The
valley's visible history is inextricably entangled
with the Malla kings. It was during their reign,
particularly in the 1600s and 1700s that many
of the valley's finest temples and palaces were
built. Competition between the cities was intense
and an architectural innovation in one place
would inevitably be copied throughout the valley.
The unification
of Nepal in 1768 by Gorkha's King Prithvi Narayan
Shah signalled the end of the Kathmandu Valley's
fragmentation. Nepali, an Indo-European language
spoken by the Khas of western Nepal, replaced
Newari as the country's language of administration.
In 1816 the Shahs closed the borders of Nepal
and kept the country isolated until the mid
20th century. In 1846 a bloody massacre of Kathmandu's
100 most powerful men, held in the very public
forum of Durbar Square, ended the Shah dynasty
and installed the Ranas.
The Ranas
weren't too taken with the Shahs' policy of
isolation, and the first Rana maharaja set off
for Europe with a huge entourage, visiting Queen
Victoria and causing quite a stir in stuffy
old England. The Ranas were so impressed with
European architecture that they began introducing
neo-classical buildings into their own cities,
including the 1904 Singha Durbar. The Ranas
began dressing like European royalty, and imported
all the latest inventions which, strangely enough,
never found their way beyond the royal compounds
into the homes of ordinary folk. During this
period of royal extranvance, the majority of
people in Kathmandu became much poorer and the
Hindu caste system became much more rigid -
on the other hand, human sacrifice, slavery
and sati were abolished.
On 15 January
1934 a huge earthquake struck the Kathmandu
Valley, killing 4296 people and destroying many
of Kathmandu's temples and palaces. Inspired
by the independence movement in India, Nepalis
began a political upheaval - an alliance was
formed between the ousted Shahs, the army's
Gurkha regiments and the dissatisfied poorer
extended families of the Rana clan. In November
1950 they revolted. King Tribhuvan, a Shah,
was anointed ruler in 1951 and struck up a government
comprised of Ranas and members of the newly
formed Nepali Congress Party. Power, of course,
remained with only one party - the king's. After
months of uprisings, the Nepali people were
finally granted democracy in 1989.
In 1956,
the first motorable road linked Kathmandu with
India. Ten years later another highway opened,
and in 1974 international air services began.
Foreign aid began pouring in from the 1960s,
bringing with it foreign aid workers and new
prosperity for the city. Kathmandu's population
tripled in 20 years, and the city sprawled,
as modern houses sprang up to meet the needs
of ex-pats and immigrants poured in from the
country. In the 60s, the tourists also started
flooding in, looking for cheap living and eastern
answers to the questions of life. Freak St became
the centre of the action, as the hippies set
up a huge market for every type of drug, every
hybrid philosophy and any kind of pie you could
imagine. Kathmandu was transformed into a tourist
Mecca, and the jumping-off point for the new
trekking industry.
Bhaktapur
means "the city of devotes" in the
Sanskrit language. It is also known as Bhadgaon
and was founded by in 889 AD by King Anand
Dev. Today it covers an area of four square
miles and is flanked by Khasa Khusung and
Hanumante Rivers. The palace complex in the
middle of the city portrays the prosperity
of the Malla years and the details at which
the craftspeople then worked. The Palace of
Fifty-five Windows stands in the square and
it was home to many kings of Bhaktapur. They
even ruled over Kathmandu and Patan from the
twelfth century to the 14th century. The massive
gate to the square was made by King Bhupatindra
Malla (1696 to 1722) who took pride in his
own engineering and building skills. His skills
must have been impressive indeed as the gate,
though it looks small now, was among the biggest
in the valley and daunted many an enemy. It
is sturdy even now and stands firmly. Among
the other monuments in Bhaktapur are the big
bell, the Golden Gate, the five-tiered temple
of Nyatapola, the Bhairab Temple, and the
Dattatreya Square with its woodcarving and
metalwork museums. Surrounded by beautiful
farming area, the traveler to Bhaktapur will
easily fall in love with the city. Bhaktapur
is perhaps the most popular of the three Newar
towns of the Kathmandu Valley. Newar art and
architecture here rival the best craftsmanship
of the Malla period (from the 12th to the
18th century). Though a massive earthquake
of 1934 destroyed many temples, bahals (monastery
courtyards), and residences, the city is still
a living proof of the highest craft standards
in this part of the world. As the visitor
wanders through narrow brick paved streets,
many alleys will show hidden
shrines and statues. Clay craftmanship as
well as cloth weaving is still practiced here
very much as in the past. Fourteen kilometers
east of Kathmandu, this peaceful, conservative
town stands in sharp contrast to the bustle
of its two adjacent cities.
The
ancient city is situated on the southern bank
of the river Bagmati and is about five kms
southeast of Kathmandu. The city is full of
Buddhist monuments and Hindu temples with
fine bronze gateways, guardian deities and
wonderful carvings. Noted for its craftsmen
and metal workers, it is known as the city
of artists. Patan is the oldest of the three
ancient city-kingdoms of the Kathmandu valley
which once ruled by the mallas. Patan is still
populated mostly by Newars, two-thirds of
them being Buddhist. As in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur,
a fusion prevails between Hinduism and Buddhism.
Also, as in those cities, Patan has a Durbar
Square and a labyrinth of winding lanes. The
square boasts of many famous sites and unique
architecture. Krishna Mandir in the Patan
Durbar Square was built to honor an incarnation
of Vishnu. Krishna fought by the side of the
Pandavs in the Mahabharat war to assure that
truth would prevail. This temple is the best
example of stone architecture in Nepal. Scenes
from the Mahabharat, Asia's greatest mythological
war, are carved on the temple's wall. The
Bhimsen Temple which honors Bhim - great wrestler,
brother of the Pandavs, and a deity to Nepalese
businessmen - contains fine samples of metal
craft. The best place, however, to see metal
sculpture is the Hiranya Varna Mahabihar,
the "Golden Temple". It is a Newar
monastery which contains wall painting , fourteenth
century statues, and scriptures. Other sites
including the Mahabouddha Temple and Uku Bahal
are only a few minutes walk away from the
square. The streets in this area are home
to metal sculptors of the present day. Many
more temples dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed
god, Shiva, Narsingha, Taleju, and others
are situated in the Patan Durbar Square.
Pashupatinath
is Nepal's holiest Hindu Pilgrimage site (followed
by the remote Muktinath in the Himalaya).
Like Varanasi in India - although on a much
smaller scale - it is a time-warp of temples,
cremation ghats, ritual bathers and bearded,
half-naked sadhus (religious mendicants).
Dedicated to Lord Shiva (one of the Hindu
trinity), the shrines and temples of Pashupatinath
straddle the now-polluted Bagmati river which,
like the Ganges, is considered sacred by the
faithful. To die and to be cremated here is
to be released from samsara (the cycle of
rebirth in this world). This wooded ravine
near the golf course and airport is considered
to be one of the abodes of Lord Shiva who
is the patron deity (in one of his more benign
forms) of Nepal. Pashupati is another name
for Shiva and means 'Lord of the Animals'.
The
history of the Valley, according to the legends,
begins with Swayambhu, or "the self-existent".
In times uncharted by history, Bodhisattva
Manjusri came across a beautiful lake during
his travel. He saw a lotus that emitted brilliant
light at the lake's center, so he cut a gorge
in a southern hill and drained the waters
to worship the lotus. Men settled on the bed
of the lake and called it the Kathmandu Valley.
From then on, the hilltop of the Self-existent
Lord has been a holy place. Swayambhu's light
was covered in time because few could bear
its intensity. By the thirteenth century,
after many layers were added to the original
structure that enveloped the Lord's power,
a dome-like shape had been acquried. The stupas
central mast was damaged and replaced at that
time. Peripheral sources of power were discovered
on the hilltop as well and stupas, temples,
and resthouses were built to honor them. Image
of important deities, both Buddhist and Hindu,
were also installed. Today, age-old statues
and shrines dot the stupa complex. Behind
the hilltop is a temple dedicated to Manjusri
of Saraswati - the goddess of learning. Swayambhu
is the best place to observe the religious
harmoney in Nepal. The stupa is among the
most ancient in this part of the world, and
its worshippers are diverse from Newar nuns,
Tibetan monks, and Brahmin priests to lay
Buddhists and Hindus. The largest image of
the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepal is in a monastery
next to the stupa. Other monasteries here
have huge prayer wheels, fine Buddhist paintings.
Swayambhu is a major landmark of the Valley
and looks like a beacon below the Nagarjun
hill. It provides an excellent view of the
Kathmandu Valley.
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.
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.
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 unscripted stonewall. 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.
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.
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.
Bhaktapur
means "the city of devotes" in the
Sanskrit language. It is also known as Bhadgaon
and was founded by in 889 AD by King Anand
Dev. Today it covers an area of four square
miles and is flanked by Khasa Khusung and
Hanumante Rivers. The palace complex in the
middle of the city portrays the prosperity
of the Malla years and the details at which
the craftspeople then worked. The Palace of
Fifty-five Windows stands in the square and
it was home to many kings of Bhaktapur. They
even ruled over Kathmandu and Patan from the
twelfth century to the 14th century. The massive
gate to the square was made by King Bhupatindra
Malla (1696 to 1722) who took pride in his
own engineering and building skills. His skills
must have been impressive indeed as the gate,
though it looks small now, was among the biggest
in the valley and daunted many an enemy. It
is sturdy even now and stands firmly. Among
the other monuments in Bhaktapur are the big
bell, the Golden Gate, the five-tiered temple
of Nyatapola, the Bhairab Temple, and the
Dattatreya Square with its woodcarving and
metalwork museums. Surrounded by beautiful
farming area, the traveler to Bhaktapur will
easily fall in love with the city. Bhaktapur
is perhaps the most popular of the three Newar
towns of the Kathmandu Valley. Newar art and
architecture here rival the best craftsmanship
of the Malla period (from the 12th to the
18th century). Though a massive earthquake
of 1934 destroyed many temples, bahals (monastery
courtyards), and residences, the city is still
a living proof of the highest craft standards
in this part of the world. As the visitor
wanders through narrow brick paved streets,
many alleys will show hidden 
The
ancient city is situated on the southern bank
of the river Bagmati and is about five kms
southeast of Kathmandu. The city is full of
Buddhist monuments and Hindu temples with
fine bronze gateways, guardian deities and
wonderful carvings. Noted for its craftsmen
and metal workers, it is known as the city
of artists. Patan is the oldest of the three
ancient city-kingdoms of the Kathmandu valley
which once ruled by the mallas. Patan is still
populated mostly by Newars, two-thirds of
them being Buddhist. As in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur,
a fusion prevails between Hinduism and Buddhism.
Also, as in those cities, Patan has a Durbar
Square and a labyrinth of winding lanes. The
square boasts of many famous sites and unique
architecture. Krishna Mandir in the Patan
Durbar Square was built to honor an incarnation
of Vishnu. Krishna fought by the side of the
Pandavs in the Mahabharat war to assure that
truth would prevail. This temple is the best
example of stone architecture in Nepal. Scenes
from the Mahabharat, Asia's greatest mythological
war, are carved on the temple's wall. The
Bhimsen Temple which honors Bhim - great wrestler,
brother of the Pandavs, and a deity to Nepalese
businessmen - contains fine samples of metal
craft. The best place, however, to see metal
sculpture is the Hiranya Varna Mahabihar,
the "Golden Temple". It is a Newar
monastery which contains wall painting , fourteenth
century statues, and scriptures. Other sites
including the Mahabouddha Temple and Uku Bahal
are only a few minutes walk away from the
square. The streets in this area are home
to metal sculptors of the present day. Many
more temples dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed
god, Shiva, Narsingha, Taleju, and others
are situated in the Patan Durbar Square.
Pashupatinath
is Nepal's holiest Hindu Pilgrimage site (followed
by the remote Muktinath in the Himalaya).
Like Varanasi in India - although on a much
smaller scale - it is a time-warp of temples,
cremation ghats, ritual bathers and bearded,
half-naked sadhus (religious mendicants).
Dedicated to Lord Shiva (one of the Hindu
trinity), the shrines and temples of Pashupatinath
straddle the now-polluted Bagmati river which,
like the Ganges, is considered sacred by the
faithful. To die and to be cremated here is
to be released from samsara (the cycle of
rebirth in this world). This wooded ravine
near the golf course and airport is considered
to be one of the abodes of Lord Shiva who
is the patron deity (in one of his more benign
forms) of Nepal. Pashupati is another name
for Shiva and means 'Lord of the Animals'.
The
history of the Valley, according to the legends,
begins with Swayambhu, or "the self-existent".
In times uncharted by history, Bodhisattva
Manjusri came across a beautiful lake during
his travel. He saw a lotus that emitted brilliant
light at the lake's center, so he cut a gorge
in a southern hill and drained the waters
to worship the lotus. Men settled on the bed
of the lake and called it the Kathmandu Valley.
From then on, the hilltop of the Self-existent
Lord has been a holy place. Swayambhu's light
was covered in time because few could bear
its intensity. By the thirteenth century,
after many layers were added to the original
structure that enveloped the Lord's power,
a dome-like shape had been acquried. The stupas
central mast was damaged and replaced at that
time. Peripheral sources of power were discovered
on the hilltop as well and stupas, temples,
and resthouses were built to honor them. Image
of important deities, both Buddhist and Hindu,
were also installed. Today, age-old statues
and shrines dot the stupa complex. Behind
the hilltop is a temple dedicated to Manjusri
of Saraswati - the goddess of learning. Swayambhu
is the best place to observe the religious
harmoney in Nepal. The stupa is among the
most ancient in this part of the world, and
its worshippers are diverse from Newar nuns,
Tibetan monks, and Brahmin priests to lay
Buddhists and Hindus. The largest image of
the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepal is in a monastery
next to the stupa. Other monasteries here
have huge prayer wheels, fine Buddhist paintings.
Swayambhu is a major landmark of the Valley
and looks like a beacon below the Nagarjun
hill. It provides an excellent view of the
Kathmandu Valley.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.