Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing

Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing is the cultural tour of Nepal. It is famous for world cultural Diversity and its unique tradition. In 723 by King Gunakamadeva (Manjushree) the Kathmandu Valley was created.

It was believed that before 723, Kathmandu Valley was a lake that was covered by a hill in all directions, and one of the hills was called Chobar Danda where Manjushree lived.

From Chobar, with the help of a sword, he cut down a hill and made two parts from where he let the water of Kathmandu Valley to other places like this wise Kathmandu Valley was created. Soil found in Kathmandu Valley is more fertile than in other places due to this reason.

Kathmandu Valley is an old and cultural place that is also the capital city of Nepal. There are a lot of people belonging to the different cast who lives in Kathmandu Valley.

A few years ago only Newari people used to reside here but to earn money and with the hope of a bright future many people migrated to Kathmandu Valley from different places and now there are a lot of people living in Kathmandu Valley with different castes.

Due to the efforts made by the Newari Merchant, the business and industry were so increased in Kathmandu Valley. In the early 1970s air services were established in Kathmandu and road construction was done to make Kathmandu the center of the national transportation system.

The development work was increasing, many newly designed buildings were built up. The palace of Malla was very huge and beautiful. A lot of palaces and temples were constructed at the time, some are listed in UNESCO too.

In Kathmandu, there a7 Heritage sites are as world heritage sites by UNESCO and they are Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa, Swayambunath Stupa, Changunarayn Temple, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. These all were included in World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1979.

1) Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple is made in Pagoda Style. There are two-level roofs which are made of copper and covered with gold. The base of this temple is square and has a 23m.7cm height from its base to the top. There are four gates in this temple which all are covered with silver. There is a sharp-like thing at the top which is called pinnacle in English and gajur in Nepali which is also made with gold.

Pashupatinath Temple is one of the oldest temples of Hindu in Kathmandu. There is no certain date about the ruction of this temple but it is believed that it was built before 400CEthe. 400temple was built by a Lichhavi king called Prachanda Dev.

This temple is located I the bank of the sacred Bagmati River. In Pashupatinath Temple, there are 500 mini temples and a main pagoda house. This all was built in the 246-hectare area of land. This temple is specially made in the name of the god Shiva and her wife Parbati.

There used to be a linga in Pashupatinath Temple which was worshiped by the people because that was of the god Shiva. As time passed it was buried in the ground but after centuries a farmer found that one of the cows was showering milk in the ground.

After seeing this he dug into the ground and he found the divine linga of Pashupatinath Temple which was buried.

This temple has four entrances or gates in four different directions. Western entrance or gate is the major than others. Other gates are only opened on some occasions or festivals which are closed all time rather than that day. For security, the Armed Police Force is involved.

2) Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath Stupa is made in mandala style. For the decoration, many kilos of gold were used to build this Stupa. Due to the massive mandala shape of this Stupa, This stupa is considered to have the largest spherical size in the world.
Boudhanath Stupa entered the Kathmandu Valley by being through the Sankhu Village. Boudhanath Stupa is also called Boudha Stupa.

A three-dimensional reminder of Buddha’s path is symbolized by the Boudhanath Stupa. This stupa represents four things and they are Earth, water, air, and void. The base of the Stupa represents the Earth, The khumba (white dome) represents water, The spires represent the air and the umbrella-shaped top part represents the void.

Boudhanath Stupa is a stupa of the Buddhist people, where they worship their god and goddess. Although this Stupa is Buddhist many people of different castes come to worship here.
There is no fixed date but it is believed that Bouddhanath Stupa was built in early 600 AD. Boudhanath Stupa was built by a Tibetan King. Boudhanath Stupa is a historical pilgrimage for all Buddhists all over the world.

Due to the massive earthquake of 2015, this Stupa was badly demolished. Boudhanath Stupa damaged all the structures above the dome and along with that all the religious relics that were there were removed After all, from June 2015, the re-construction process was started in November 2016 it was completed.

3) Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple)

The meaning of Stupa Swayambhu is self-existence. It is believed that in 460 AD Swayambhunath Stupa was built. Swayambhunath Stupa was built by King Manadeva. Before the 13th century.

The Swayanbhunath Stupa was so very important for the Buddhist people but after the 13th century, it became one of the most important centers for Buddhists as well as people of other castes.

There is a dome present at the base of the Swayambhunath Stupa and on the top there is a cube-shaped structure which is painted with the eyes of Buddha. This eye is painted on all four sides of the cube which can see all four directions.
Above all four sides, pentagonal toranas are present with the Buddha reliefs in them. There are thirteen steps behind and above the torrents. There is a little space above all torrents where the Gajur is made.

Like the Boudhanath Stupa this Stupa also symbolizes some things, The World is symbolized by the dome of this Stupa, and wisdom and compassion are represented by the pair of eyes on all four sides of the cube.

On each of the four sides of the Swayambhunath stupa, there are carvings of Pancha Buddha (five Buddha). There are also statues of the Buddha at the base of the Swayambhunath stupa.

The hill on which Swayambhunath Stupa is made is filled with full of greenery, the scene that is sawn from the stupa is breathtaking. For morning walkers, holidaymakers, picnic parties, etc. the Swayambhunath Hill is best for them. The only problem in Swayambhunath Stupa is Monkeys. You can find a lot of monkeys in the Swayambhunath Stupa area.

4) Changunarayan Temple

Changunarayan Temple was originally constructed in the 4th century. It was built in the Lichhavi Dynasty. This temple’s roof is gilded with copper and pinnacle. This temple was again rebuilt in 1702 AD due to the major fire incident.
Changunarayan Temple is located on a high hilltop area. This temple is said to be the oldest temple which is still in Kathmandu Valley after surviving destruction in 1702 and 2015.

Changunarayan Temple is made in pagoda style. This Temple is made dedicating Lord Vishnu. Through ancient carvings and statues, this Temple is surrounded in all directions. The special reverence of the Hindu people, this temple is held. In the main temple courtyard, we can see the temple of lord shiva, Ashta Matrika, Chhinnamasta, Krishna, and Kileshwor.

There are four entrances to get into this temple. By the life-size pairs of animals, the gates are guarded. Animals like lions, sarabhas, elephants, and griffins are kept in pairs on two sides of the entrance. All the entrance doors are gilded with carvings of different things like Naga (snake).

You can see Chakra, Kamal, Sankha, and Khadga at the top of all the stone pillars present in the temple. In Sanskrit, these stone pillars have an inscription.

Along with its cultural importance, this temple is also famous for its beautiful crafts which are made in wood, metal, and stone. The carved images found in this temple are almost about 1500 years old. To enter the temple it does not matter your age and nationality. To all the people the entrance fee is Rs60.

5) Kathmandu Durbar Square

Nepal's main center of temples and palaces is known as Kathmandu Durbar Square. Kathmandu Durbar Square used to be the seat of the King of Nepal. Kathmandu Durbar Square is also known as Basantapur Square and Hanuman Dhoka.

Kathmandu Durbar Square is made in a Pagoda-style temple along with the typical Newari architectural style. Kathmandu Durbar Square is Pyramid Shaped style.

Kathmandu Durbar Square was built in the 10th century CE. It was built by Malla Kings to reside there. After their dynasty was over this Durbar turned into a museum. The temples which were built by the Mahendra Malla are the oldest temple in the Durbar.

Kathmandu Durbar Square is surrounded by lakes, ancient statues, fountains, small ponds, and a series of courtyards. This Durbar is a religious and meditative site for spiritual seekers.

After the end of the Malla dynasty, there was the Shah dynasty. During the period of Shah Kathmandu Durbar Square saw several changes. During the Shah dynasty, the most unique and beautiful two temples were built in this Durbar.

Among the two temples, one is the Nautale (a nine-storied building) which is known as Vasantapur Durbar and another is known as Vilasamandira which is annexed to the Vasantapur Durbar.

Sundari Chowk and Mohan Chowk are the main courtyards of this durbar. Katmandu Durbar Square is also famous as a religious site not only for sightseeing. Since there are a lot of collections of ancient arts and architecture this place is now a museum.

6) Patan Durbar Square

We can also say that Patan Durbar Square is a marvel of Newar architecture. With the help of the red block, the floor of Patan Durbar Square is tiled up. Under Patan Durbar Square, there are a lot of temples and architecture made by ancestors.
There is also a bell which is located at the alignment of the temples. The entrance gate of the Durbar faces towards the east of the palace. There are also the houses where Newari people reside.

At the heart of Lalitpur, Patan Durbar Square is located. Patan Durbar Square preserves a huge collection of art and architecture. We can find carved architecture in wood, metal, and other things.
These all things were made by our ancestors. Lalitpur City is very famous for its different shrines, temples, monuments, festivals, culture, etc. which reflect the skill of our ancestors. By the ancient Buddhist Stupa, the boundary of Patan is marked.

During the 1600s Patan Durbar Square was built. Patan Durbar Square was built by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla and his son Srinivasa Sukriti. Patan is also one of the oldest city of Buddhist.

There are 55 major temples and 136 bahals (courtyards) in this region which makes it the center of both Hinduism and Buddhism. In these structures, most of them are in the Patan Durbar Square.

Patan Durbar Square is now a museum where you can find a lot of things to learn about. You can find many statues in the Patan Durbar Square which are made from bronze. Along with this you also can see a lot of religious objects which reflect the ancestors. Patan Durbar Square is also considered one of the best museums in Asia.

7) Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Once upon a time, Bhaktapur Durbar Square used to cover a large space of the area, and from all four sides, it was covered by a wall of stone. When the Bhaktapur was defeated by the Gorkhali force and due to the earthquake of 1833 and 1934 the size of the palace decreased.

Now the ground of the Durbar has been used for the government school, offices, and private houses. There are a lot of temples in this Durbar as same as Patan and Kathmandu Durbar Square.

In 1696 AD Bhaktapur Durbar Square was built. Bhaktapur Durbar and the compounding area were built by King Jitamitra Malla. In the early 17th or 18th century Bhaktapur Durbar Square was reconstructed.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square was reconstructed by King Bhupatindra Malla. This Durbar contains beautiful wooden carved architecture and a gateway which are finely gilt.

There are a lot of major attractions in Bhaktapur Durbar Square that you can easily visit. You can visit the 55 Window Palace, Golden Gate, Lions Gate, Mini Pashupati Temple, Vatsala Temple, Nyatapola Temple, and Bhairavanath Temple.

Bhaktapur Square is an open museum in Nepal. You can find a lot of small-scale industries in Bhaktapur. From a small-scale industry, you can see the Pottery Industry where you can try to do pottery.

Basantapur Rajakula is one of the most important buildings of this Durbar. It is a nine-story palace which is located at the western end of Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

By King Jagat Prakasha Malla, this building was originally built during the 17th century but due to an earthquake it was damaged later in 1702 his grandson Bhupatindra Malla repaired it.