
Indrachowk: Indrachowk, a square, the courtyard
of Indra named after an ancient Hindu deity is within walking
distance from Durbar Square. Akash Bhairab temple, a three-
story temple lies at Indrachowk the main market avenue of
the Kathmandu city. The image of Akash Bhairav is displayed
outside the temple for a week during Indrajatra, the festival
of Indra or the God of Rain.
Freak Street: Locally known as Jhhonchen
Tole, the once famous "Freak Street" is well known
to all low budget tourists. In seventies this area was full
of small hotels, lodges, restaurants, taverns as well as shops
that "buy and sell anything". But all this is now
a matter of the past as the place has been dethroned by another
part of the city called Thamel.
Machhendranath (white) Temple: The temple
is situated at Machhendra Bahal near Indrachowk. This two
storeyed temple was built by Yaksha Malla in 1500 AD The chariot
festival of white Mahchendranath (the god of mercy) is annually
celebrated in Kathmandu Valley. The traditional music is always
played in the evening at this temple which is also open to
westerners.
Asan: Asan is one of the busiest squares
in Kathmandu and has six roads radiating from it. The three
storey high pagoda styled Annapurna (goddess of food grains)
temple is situated at Asan. Another two storey temple is dedicated
to Lord Ganesh. All kind of household goods available in this
traditional marketplace.
Thamel: Thamel area has recently emerged
as the most popular tourist area of Kathmandu. Thamel is a
15 to 20 minute walk from the center of Kathmandu. Thamel
has clean narrow streets full of mushrooming lodges, hotels
for budget travellers. Restaurants, bars and other tourists
oriented shops can be seen bustling with activities.
Dharahara: Also known as Bhimsen Stambha
(Tower), Dharahara is a 50.5 meter tower built by Prime Minister
Bhimsen Thapa in 1832. Situated near the General Post Office,
the tower is one of Kathmandu's best-known monuments. From
the top of the tower, one has a panoramic view of the whole
Kathmandu Valley. It is not open for the public.
Palace: This is the present Palace. At the
south there is the famous historic water-spout of Narayanhity
from which the Palace derives its name. Special permission
has to be obtained to go inside the Palace compound.
Balaju Water Garden: Situated five kilometers
north-west of Kathmandu, Balaju Water Garden is an ideal place
for rest and relaxation. The park features a long line of
twenty-two stone water spouts from the mid-eighteenth century,
each of which is ornately carved with crocodile heads. The
garden also includes many other ponds, some of them containing
large and small varieties of fish.
Budhanilkantha: Eight kilometers north of
Kathmandu is a remarkable, colossal statue of lord Vishnu
reclining on a bed of snakes. The fifth-century statue lies
in the middle of a small pond Budhanikantha is a place of
pilgrimage for all Hindus and is the scene of great activity
at such festivals as Haribodhini Ekadasi and Kartik Poornima.
An interesting feature of this shrine is that the reigning
King of Nepal may not visit the spot according to an old tradition.
Hiranya Varna Mahabihar: This three-storey
golden pagoda of Lokeshwar in Patan was built in the twelfth
century A. D. by King Bhaskar Varma. Located in the courtyard
of Kwabahal, this temple is in a class of its own. A golden
image of Lord Buddha and a big prayer wheel can be seen on
the pedestal of the upper part of the Car while intricate
decorative patterns on its outer walls add charm to the mellow
richness of the shrine.
Kumbheshwar: This is a five-storey pagoda-style
temple of Lord Shiva. Inside the courtyard is a natural spring
whose source, it is said. is the famous glacial lake of Gosainkunda.
This temple was built by King Jayasthiti Malla while the golden
finial was added later, in 1422 A.D. He also cleaned the pond
near Kumbheshwar and installed various images of Narayan,
Ganesh, Sitala, Basuki, Gauri, Kirtimukh and Agamadevata around
the pond and in the courtyard. Ritual bathing takes place
here every year on the day of Janai Poornima.
Jagat Narayan: The Jagat Narayan temple
is a tall shikhara-style temple consecrated to Lord Vishnu.
The temple is built of red bricks on the bank of the Bagmati
at Sankhamul and enshrines many stone images. The fine metal
statue of Garuda placed on a stone monolith is quite eye-catching
and is accompanied by similarly placed images of Ganesh and
Hanuman.
Mahaboudha: The temple of Mahabouddha is
a masterpiece of terra-cotta. Like the Krishna Mandir, it
reveals an artistic tradition which evolved outside of Nepal
and shows how native Nepalese craftsmen have been able to
do justice to an unfamiliar art form. This temple was built
by Abhaya Raj, a priest of Patan and is sometimes referred
to as the temple of a million Buddhas because every single
brick bears a small image of Buddha. There is an astonishing
total of nine thousand bricks. It was levelled to the ground
in the great earthquake of 1933 but was rebuilt exactly to
the original specifications, proving that the templecraft
is still one of the living arts of Nepal.
Ashokan Stupas: Popularly believed, though
not proven without doubt to have been built by Ashoka, the
Buddhist Emperor of India, these stupas stand at four different
corners of Patan, giving the whole city a monastic character.
All these Buddhist mounds were built in 250 A.D.at the time
when Buddhism was making headway in the Kathmandu Valley.
Machhendranath Temple: The temple of Red
Machchhendranath is another center of attraction in Patan.
The temple lies in the middle of a wide, spacious quadrangle
just at the outer rim of the market place. A fine clay image
of Red Machchhendranath Avalokiteshwar is housed here for
six months every year, after which it is taken round the city
of Patan in a colourful chariot during the festival beginning
in April-May and lasting sometimes for several months.
The Tibetan Refugee Camp: An attraction
of a different kind is the Tibetan Camp on the outskirts of
Patan. The small Tibetan population living here has set up
a number of shrines and stupas as well as several souvenir
shops offering authentic Tibetan handicrafts such as prayer
wheels of wood, ivory, silver or bronze, long temple horns
made of beaten copper, belt buckles, wooden bowls and jewellery.
In this area, the Tibetans can be seen weaving carpets by
hand.
Siddha Pokhari: This is a big rectangular
water pond located near the main city gate of Bhaktapur. It
was built during the reign of King Yakshya Malla in the early
fifteenth century and is associated with a number of myths.
From this spot a wide range of snowy peaks is visible on clear
days.
Batsala Temple: The stone temple of Batsala
Devi has many intricate carvings. It is most famous for its
bronze bell, known to local residents as 'the bell of barking
dogs' as when it is rung, all dogs in the vicinity begin barking
and howling ! The colossal bell was hung by King Ranjit Malla
in A. D. 1737 and was used to sound the daily curfew. It is
nowadays rung every morning when goddess Taleju is worshipped.
Bhairav Nath Temple: This is another pagoda
style temple dedicated to Lord Bhairav, the dreadful aspect
of Shiva. It stands a short distance away from the temple
of Nyatapola and was originally constructed by King Jagat
Jyoti Malla on a modest scale. It was later remodelled by
King Bhupatindra Malla, a zealous lover of the arts, into
what is now a three-storey temple.
Thimi: Thimi lies about 10 km east of Kathmandu
near Bhaktapur. It is famous for pottery, making of masks
and as a vegetable growing area for Kathmandu so that this
place is also known as kitchen garden of Kathmanduites. The
main deity in the town is Goddess Balkumari. It attracts tourists
by its enchanting culture of the farmer community.
|