteen tiered
golden spire in conical shape surmounted
on the dome. Underneath this towering
structure are a pair of all seeing eyes
of Buddha painted on all four sides
of the Stupa. The Stupa of Swayambhunath
stands on a typically stylized lotus
mandala base-a long time ago believed
to have originated from a legendary
lake of Kathmandu Valley.
 Bouddhanath
Stupa (World Heritage site) :
Bouddhanath is among the largest
stupas in South Asia, and it has become
the focal point of Tibetan Buddhism
in Nepal. The white mound looms thirty-six
meters overhead. The stupa is located
on the ancient trade route to Tibet
and Tibetan merchants rested and offered
prayers here for many centuries. When
refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in
the 1950s, many of them decided to live
around Bouddhanath. They established
many gompas, and the "Little Tibet"
of Nepal was born. This "Little
Tibet" is still the best place
in the Valley to observe Tibetan lifestyle.
It is the biggest stupa in the Valley.
The stupa, well known as Khasti, is
also known as the World Heritage Site.
It looms 36 meters high and presents
one of the most fascinating specimens
of stupa design. There are more than
45 Buddhist monasteries in the area.
It lies about 6 km to the east of downtown
Kathmandu. The Bouddha Area Preservation
& Development Committee runs an
information center.
 Changu
Narayan Temple (World Heritage
site): The Changu Narayan Temple
is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the preserver.
It is the oldest pagoda-style temple
complex in Nepal. Situated over the
peninsular hilltop at about 6kms north
of Bhaktapur, its premises are paved
with brick. There is a stone inscription
that is believed to be the oldest written
record in Nepal. The two-storied temple's
main entrance is an excellent example
of repousse art while the many artworks
scattered in and around the temple are
in themselves consummate masterpieces
in wood, stone and metal.
Narayan, or Vishnu, is the preserver
of creation to Hindus. His temple near
Changu village is often described as
the most ancient temple in the Kathmandu
Valley. A fifth century stone inscription,
the oldest to be discovered in Nepal,
is located in the temple compound and
it tells of the victorious King Mandev.
The temple now covers sixteen hundred
years of Nepalese art history. The temple,
built around the third century, is decorated
by some of the best samples of stone,
wood, and metal craft in the Valley
Beyond
Kathmandu
 Lumbini
(Birth Place of Gautam Buddha): (World
Heritage site) : This site is famous
for Hindus and Buddhists, located in
the mid western terai. It is 250 kilometers
far from Kathmandu. Lumbini, where Gautam
Buddha himself was born over 2,500 years
ago, is religious place having historic
importance for all. There are many monasteries
of different countries on the side of
the main site. There are numerous buildings
of religious significance. The most
important of which is a massive stone
pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor
Ashoka in 250 B.c; it was discovered
only in 1895.
The shrine of Maya Devi, said to be
located at the exact place where the
Buddha was born in the palace garden,
contains a stone relif. Depicting Gautama’s
nativity scene. There is also a rectangular
pond said to be the remains of a scared
pool. The brick foundations of a ruined
monastery contains some small votive
stupas and several large plinths. In
the area are modern Buddhist shrines
and an older gompa.
Pokhara (nature and cultura): The
Pokhara situated at 200 km west of Kathmandu
Pokhara is the most beautiful city in
Nepal. It is renowned for its setting
rather than its historical or cultural
endowments. It is the starting point
of Nepal's most popular trekking destinations.
This is the magic city in the sense
that you can enjoy exotic view of Machhapuchhre
[6977m] very close from Pokhara city.
Moreover, Pokhara offers panoramic views
of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Himchuli
and more. The valley is famous
for natural and cultural beauty that
has more than seven lakes, out of them
Fewa and Rupa are very attractive for
tourists.
Pokhara has some of the country's
best accommodation and restaurants
as well. There is a batch of Tibetan
settlements, a hilltop monastery and
the pretty Devi Falls nearby. Day
walks can be taken to Sarangkot (1592m),
the limestone caves at Mahendra Gufa
(Cave) or Rupa and Begnas Tals (lakes).
Its quiet lakeside location and proximity
to the mountains mean it is an ideal
place for recovering from or gearing
up for a trek, taking leisurely strolls
or simply putting your nose in a good
book.
 Gorkha
(Historical City): Gorkha, the foundation
of modern Nepal, is situated at a distance
of 144km/90miles north west of Kathmandu.
It is the birthplace of King Prithvi
Narayan Shah the great, the founder
of modern Nepal. Situated on a hill
overlooking the snowy peaks of the Himalaya
is a beautiful old palace known as Gorkha
Durbar. There are two attractive temples
of Gorakhnath and Kali inside the palace
precinct. There is a famous cave sheltering
the statue of Gorakhnath Baba (sage).
It is believed that the name of Gorkha
was derived from the name of this sage,
whose blessings inspired King Prithvi
Narayan Shah for the unification of
Nepal. From the top of the hill above
Gorkha palace and from a saddle east
of the bazaar, the view of Manaslu and
Himalchuli is spectacular. Gorkha can
be reached in about 5 hours by road
from Kathmandu and 4 hours from Pokhara.
A side trip to Manakamana Temple on
the way to Gorkha is very enjoyable
and interesting.
 Royal
Chitwan National Park: (World
Heritage site): A World Heritage
Site in south-central Nepal, is 932
sq km of subtropical lowlands of sal
forests, tall grassland, ox-bow lakes
and flood plains. The park is home to
50 species of mammals, 55 species of
amphibians and reptiles and 525 species
of birds. Wildlife found here include
the one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal
tiger, gaur, wild elephant, gharial
and the Gangetic dolphin. Tharus are
the indigenous inhabitants of Chitwan.
Activities such as jungle safari on
elephant back, jungle walk, canoe ride,
village tour and jeep drive can be enjoyed
in Chitwan.
Hill
stations
Nagarkot: This is a lovely hill-station
lying at an altitude of 7133 feet (approx.
2100m) above the sea level and is not
more than 32 kilometers direct east
of Kathmandu. It is a year round holiday
station rich in chlorophyll forestations.
As an evergreen area, the pines appear
spectacularly beautiful. The panorama
of the major peaks belonging to the
eastern Himalayas including Mt. Everest
Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Makalu,
and Mt. Manaslu and Kanchenjunga till
the Annapurnas on the west can be viewed
from here. It is regarded as one of
the best hill station in Nepal. A breathtaking
view of sunset and sunrise can be experienced
staying overnight here.
Dhulikhel: This is an ancient
hill town situated 30 Kms east of Kathmandu
on the side of Arniko Highway leading
to the Tibetan border. From here one
can own a complete panoramic view of
the snowy flanks ranging from east to
west. It is also popular in viewing
sunrise and sunset. Once an important
link in has a glorious past which can
be seen in the lovely buildings and
intricate wood carvings in the shop-lined
streets and temples. Pleasant climate
is big attraction at Dhulikhel.
Daman: For those seeking the ultimate
pan-Himalayan view, Daman is the place
to go. Located 80 Kms/50 miles.. southwest
of the Kathmandu valley, Daman (2400m)
offers the only unimpeded view of
the entire Himalayan range including
Mt. Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh
Himal, Langtang, Dorje Lakpa, Gauri-Shanker,
Cho Oyu and more. Daman can be reached
in five hours from Kathmandu. There
is a view tower from where one can
have a panoramic view of 300 miles
of the Himalayan ranges. |
Nepal is one of the world’s greatest trekking paradises that provide a great experience of unbeatable combination
Nepal has 16 national parks, wildlife reserves and conservation areas, which has made Nepal a popular spot 