A world heritage site, Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal. Kathmandu is really two cities a fabled capital of convivial pilgrims and carved rose-brick temples, and a frenetic sprawl of modern towers, mobbed by beggars and monkeys and smothered in diesel fumes. It simultaneously reeks of history and the encroaching wear and tear of the modern world.

To cross a street in Kathmandu is to travel across centuries. Shrines, temples, palaces, palace squares, ageless sculptures and legends that are parts of every brick and stone and gilded masterpiece, make Kathmandu Valley a verifiable living museum.

For most travelers, Kathmandu is the arrival point as it has an international airport and it is an ideal base from which to take excursions into the country, or plan treks into the mountains.

Kathmandu Durbar Squire :

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 17th 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 in scripted 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 fee of Rs. 250 for all the foreign visitors to visit all the museums of the palace building.

Bouddhanath Stupa :

Bouddhanath Stupa, the biggest stupa in Nepal, lies about 7 km east of the capital. The Bouddhanath stupa, also called by many as Khasti Chitya, is one of the oldest stupas in the country. After 1959, many Tibetans arrived and settled in Bouddhanath area. The stupa, a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site, is included in World Heritage Cultural site list by UNESCO.

Sawyambhunath Stupa :

Swyambhunath lies about 3 km west of the city center, and is one of the major tourist attraction sites inside the Kathmandu valley. Located on the top of a small hill, the stupa commands a magnificent view of Kathmandu valley as well as the breathtaking panorama of the north-eastern Himalayan range. The stupa is believed to be built back in 250 B.C., is one of the holiest Buddhist shrines in Nepal, and is remarked as another world heritage sites by UNESCO.

The holy structure with a thirteen tiered golden spire in conical shape surmounted over the big white dome which represents the spotless pure jewel of Nirvana stands over a typically stylized lotus mandala base is believed to be originated

from a primordial lake whose establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu Valley. The stupa has four faces with a pair of seeing eyes of Buddha painted on each. There are hundreds of shrines and other historical monuments built in and around this stupa.

There are two different ways to reach for this site. One is from the west side which is relatively a short cut and another is from the east side where it leads to the main entrance with 360 steps leading all the way to the top.

Pashupatinath Temple :

Pashupatinath temple is a biggest Hindu temple of Lord Shiva located on the banks of the Bagmati river in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple served as the seat of national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized. The temple is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list [1].

Believers in Pashupatinath (mainly Hindus) are allowed to enter the temple premises. Non-Hindu visitors are allowed to have a look at the temple from the other bank of Bagmati river. It is regarded as the most sacred among the temples of Lord Shiva (Pashupati).

The ancient name of Patan is Lalitpur, meaning city of beauty. It is indeed a city of beauty and grace and is planned on a circular format with Buddhist stupas at each of the four points of the compass. The city is three kilometers south-east of Kathrnandu across the southern bank of the river Bagmati. Like Kathmandu, its most photogenic centre of attraction is its Durbar Square complex, situated right in the middle of the market place. The city is full of Buddhist monuments and Hindu temples, with fine bronze gateways, guardian deities also and wonderful carvings. Noted for its craftsmen and metal workers, it is also known as the city of artists. The city is believed to have been built during the reign of Vira Deva in 299 A.D. Some of Patan's more important monuments are as follows:

Patan Durbar Square :

This whole square is a cluster of fine pagoda temples and stone statues; it is at the same time the business hub of the city. At every step one comes across a piece of art or some images of various deities, testifying to the consummate skill of Patan's anonymous artists. The ancient palace of the Malla kings and the stone water baths associated with various legends and episodes of history are especially interesting to visitors. The stone temple of Lord Krishna and the Royal Bath (Tushahity) with its intricate stone and bronze carvings are two other masterpieces in the same vicinity.

Hiranya Varna Mahavibar :

This three-storeyed golden pagoda of Lokeshwar (Lord Buddha) was built in the twelfth century A.D. by King Bhaskar Varma. Located in the courtyard of Kwabahal, this temple belongs to a class of its own. A golden image of Lord Buddha and a big prayer wheel can be seen on the pedestal of the upper part of the Vihar while intricate decorative patterns, worked out on its outer walls, add charm to the mellow richness of the shrine.

Kumbheshwar :

This is a five-storeyed pagoda-style temple of Lord Shiva. Inside the courtyard is a natural spring having its source, it is said, in the famous glacial lake of Gosainkunda. This temple was built by King Jayasthiti Malla while the golden finial was added later in 1422 A.D. He also cleaned the pond near Kumbheshwar and installed various images of Narayan, Ganesh, Sitala, Basuki, Gauri, Kirtimukh and Agamadevata around the pond and in the courtyard. Ritual bathing takes place here every year on the day of Janai Poornima.

Jagat Narayan :

The Jagat Narayan temple is a tall Shikhara-style temple consecrated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is built out of the red bricks on the bank of the Sagmati at Sankharnul and enshrines many stone images. The fine metal statue of Garuda placed on a stone monolith is quite eye-catching along with similarly placed images of Ganesh and Hanuman.

Krishna Temple :

The temple of Lord Krishna holds a commanding position in Patan's palace complex. Though its style is not wholly native, it is reckoned to be one of the most perfect specimens of the Nepalese templecraft. The three-storeyed stone temple continues to elicit high praise from lovers of art and beauty. It was built by King Siddhi Narasingha Malla in the sixteenth century A.D. Most of the important scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics have been carved in bas-relief. The minute details of this relief work clearly show the high level that the art of stone carving had attained in the sixteenth century.

Mahaboudha :

The temple of Mahaboudha is a masterpiece of brick and tile. Like the Krishna Mandir, it reveals an art tradition which evolved outside of Nepal; it also shows that the native craftsmanship of the Nepalese can do proper justice to any art form. This temple was built by Abhaya Raj, a priest of Patan and is sometimes referred to as the temple of a million Buddhas because every single brick depicts a small image of Buddha an astonishing total of nine thousand bricks. It was leveled to the ground in the great earthquake of 1933 but was rebuilt exactly to the original specifications, thus proving that temple craft is still one of the living arts of Napal.

Rudra Varna Mahavihar :

This is one of Patan's oldest Buddhist monasteries. Adjacent to the monastery there is a temple that contains a fine image of Lord Buddha. The courtyard of this temple is like a gallery of different bronze and stone art works.

Popularly believed, though not scholastically endorsed, to have been built by Ashoka, the Buddhist Emperor of India, these stupas stand at four different corners of Patan giving the whole city a monastic character. All these Buddhist mounds were built in 250 A.D. at the time when Buddhism was making headway to the Kathmandu Valley.

Machchhendranath :

The temple of Machchhendranath is another centre of attraction in Patan. The temple lies in the middle of a wide spacious quadrangle just at the outer rim of the market place. A fine clay image of Avalokiteshwar or red Machchhendranath is housed here for six months every year after which it is taken round the city of Patan in a colourful chariot festival beginning in April-May and lasting sometimes for several months, (see festival section).

The Tibetan Camp-An attraction of a different kind is the Tibetan Camp on the outskirts of Patan. The small Tibetan population living here has set up a number of shrines and stupas as well as several souvenir shops offering authentic Tibetan handicrafts such as prayer wheels of wood, ivory, silver or bronze, long temple horns made of beaten copper, belt buckles, miniature thunderbolts and jewellery. In this area, one can also see the Tibetans weaving carpets by hand.

Bhaktapur is the third largest city in the Kathmandu valley. The city was once the capital of Nepal during the great Malla Kingdom from the 12th to the 15th century.

Four square miles of land situated at an altitude of 1,401 meter from sea-level is a home to Traditional art and architecture, pottery and weaving industries, rich local customs and culture, and the every-day life of Bhaktapur people. All that and more will have you visit this untouched ancient city more than once! Nepal's Malla dynasty's achievements in arts and crafts are reflected throughout the Bhaktapur city. Bhaktapur is also known by woodcarving artists, for it's cap known as Bhadgaon Topi, and for it's curd known by Nepalese as the `Bhaktapur ko Dahe' (meaning Curd made in Bhaktapur). Tourists visiting the city also take the time to relax and observe other interesting happenings in the city such as children's playing outside their home and in temple yards, busy and colour-full open markets, women's making clay-pots, weaving, and sun-drying crops and vegetable products. Bhaktapur is located at 14 km east of Kathmandu and can be reached by public transport. A day-trip to Bhaktapur is a popular tourist itinerary, so make it yours soon!.

Places to visit in Bhaktapur :

Four square miles of land situated at an altitude of 1,401 meter from sea-level is a home to Traditional art and architecture, pottery and weaving industries, rich local customs and culture, and the every-day life of Bhaktapur people. All that and more will have you visit this untouched ancient city more than once! Nepal's Malla dynasty's achievements in arts and crafts are reflected throughout the Bhaktapur city. Bhaktapur is also known by woodcarving artists, for it's cap known as Bhadgaon Topi, and for it's curd known by Nepalese as the `Bhaktapur ko Dahe' (meaning Curd made in Bhaktapur). Tourists visiting the city also take the time to relax and observe other interesting happenings in the city such as children's playing outside their home and in temple yards, busy and colour-full open markets, women's making clay-pots, weaving, and sun-drying crops and vegetable products. Bhaktapur is located at 14 km east of Kathmandu and can be reached by public transport. A day-trip to Bhaktapur is a popular tourist itinerary, so make it yours soon!.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square :

One of the world heritage sites in the country which reflects the city's rich culture, art and architectural design, it is also the central setting of the city for architectural monuments and arts. The golden gate is the entrance to the main courtyard of the Palace of 55 windows, the gate is regarded as the world's most beautiful and richly carved specimens of its kind.

Nyatapol Temple :

This temple is 30 meter tall, and is the tallest temple in the Kathmandu valley. It was built by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1708 AD. Each of its five terrace holds a pair of figures, starting from bottom wrestlers, elephant, lion, griffins and goddesses.

Bhairavnath Temple of Bhaktapur :

Built as a one-story pagoda during the reign of King Jagat Jyoti Malla, later changed into a three-storey temple in 1718 A.D. by King Bhupatindra Malla, this temple now stands for its artistic grandeur. Bhairavnath temple is dedicated to Lord Bhairav - the god of Terror.

Dattatraya Temple :

Built in 1427 AD, the temple is said to have been built from a single tree. A Monastery having exquisitely carved peacock windows is located near the temple.

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