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Kathmandu
Attractions, Nepal |
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Tourist Attractions in Kathmandu
There are about 2000 temples and shrines in Kathmandu. The
most interesting things to see in Kathmandu are clustered
around the old towns between the old marketplace and the
shopping centre along the New Road. |
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Durbar Square
Durbar Square is the spiritual heart of Kathmandu.
Around central Durbar Square, there is the Royal Palace,
palaces, pagodas, courtyards, temples and the Kumari
House, the residence of the Living Goddess. The old
royal palace is situated at the centre of the city and
was surrounded by the temples and other important
buildings. Many of the old buildings were re-built after
the 1934 earthquake. The Durbar Square area comprises of
3 squares. The Kasthamandap (Wooden temple) is situated
in the south west corner and one of the most famous
building of Kathmandu. It was built in 1596 by Raja
Lachmina Singh from the wood of one enormous sal
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tree. It was
originally a rest house or community centre and later
converted into a temple dedicated to Gorakhnath, whose shrine
sits in the centre of a small enclosure. These temples were
built between the 12th and 18th centuries by the Malla kings.
On the north side of the square is the Ashok Binayak temple,
also known as the Maru Ganesh. This small, golden temple is
dedicated to the god Ganesh. The Maru Tole is located on the
left side of the Ashok Binayak temple and leads to the
Visnumati river and the Swayambhunath temples.
Kumari Temple
The temple of the living goddess of Kumari is situated towards
the Kumari Bahal and Kumari Chowk. The Hindus worship the
goddess Kumari as the reincarnation of Siva's consort Parvati.
The cult was instituted just over 200 years ago by Jaya
Prakash Malla. The Kumaris are drawn from the Newar Sakya clan
of gold and silversmiths and are initiated into the role at
the age of 4 or 5. The living goddess Kumari is only allowed
to witness the festivals and other religious occasions. During
the festivals, the goddess is carried through the streets in a
palanquin and walks on the cloth, as her feet must not touch
the ground. The 18th century temple of the Living goddess
Kumari and monastic courtyard is guarded at the entrance by
two painted lions. The building is in the style of the
Buddhist monasteries and was constructed in 1757 by Jaya
Prakash Malla, as an act of the penance. The stucco facade has
a number of intricately carved windows. The lintels are carved
with laughing skulls while deities, doves and peacocks
decorate the balcony windows. The walls of the courtyard have
remarkable decoration. |
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Swayambhunath
The Swayambhunath Stupa is the most important site of
Buddhist worship in Nepal. This stupa is situated on the
top of the Padmachala hill, 175 m above the valley and 3
km to the west of the city. This place was established
over 2000 years ago by the King Manadeva I. A
pre-Buddhist shrine in the form of a projecting stone
was used as the central point of the stupa. By 1234,
Swayambhunath became an important centre of Buddhism
learning and was closely related with Lhasa. In the 14th
century, the muslim troops from Bengal destroyed the
shrine, but it was rebuilt and renovated by the
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Pratap Malla
in the 17th century. This stupa can be reached by 400 steps
built by Pratap Malla. At the bottom of the stairs are three
painted images erected by Pratap Malla and his fathers in
1637. At regular intervals are the pairs of eagles, lions,
horses, peacocks and the vehicles of the Dhyani Buddhists. The
stupa is about 20 m in diameter and 10 m high. The white
hemispherical mound represents the four elements which are
earth, water, wind and fire. Each side of the square stone has
the eyes of Buddha. The third eye is the sign of true wisdom
and the nose is in the form of a figure in Nepali. At the four
cardinal points of the stupa are the four richly decorated
niches that houses the Dhyani Buddhas in different meditation
poses. Around the stupa, the prayer wheels are turned by the
faithful as they walk clockwise round the shrine. There is a
great thunderbolt at the top of the stairs that symbolizes the
male strength. It is accompanied by a bell which signifies
female wisdom.
Excursions from Kathmandu
Besides visiting the above places, the tourists can also have
one day excursion to various places nearby Kathmandu. Some of
these places are Bodhnath, Pashupatinath Temple, Budhanikantha
Temple and Dakshinkali Temple. |
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Bodhnath
Bodhnath is situated about 8 km. north-east of Kathmandu.
The Bodhnath stupa is the largest stupa in Nepal that
rises for 36 m. Bodhnath is situated on the ancient
trade route between Kathmandu and Lhasa. It is also
believed that this stupa contains the bones of Kashyapa
Buddha, who preceded Gautama Buddha. This stupa was
built by Lichchavi king Mana Dev in the fifth century
AD. The Bodhnath stupa is constructed on an octagonal
base on a flat land in the centre of the Tibetan
settlement. The hemispherical dome is topped by the
square structure and above it rises the steps of
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enlightenment
to the umbrella of Nirvana. Painted above are the all-seeing
eyes of Lord Buddha. The 108 images of the Dhyana Buddha are
situated around the octagonal base and is surrounded by a wall
with 147 niches, each nich holds 4 to 5 prayer wheels. On the
wheels, the hundreds of notes bear the Buddhist mantra 'Om
Mane Padme Hum'. With the each turn of the wheel, the hundreds
of messages are symbolically sent into the heaven. There is a
Buddhist monastery near the stupa, where you can see many
Tibetan monks who come here to study.
Kirtipur
The medieval town of Kirtipur is situated on a ridge to the
southwest of Kathmandu. Kirtipur is a centre of cloth weaving
and dyed yarn. The Ridge offers a panoramic view of Kathmandu
with Himalayan peaks rising behind it. When Prithvi Narayan
Shah conquered the Valley in the eighteenth century, Kirtipur
put up a stiff resistance, causing heavy losses to the
invading army. In order to avenge the death of his soldiers,
the King cut off the noses of all able-bodied men in town. It
is said that people in this town have their noses shorter than
other Nepalese. The Tribhuvan University Campus is located at
the foot of the hill. The Chobhar Gorge, a very scenic spot is
located near Kirtipur. It is believed that gods cut this gorge
to drain the water from the Kathmandu Valley when it was still
a lake. The Buddhist temple of Adinath is situated on the top
of the hill.
Budhanilkantha Temple
The Budhanilkantha Temple is situated about 10 kms. north of
Kathmandu. The main attraction of the temple is the world’s
largest statue of the Vishnu, reclining on the bed of serpents
in the pool. This temple belongs to the 8th century AD. No one
knows who built the statue, but according to the legend it was
accidentally unearthed by a farmer. The 5 m stone statue of
Vishnu, holds four things in his four hands. These things are
a discus (symbol of the mind), mace (primitive knowledge),
conch (the 5 elements) and lotus seed (universe). According to
the legend, the Lord Vishnu sleeps for four months of the year
and the festival of Budhanilkantha is celebrated in the month
of November, on account of the waking up of the god after a
long sleep. Various devotees gather here in large number
during the Haribodhini Ekadasi and Kartik Purnima. |
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Pashupatinath Temple
The Pashupatinath Temple is situated about 5 kms. north
east of Kathmandu and near the airport. The
Pashupatinath temple is one of the most famous and
holiest Hindu pilgrimage shrines in Nepal. This temple
is dedicated to Lord Shiva, in his peaceful form as
Mahadev and Pashupati, the shepherd or lord of the
beasts and situated on the banks of the Bhagmati River.
This temple is visited by Hindus from all over the
Indian subcontinent and closely associated with the
South Indian Shaivism since the visit of Shankaracharya.
This late 17th century temple is a pagoda of brass and
gilt with the silver plated gateways. The black,
four-headed image of Pashupatinath inside the temple is
very old and it |
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replace the
image destroyed by the Muslim invaders in the 14th century.
The Non-Hindus are not allowed to visit the temple, but they
can only see the gilted Nandi Bull, the Shiva's vehicle inside
the temple. The foreigners also cannotn enter the temple
compound, but they can have a good view of the whole complex
from a higher vantage point. Thousands of devotees gather in
this temple during the Shivaratri festival.
Dakshinkali Temple
The Dakshinkali temple is dedicated to the goddess Kali and
located in the southern edge of the Valley. The temple is
about half an hour’s drive from Kathmandu. Many Nepalese
families take a vow before the goddess that if their wish is
fulfilled, they would offer the sacrifice. The goats are
sacrificed in this temple to please the goddess. After the
sacrifice, part of the meat is brought to the home for a
feast.
Nagarkot
The Nagarkot village is situated near Kathmandu. It is the
most popular place to view the Himalayas. Nagarkot is situated
on the ridge to the north-east, and offers a view stretching
from Dhaulagiri in the west to Kanchanjunga in the east. A
better option would be to stay overnight at Nagarkot and view
the mountains at dawn. In recent years, Nagarkot has developed
into a king of a resort.
Daman
Daman is the another place to view the mountains. The 8,000
feet pass of Simbhanjyang or Daman is situated along the main
road leading to the Indian border. It is located about 120 km
from Kathmandu. Although at lower altitude, some people
believe that this is the best place to view the mountains. On
a clear day, you can also view the Mount Dhaulagiri, Annapurna
and Everest peaks. There is also a view tower fitted with
long-range telescopes. |
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Dhulikhel
Dhulikhel is another place to view the mountains,
situated just outside Kathmandu Valley. Dhulikhel is
located at an altitude of 1500 metres and view from here
is considered better than Nagarkot. Dhulikhel is also
the district headquarters and can be reached very
easily. It offers a superb view of the Cho Oyu in the
east to Himalchuli in the west.
Changu Narayan Temple
The Changu Narayan Temple is dedicated to Narayan (Lord
Vishnu). This is a very popular temple visited by
thousands of pilgrims. This temple is one of the finest
and oldest specimens of pagoda architecture.
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Garuda, the
mythical man-bird, which is the vahana (transport) of Lord
Vishnu stands with folded hands in front of the temple.
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