The capital city as well as biggest cosmopolitan city of Nepal – Kathmandu is a fabulous destination, situated in a bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by steep terrain. This fascinating city is highly favored for its excellent pagodas, narrow cobbled lines, and stone shrines.

Of the attractions of Kathmandu that deserves a special mention is Hanuman Dhoka or Durbar Square, which has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built between the 12th and the 18th centuries, Durbar Square is a complex of palaces, courtyards and temples such as the Taleju Temple and Jagannath Temple. Attraction within the complex also covers Coronation Nasal Chowk, a gigantic statue of Kal Bhairav, the statue of King Pratap Malla, the big bell, and the big drum. Museums including the Tribhuvan Museum and the Numismatic Museum can also be found in the Durbar Square.

Kathmandu is also much famed for its amazingly carved rose brick temples, all of which stand as a symbol of the rich heritage of the country. Most popular among the city’s temples are the Temple of Lord Shiva, whose highlight is a richly ornamented pagoda with two tiered golden roof and silver doors; Guheswari Temple, a shrine dedicated to the goddess Guheswari; Akash Bhairav Temple, a three-storied temple; Ashoka Vinayak – a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh; Kumari Ghar or the temple of Kumari – the living goddess; and Kashthamandap – a pagoda-style temple that is erected from the wood of a single tree. Kathmandu is also home to some Buddhist shrines such as Swayambhunath – one of the most glorious Buddhist sites in the world. Additionally, many of the temples such as Bouddhnath and Changu Narayan Temple are listed among the World Heritage Site.

Apart from temples, the city has to its credit a range of other religious sites such as Kopan Monastery, where meditation courses are offered year-round; Pullahari Monastery; Vaisha Dev, otherwise known as Toothache Tree; and Vajra.

Must-see attractions in Kathmandu also include a number of interesting museums such as Brass and Bronze Museum, dedicated to the history of metalworking in the country, National Woodworking Museum, The National Museum, and the Tribhuvan, Mahendra, and Birendra Museums. For nature lovers, Kathmandu provides excellent options in the form of Nagarjun Forest Reserve and Gokarna Safari Park with rare species of animals like spotted deer.

Situated north of the Durbar Square is Thamel, which is famed as the entertainment district of the city. The area is dotted with a large number of hotels, shops, and restaurants and dancing bars.

Also, while your stay at Kathmandu take a tour to Pokhara – a fabulous spot from where one can enjoy the gorgeous views of the High Himalayas; Gorkha – a historical city well-known as the place of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of the modern Nepal; Lumbini – the birth place of Lord Buddha, and Chitwan, which is much famed for its National Park with a rare species of animals such as horned rhino, antelopes, elephant and Bengal Tiger.

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 5th, 2007 at 11:13 am and is filed under Nepal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.