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KATHMANDU:
 Tradition
has it that old Kathmandu was laid out
in the shape of a khukuri knife.
Positioned at what would be the hilt of
the knife is Durbar Square -a non- stop
carnival set amidst temples, monuments
and the fonner royal palace while the
city's oldest neighbourhoods stretch
northeast and south- west New Road, the
city's best-known shopping street, runs
east from the square. Kathmandu's budget
hotels are concentrated in two areas:
Thamel, north of Durbar Square in a new
part of town, and Jhochhen, better known
as Freak Street, immediately south of
the square. Suburban Kathmandu sprawls
mainly east of Kantipath, the main
north-south thoroughfare, and is
dominated by two landmarks, the Royal
Palace and the Tudikhel (parade ground)
.Most of the expensive hotels,
restaurants and airline offices huddle
along Durbar Marg, the broad boulevard
running south from the palace gate. West
of the Bishnumati River is not, strictly
speaking, part of Kathmandu, but the
hilltop temple of Swayambhu is close
enough to be reached easily on foot.
Hanuman
Dhoka (Durbar Square)
The square is the complex of palaces,
courtyards and temples that are built
between the 12th and the 18th centuries
by the ancient Malla Kings of Nepal. It
is the social, religious and urban focal
point of the city. Taleju Temple, Kal
Bhairab (God of Destruction), Nautalle
Durbar, Coronation Nasal Chowk, the
Gaddi Baithak, the statue of King Pratap
Malla, the Big Bell, Big Drum and the
Jagnnath Temple are some of the
interesting things to see in this
Square.
An
intriguing piece here is the 17 th
century stone inscription that is set
into the wall of the palace with
writings in 15 languages.It is believed
that if anybody deciphers this entire
inscription, the milk would flow from
the spout, which lies just below the
inscripted stone wall. Some people say
that the inscription contains coded
directions to a treasure King Pratap
Malla has buried beneath Mohan chowk of
Durbar Square.
There
are several museums inside the palace
building. There is an entrance feeof Rs.
250 for all the foreign visitors to
visit all the museums of the palace
building.
Singha
Durbar
A grand imposing palace built on the
neo-classical style. It was the private
residence of Rana Prime Minister. Now
it's the Secretariat of His Majesty's
Government of Nepal.
Bhadrakali
Temple
It is at the eastern edge of the
Tudikhel, near Shahid Gate. This temple
is one of the main "Shankta or
Shaktipeeth" temples of Kathmandu
City.
Narayanhity
Durbar
It is the Royal Palace of present King,
His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram
Shahdev of Nepal. The Shah kings moved
to this palace from their old palace in
the late 18th century. The new edifice
was inaugurated in 1970 on the occasion
of the wedding of His Majesty king
Birendra Bir Bikram Shahdev.
The
palace takes its name from the
Narayanhiti, a famous historic
waterspout situated at the southern
corner of the Palace. The Palace
compound is immense, surrounded by high
walls and guarded by soldiers.
Swayambhu
Stupa
The most ancient and enigmatic of all
the Valley's holy shrines lies 2 km west
of Kathmandu city, across the Vishnumati
river. The golden spire of Swayambhunath
stupa crowns a wooded hillock and offers
a commanding view of Kathmandu city. On
clear days, one can even view a line of
Himalayan peaks. The view is splendid at
dusk as city lights flicker one by one,
and even better when a full moon hangs
in the sky.
The
establishment of Swayambhunath Stupa
goes back to the legendary beginning of
the Kathmandu Valley.The legend says
that when the bodhisattva Manjushri
drained the waters of the lake to reveal
the Kathmandu valley, the lotus of the
lake was transformed into the hillock
and the blazing light became the
Swayambhu stupa. Swayambhunath stupa is
a World Heritage Site.
Boudhanath
Stupa
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.
Balaju
Water Garden
It is situated below Nagarjun Hill about
five-kilometer northwest of Kathmandu
City. The garden is known for its bank
of 22 stone waterspouts (hiti) carved in
the shape of sea-dragons. It also
consists of religious shrines, fishponds
and a replica of the statue of
Budhanilkantha. . There is also a
swimming pool inside the park.
Budhanilkantha
Situated below Shivapuri hill at the
northern end of the valley,
Buddhanilkantha temple is 9 km from
Kathmandu city. The temple consists of a
pond in which lies a great stone figure
of the Hindu god Vishnu reclining on the
coils of a cosmic serpent. The huge
statue of sleeping Vishnu is carved from
the single block of black stone of a
type not found in the valley. It is
believed that ages before the two
hardworking farmers (husband and wife)
discovered the statue when they were
ploughing their field.
Besides
Budhanilkantha temple, there are other
two sets of exactly similar, but smaller
statues of 'sleeping Vishnu' in the
Valley. One set is in the Balaju garden
and the other is hidden in the old
garden of Hanuman Dhoka Palace of
Kathmandu city. A prophetic dream of
King Pratap Malla generated the belief
that the King of Nepal should never
visit Buddhanilkantha temple on threat
of death. He then built the similar
statue in two places.
Pashupatinath
Temple
The temple of Pashupatinath is Nepal's
most scared Hindu shrines and one of the
subcontinent's greatest Shiva sites, a
sprawling collection of temples,
ashrams, images and inscriptions raised
over the centuries along the banks of
the sacred Bagmati river.
The
richly- ornamented pagoda, houses the
sacred linga or phallic symbol of Lord
Shiva.
Chronicles indicate the temlple's
existence prior to 400 A.D, but a shrine
may have stood here nearly 1000 years
before that. Legend says that Shiva once
took the form of an antelope and sported
unkown in the forest on Bagmati river's
east bank. The gods later caught up with
him , and grabbing him by the horn,
forced him to resume his divine form.
The broken horn was worshipped as a
linga and overtime was buried and lost.
Centuries later an astonished herdsmen
found one of his cows showering the
earth with milk. Digging deep at the
site, he discovered the divine linga of
Pashupatinath
The
temple complex has been renovated and
improved over the centuries. Entrance to
the shrine is only restricted to Hindus,
however, one can still get the good view
of the sacred temple from vantage points
across Bagmati river. Across the river,
one can also visit the temple of
Guhyeshwori and a classic 6th century
ekmukhi "one-faced" linga of
Shiva.
Gokarna
Situated about ten-kilometer northeast
of Kathmandu, this lovely Royal Game
Sanctuary is also well known as Gokarna
Safari Park. Many wild animals like
spotted dear can be viewed in the
sanctuary from an elephant bank. On the
northern side of Gokarna is a pagoda of
Gokarneshwor Mahadev.
Sankhu
It is a typical Newari town with many
fine old buildings and temples. Beyond
the village, up a long flight of stone
stairs, is Bajra Jogini, a historical
temple with a beautiful view of the
local area.
Sundarijal
It is a famous for its scenic beauty.
There are magnificent waterfalls,
cataracts and rock formations. It is an
ideal place for picnic requiring a short
walk after the motorable road.
Chobhar
Situated nine-kilometer southwest of
Kathmandu, this place is famous for its
gorge. All the water of the valley drain
through it. There is a small but
picturesque temple of Adinath on the top
of a hill. From this top one can have a
panoramic view of snow capped mountain
peaks.
Changu
Narayan Temple
It lies on a ridge over looking the
Valley, about twelve-kilometer to the
east of the city. It is dedicated to the
Hindu God Vishnu. The scared complex is
a World Heritage Site. It has one of the
finest and oldest specimens of pagoda
architecture that is embellished with
exquisite wood and stone carvings.
Akash
Bhairav Temple
This is a three-storey temple situated
in the main Market Avenue called Indra
Chowk. The image of Akash Bhairav is
displayed outside for a week during
Indra Jatra, the festival of Indra (the
God of Indra). The festival of Indra
falls on monsoon season of Nepal.
Kumari
Ghar (Temple of Kumari)
The temple or the residence of Living
Goddess, Kumari, is situated in the
vicinity of Hanuman Dhoka Palace. The
building has beautifully carved wooden
balconies and window screens. The Kumari-
the living Goddess acknowledges the
greetings from her balcony window.
Photography is prohibited.
Kirtipur
It is a small town, situated on a ridge
6-km southwest of Kathmandu. The ancient
township is a natural fortress and has a
proud and courageous history. The
Chilamchu stupa and the temple of Bagh
Bhairav are major sights here. The city
offers quaint streets lined with
artistic houses and temple squares. The
people are known for their skill in
building and weaving.
Kasthamandap
King Laxmi Narsingha Malla built this
temple in the sixteenth century. It is
said to be constructed from the wood of
single tree. It is located near the
temple of Kumari. Indeed the city of
Kathmandu derives its name from this
temple.
Behind
Kasthamandap, there is a small but a
very important temple of Ashok Vinayak,
also known as Kathmandu Ganesh or Maru
Ganesh.
Jaishi
Dewal
Five minutes from Kasthmandap the Shiva
Temple of Jaishi Dewal is famous for its
erotic carvings. It is still one of the
main tourist routes of the chariot
festivals of Indra Jatra, Gai Jatra and
other festivals.
Dakshinkali
The temple of Dakshinkali is situated
about two kilometers south of Shekha
Narayan. Dakshinkali is regarded as one
of the most important Hindu Goddesses.
Pilgrims visit this temple to offer
their prayer and animal sacrifices to
the goddess. Besides, this place has
been developed as a popular picnic spot
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