Places of Interest - Nepal

"Durbar" square e.o .:

Durbar Square or Hanuman Dhoka Square is the biggest tourist attraction in historic Kathmandu. Durbar (which literally means “Palace”) is where the city kings were crowned and from where they governed the city state or kingdom. Rebuilt, renovated and extended is what you see today from the 17th and 18th century. The king has not been living in this place for a long time and traditional architecture is now a tourist attraction already put on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979. Streets like "freak" street and the important thoroughfare "Makhan Tole" end in Durbar which also includes "Basantapur" square. Entrance to the square is 200 Rs and is valid for one week. 

Important buildings on the square are the 12th century "Kasthamandap" (literally, house of wood) that gives the city its name. Another is the former Royal palace "Hanuman Dhoka" built in the 17th century. On the Durbar square you will find next to the palace used by the Malla and Shah dynasties, also the Vishnu, the Indrapur, the Shiva-Parvati, the Taleju-, the Degutale-temple and the Bhagwati-temple.

"Swayambhunath":

The temple complex of "Swayambhunath" is located about 2 to 3 km west of the center of Kathmandu on a hill that offers a beautiful view over a large part of the Kathmandu valley. Archaeologists believe that the valley was once a lake or sea and that this hill has been an island. The temple, which is sometimes called the "monkey" temple due to the present of a large troop of monkeys on the hill, is one of the most sacred Buddhist complexes in the world, even though it is also important for Hindus. It consists of a stupa, a number of shrines and temples and later a Tibetan monastery, a museum and a library were added. Characteristic of the stupa are the painted eyes and eyebrows of Buddha; these are also called the "eyes of Kathmandu". You get to the platform of the temple via a staircase with 365 steps, where you have to walk around the stupa clockwise. At the beginning of the stairs you can see "footprints" according to the legend of "Buddha" itself. There are also shops, restaurants and even hostels around the complex. You can also visit the temple complex with a minibus (number 20 from the main post office) or with a (rented) bicycle is perhaps even better.

"Pashupatinath" and "Bodnath"

A little to the east of the center you can find the temple complexes of "Pashupatinath" and "Bodnath". The Pashupatinath complex is the most important Hindu site in Nepal and is located directly along the "Bagmati" river. It consists of various monuments and numerous temples. The most important of these is the "Pashupatinath" temple which is one of the most important Hindu temples of the continent and attracts thousands of Hindus from all over the world including many brightly colored "sadhus" (Holy men). As a non-Hindu you unfortunately can not enter the temple. Besides the temple itself there are also the terraces on the banks of the holy "Bagmati" river where it is very popular to be cremated. Other famous temples are the "Goraknath", "Vishwarup" and "Guhyeshwari". 

A fun and interesting walk of 20 minutes is the one to the temple complex of "Boeddhanath" or simply "Buddha". This is located in the district "Budhha" where many Tibetans live. After the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, many Buddhist monks fled to Nepal and in particular Kathmandu, after which they settled mainly in Bouddah; it is not called 'little Tibet' for nothing nowadays. The complex is located on the old important trade route between Tibet and India and contains one of the largest stupas in the world. This is one of the holy places for the many Tibetans who live in Nepal and Kathmandu. Since 1979 the stupa of Bouddhanath is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, as part of the Kathmandu valley. Besides this stupa there are numerous (Tibetan) monasteries where you are often invited for a cup of tea or just to take a look. Most important ones are "Tsamchen Gompa", "Samtenling" gompa and "Thrangu gompa". 

Other attractions:

Nice, interesting places in Kathmandu can be the “freak" street; just south of "Durbar" square is the "old freak street" which was part of the famous notorious "hippie" path in the 60s and 70s. Even though those years are far behind us the atmosphere is still to taste though the area is already "taken back" by Nepalese families who live here, have shops and go to school. To buy groceries, travel and buy souvenirs, it is best to go to "Ason" bazaar or to the busy main road "Makhan" tole or "Thamel Chowk". Finally there is "Samakhushi" neighborhood which is about 10 minutes away from Thamel. It is an interesting local residential area inhabited by various ethnic groups with a number of hostels and restaurants.

There is evidence that people lived no later than in the 7th BC in the Kathmandu valley. The actual city of Kathmandu, baptized as "Kantipur", was founded "only" in the 12th century during the "Malla" Dynasty. They built the famous temples, buildings and other monuments that the city is now famous for. Kathmandu was first an independent city state but in the 14th century it was united with the rest of the (Kathmandu) valley under the rule of the "Malla" king of Bhaktapur. A century later, this alliance fell apart again and Kathmandu, with major rivals "Patan" and "Bhaktapur", became independent again as a Kingdom. These went into battle in several wars that weakened the three ruffs. Because of the new situation, "Prithvi Narayan Shah" of the "Gorkha" Kingdom in 1768 managed to invade the valley and unite it under the reign of the Shah dynasty. Kathmandu became the new capital that has remained it to this day. 

In 2015 Kathmandu (and all of Nepal) was hit by two consecutive all-devastating earthquakes. The first submitted on April 25, 2015 and had a force of 7.8 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was about 34 kilometers southeast of Lamjung. In this earthquake at least 7,557 people died and more than 14,123 people were injured. A second earthquake with a force of 7.4 on the Richter scale took place on 12 May 2015 with the epicenter near the border with China. The Nepalese government labeled 191,058 houses as destroyed and another 174,162 as damaged. Kathmandu airport, the Tribhuvan International Airport, was closed immediately after the quake for large aircraft because of damage to the runway caused by landing large (military) transport aircraft. In Kathmandu the historic center has suffered serious damage due to the earthquakes and it will take years before everything is restored. The famous "Bhimsen" tower was almost completely destroyed as a result of the earthquake; 180 bodies were found in the remains of the tower. The earthquake took place around lunchtime, so there were many visitors in the tower.