Godavari :
Situated at the foothills of Phulchowki, the Royal Botanical Garden
of Godavari has splendid natural beauty .The road from Patan city
runs to Godavari to the southeast, passing through the small old towns
of Harisiddhi, Thaiba and Bodegaun .The only botanical garden in Nepal,
it is open daily including weekends and government holidays.
Bhaktapur:
Situated at an altitude of 1,401m, Bhaktapur covers an area of four
square miles. Bhaktapur or
the city of Devotees still retains a medieval charm and visitors to
this ancient town are treated to myriad wonders of cultural and artistic
achievements .The past glory of the Malla rulers continues to be reflected
at the Durbar Square. Pottery and weaving are its traditional industries.
Bhaktapur is famous for woodcarving, the Bhadgaolen topi (cap) and
curd. The city lies about 14 km east of Kathmandu and can be reached
by public transport.
Nagarkot :
Nagarkot is popular tourist resort of Nepal .It is a situated 32 km
east of Kathmandu at an altitude of 2,175 m above sea level .The panorama
of the major peaks of the eastern Nepal Himalaya includes Sagarmatha
(Mt Everest) can be seen from here. Nagarkot is famous for sunrise
and sunset view.
Bandipur
Located on a 1,000m ridge in T anahu district some 140m from kathmandu
,Bandipur's hallmark is its beautiful scenery .At the eastern part
of the town is the pagoda -roofed Bandabasini temple which houses
goddess Durga ,bandipur 's guardian deity.The rich wooden carving
and detailed brass -work that adorn the temple are replicas of those
found in the many old pagoda structures of the kathmandu valley.The
other important temples and shrines in the vicinity include the Mahalaxmi
temple with its exquisite woodwork and the Khadga Devi temple which
comes alive once a year during the Dasain festival.
Swayambhunath :
The Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath situated on the top of a hill
west of the city, is on the
most popular and instantly recognisable symbols of Nepal. The temple
is colloquially know as the 'monkey templ' after the large tribe of
handsome monkeys which guards the hill and amuses visitors and devotees
with tricks, including slinding gracefully down the double banisters
of the main stairway to the temple. The roving monkeys quickly snatch
up any offerings of food made by devotes and will just as quickly
grab anything you may be carrying.
Bouddhanath: The Stupa of Bouddhanath lies 8 km east of Kathmandu.
This ancient colossal Stupa is one of the biggest in the world, and
the center of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.
Budhanilkantha ::
About 8 km north of Kathmandu, at the base of Shivapuri hill is a
remarkable colossal statue of Lord Vishnu, reclining on a bed of snakes.
This is one of the masterpieces of stone sculptures of the Lichchhavi
period. This fifth century status is in the middle of a small pond
and seems to float in water.
Patan :
The ancient city of Patan, lying 5km southeast of Kathmandu, is known
as the city of fine arts .The city is full of Hindus temples and Buddhist
monuments .The diversity of the medieval culture that allowed both
Hinduism and Buddhism to flourish has left a rich legacy of impressive
sightseeing in this city for today’s visitors.
Temple of Kumari :
Kumari (Vestal virgin), or the Living Goddess, who represent a very
ancient Hindu diety of Nepal locally known as Taleju, is Buddhist
by birth. The temple of Kumari is situated in the vicinity of the
Hanuman Dhoka Palace. The building has intricately carved wooden balconies
and window screens. The Kumari acknowledges greetings from her balcony
window. Once a year, during Indra Jatra festival, the King of Nepal
seeks the Kumari’s blessing.
Hanumandhoka :
It is the historic seat of royalty. The Durbar Square, with its old
temples and palaces, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of
the people. It is here that kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations
solemnized. Interesting things to see here are: Taleju Temple built
by King Mahendra Malla in 1549 AD, the temple of Kal Bhairav, the
God of destruction, Nautalle Durbar, Coronation Nasal Chowk, the Gaddi
Baithak, the statue of King Pratap Malla, the Big Drum and the Jagannath
Temple. On the right hand corner, a large
wooden lattice screen hides an enormous gilded face of Sweta Bhairav.
The screen is removed only during the Indra Jatra festival. There
are also the Numismatic Museum and Tribhuvan Museum inside the Hanuman
Dhoka Palace building. Photography is prohibited inside the museum.
Both the museum remain closed on Sundays, Mondays and government
holidays.
Pashupatinath:
Situated 5 km east of Kathmandu, the temple of Lord Shiva, Pashupatinath,
with two tiered golden roof and silver door is considered one of
the holiest shrines for Hindu. It is Top Hindu temple of the world.
Although only Hindus are allowed inside the temple, visitors can
clearly see the temple and the activities performed in the temple
premises from the eastern bank of the Bagmati river.
Changu Narayan:
Situated at the end of a long ridge which runs well into the valley
it is said to have been built by king Hari Dutta in 323 AD and said
to be the oldest temple in the valley.It was listed in the UNESCO
world Heritage Monument List in 1979.
Palanchowk Bhagawati:
It is a 42km , one hour drive from kathmandu to palanchwok on the
Arniko Highway .This noted historic temple of goddess kali is located
at a hilltop some 7km north of panchkhal .One can really enjoy the
panoramic view of the landscape from this spot .This temple is said
to have been constructed during the region of king Man Dev.The temple
houses a three feet high idol of goddess Bhagwati (Kali) artistically
carved in a black stone which is one of the best examples of such
intricate workmanship.
Dhulikhel:
This ancient town is situated 30km east of kathmandu on the side
of the Arniko Rajmarga (Kathmandu-kodari Highway) .The Newar town
of Dhulikhel offers a traditional atmosphere along with spectacular
viwes.Once an important link in the ancient trade route to Tibet
, Dhulikhel has a glorious past which can be seen in the lovely
building and intricate wood carvings in the shop-lined streets and
temples.Pleasant climate (Even during summer) is big attraction
at Dhulikhel.
Dhulikhel is an exotic place to magnify a dramatic
and beautiful changing color of the mountain range from gray to
silver and gold with the rising of the sun .Both sunrise and sunset
views are really breathtaking and sensational.
Lumbini : Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha
Gautam Buddha, the Shakya prince and the ultimateBuddha,
the Enlightened One, is the pilgrimage destination of the world'’
millions of people faithful to all schools of Buddhism. This nativity
site identified by Indian Emperor Ashoka’s comme–morative
pillar .
The main attraction at the Lumbini remains the sacred
Garden spread over 8 sq km and possessing all the treasures of the
historic area. The Mayadevi temple is the main attraction for pilgrims
and archaeologists alike. Here we find a bas relief of Mayadevi
,the Buddha’s mother giving birth to him. Standing west to
the Mayadevi shrine is the oldest monument of Nepal, the Ashoka's
pillar .The pillar was ereced by Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC to commemorate
his pilgrimage to the sacred site. To the south of the pillar, we
fine the sacred pond, Puskarni, where Queen Mayadevi had taken a
bath just before giving birth to the Buddha.
There are other places of interest too nearby as Kapilbastu
etc. It is accessible by air from Kathmandu to Bhairahwa. From Kathmandu
it takes about eight hours by bus or car.
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