Kathmandu’s Thamel town made its way for the country’s biggest shopping mall “Chhaya Centre“ on December 25, 2018.

But what makes it special?

The mammoth shopping complex is spread across an area of 86,000 sq. ft and has a built-up area of 350,000 sq. ft. Chhaya Centre is home to more than 200 retail stores of various international and national brands.

The 15-storey building also has a five-star hotel Aloft Kathmandu under the famous ‘Marriot Hotels’ banner, which will occupy the mall’s top 10 floors.

“This shopping complex with a five-star hotel is expected to contribute to Nepal’s tourism promotion,” said Prithvi Bahadur Pande, Chhaya Centre Chairman, during its inauguration.

Besides, the shopping complex also houses a casino, three multiplex theaters, a reception & seminar hall, several restaurants and parking space with a holding capacity of 300 cars and 300 motorbikes.

The enormous shopping center is established at a cost of NPR 5 million and is built in memory of Pande’s mother, and Nepali diplomat late Sardar Bhim Bahadur Pande’s wife Chhaya Devi Pande.

Are you already headed to the new shopping destination in Nepal’s very own Shopping Mecca?

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In its latest announcement, the world’s leading tourism guide featured Kathmandu in the list of its top five cities, globally.

Kathmandu grabbed the 5^th position in the Lonely Planet’s list of top ‘ten cities primed to capture travelers’ imagination’ in 2019.

While Copenhagen and Denmark topped the list at first and second positions, Shēnzhèn of China, Novi Sad of Serbia and Miami of Florida stood next followed by Kathmandu.

Surprisingly, Kathmandu stood above renowned cities such as Mexico City, Dakar of Senegal, Seattle of Washington, Zadar of Croatia and Meknès of Morocco.

Commending Kathmandu’s efforts post the 2015 earthquake, Lonely Planet lauded the pace of ongoing earthquake reconstruction activity towards rejuvenating the quake-hit structures.

What Lonely Planet Said About the ‘City of Glory’?

In the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake, news reports from Kathmandu showed a city broken and in mourning, but today the narrative is all about reconstruction and rejuvenation. Sure, there’s work to do restoring the magnificent monuments that crumbled during the disaster, but historic sites are being returned to their former glory, and moves to calm the city’s infamous traffic, smog and noise have made Kathmandu more liveable than it has been in decades. There’s even reliable electricity and wi-fi as bonus creature comforts in the atmospheric and maze-like alleyways of the old city  – Lonely Planet

Kathmandu is home to some of the oldest architectures that speak Nepali culture and also has UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which make it the ‘City of Glory’.

Also Read: 

• Lumbini Among ‘Best in Asia 2018’ Tourism Destinations

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Within the Valley lies a city with the same name, the Kathmandu City, powered by a rich cultural and historical background.

Kathmandu City – History and Geography

The inception of Kathmandu dates back to the ancient times and is older than 185 A.D.

The metropolis got its name from a temple known as Kasthamandap built in 1596 at the Durbar Square.As per legends and the contents of the Swayambhu Purana, Kathmandu was once a huge, deep lake filled with snakes and was called ‘Nagdaha’.

Bodhisathwa Manjusri traveled to Nepal from the west and cut the rim of the valley with his sword to release the water from it, resulting in the formation of the ‘Kathmandu’ we know today.

Going forward, the city of Kathmandu experienced two golden ancient eras Licchavi & Malla before touching the modern era which includes the Early Shah and Rana rules.

During the Licchavi period, Kathmandu witnessed the establishment of the most ancient sacred sites for both Hinduism and Buddhism.

Kathmandu is the center of Nepal’s history, art, culture & economy hosting people from different ethnicities with a majority of Hindus and Buddhists. As the largest metropolitan in Nepal, Kathmandu city has a population of over 5 million and is made up of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur, Thimi, Bhaktapur, and a cluster of municipalities across the valley.

Kathmandu is part of Nepal Province 3 and also has international recognition as the SAARC headquarters since 1985.

Kathmandu experiences a mix of two temperature zones: Warm and Cool  Temperate Zones which differs across the city. The metropolis generally has a climate with warm days followed by cool nights and mornings.

Tourism and Some Interesting Places

Nepal opened to the world in 1950 after its long isolation. Following this, air transport was started between Kathmandu and Raxaul in 1956 paving the way for tourism in the city.

Kathmandu is the gateway to Nepal’s Himalayan range and thus, serves as an important tourist destination. World’s renowned travel advisor Trip Advisor placed Kathmandu at ‘third’ among the top ten upcoming travel destinations in the world and first rank in Asia, in its 2013 ranking.

Kathmandu has some iconic sites and structures that draw innumerable tourists from around the world. Unfortunately, the 2015 earthquake shook Nepal and robbed Kathmandu of most of its remarkable heritage sites.

Here are some of the iconic places that add to the city’s charm:

Kumari Bahal:
Situated at the junction of Durbar and Basantapur squares, this three-storey structure was built by Jaya Prakash Malla in 1757. Styled like a Buddhist Vihara, the building has courtyard and a small stupa with symbols of Goddess Saraswati. This historic site houses the Kumari, a girl selected to be the country’s living goddess and a symbol of Devi.

Swayambhunath:

This Buddhist stupa is one of the classics of Kathmandu Valley’s architecture. The perfectly-proportioned Swayambhunath rises out of a white dome to from a glided steeple from where, four iconic faces of Buddha look at the entire valley in their respective directions.

Hanuman Dhoka:
Kathmandu’s royal palace or Hanuman Dhoka was also constructed during the Licchavi period. The palace is a masterpiece and still maintains a charming beauty even after witnessing the devastating effects of the April 2015 earthquake. The place is a fond remembrance of the epic Ramayana and has a Hanuman statue cloaked in red and covered by an umbrella.

Garden of Dreams:
Also known as Swapna Bagaicha, this splendid enclave takes you to a different place in your mind. Built by Field Marshal Kaiser Shamsher in 1920, the Garden of Dreams was made after taking inspiration from several estates in England. It is characterized by innumerable gorgeous detailing, including a marble inscription from Omar Khan’s Rubaiyat and a quirky ‘hidden garden’ to the south.

Seto Machendranath:

Freak Street:
A famous street in Kathmandu, Freak Street earned its name due to a large number of hippies who lived here during the 1960s and 70s. The main attraction of this street was its government-run hashish shops.

Asan Tole:

Thamel Chowk: 

Thamel in Kathmandu is known as the Shopping Mecca in Nepal. It has a plenty of bookstores, outdoor outfitters, banks and shops selling glass pipes, Tibetan Singing bowls, incense, prayer flags, kukri swords and innumerable eaeries.

Top 13 Specialties about Kathmandu

1. People in Kathmandu greet each other with a handshake. They touch their palms and bow saying ‘Namaste’, which means ‘I salute the God in you’
2. Once upon a time, Kathmandu was known as ‘Kantipur’, which means the ‘City of Glory’. The name was inspired by the many monasteries and temples in the city
3. Kathmandu is the gateway to the Himalayas. Landing in Kathmandu increases your access to explore the rest of the country.
4. In ancient times, Kathmandu Valley was a huge lake filled with floating lotuses.
5. Kathmandu Valley is home to the Newari community of Nepal, which is considered as the direct descendant of the ethnic and racial groups who resided for two millenniums in the valley
6. Kathmandu Valley was honored as the ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO in 1979. Prior to the 2015 earthquake, Kathmandu Valley had 130 important monuments and pilgrimage sites.
7. Kathmandu was a part of the link that connected India and Tibet. This gave birth to a mix of artists, architecture and traditions in Kathmandu leading to the creation of some masterpieces
8. Owing to its scenic beauty, Kathmandu is chosen as the backdrop for many movies and TV series.
9. There are three Durbar Squares in Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square, all of which are interestingly UNESCO’s ‘World Heritage Sites’.
10. In 1975, Bob Seger wanted to escape the world of record business and media and so he wrote a song called Kathmandu. This song represented Kathmandu’s mystic nature- “a land so far away that no one will be able to find you”.
11. Due to its 4593 M-elevation above sea level, Kathmandu stands 17^th in the world ranking for ‘capitals with highest altitude’
12. Kathmandu is sister-city to Mumbai Miami, Johannesburg, Edinburgh and many more, owing to its socio-economic relationship with these cities
13. Nepal’s oldest modern school Durbar High School and the oldest college Tri Chandra College are from Kathmandu

Kathmandu in News

• India-Nepal Bilateral Talks: Kathmandu city hosted the recent Sixth India-Nepal Oversight Mechanism Meet, which discussed the issues of all pending bilateral projects and looked at solutions to overcome them.
• Urbanization Concerns in Kathmandu: Rapid urbanization is shifting attention to concerns over building constructions in accordance with compliance, the disappearance of chowks promoting social interaction, improper road construction and more in this city.
• Raxaul-Kathmandu Rail Project: Nepal and India decided to sign an agreement to conduct initial engineering and traffic survey for the Raxaul-Kathmandu railway line. The two neighboring countries had come to make the decision during Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli Sharma’s visit to India, recently.
• 4^th BIMSTEC Summit: Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the 4^th BIMSTEC summit will be held in Kathmandu on August 30, 2018. “It is an important regional gathering in Kathmandu after the promulgation of the new Nepalese Constitution and formation of the new government in the Himalayan nation. The government attaches high importance to the summit, for which we have formed several committees,” says Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali
• Yogi Adityanath Flags Off Air Services: Ending June 2018, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi flagged off air service between Varanasi and Kathmandu from Lal Bahadur International Airport at Babatpur. Nepal airlines operator Buddha Air Pvt. Ltd. will be operating flights between the two cities.
• 5th Kathmandu Post Edu Con: Kathmandu city hosted the fifth edition of the most prestigious education fair ‘The Kathmandu Post Edu Con’ on July 7, 2018. Over 100 Nepali and international academic institutions exhibited their programs and courses at the event. Students also received career guidance during the fair.
• Malaysia Education Fair 2018: Kathmandu city hosted the two-day Malaysia Education Fair between July 20-21, 2018. During the event, experienced Malaysian career counsellors and representatives provided career counselling to students and parents
• 13^th South Asian Games: Kathmandu along with Pokhara has been chosen as the venue for the 13^th South Asian Games. Cricket will be added to the list of games in this tournament that will be played at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.
• 12^th Mega Education Fair: The Education Consultancies’ Association of Nepal (ECAN) organized the 12^th Mega Education Fair from July 19-22, 2018. ECAN President Bishnuhari Pandey told media that the fair was being organized for provisioning information and advice regarding pursuing education abroad. The fair had over 100 stalls that provided visitors with education policies of various countries.
• 9^th EPG Meeting On India-Nepal Relations: The most prestigious meeting Eminent Persons Group was held in Kathmandu on June 30, 2018. This meeting discussed India-Nepal bilateral issues including the 1950 Peace & Friendship Treaty and other issues related to trade, transit and border during the two-day meeting. The EPG is a collaboration of experts and intellectuals from both countries.

Despite the challenging the earthquake that rocked its very foundations, Kathmandu manages to attract tourists with remnants of its heritage and a sense of warmth that will always linger in their hearts.

The capital city of Nepal with all its grandeur and activity will always surprise its visitors while also keeping them in touch with nature.

Read Also:

• Pokhara – Tourism Capital of Nepal
• Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination
• Sarangkot- The Adventure Lover’s Paradise
• Biratnagar – Industrial Capital of Nepal
• Nepal’s Lumbini Among ‘Best in Asia 2018’
• Birgunj – Trade Gateway to Nepal
• Places to Visit in Ilam, Nepal

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As part of the move, NATTA is conducting a week-long Nepal Sales Mission to Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Bangalore (India) from December 14-21, 2017.

“Like past years, we are organizing tourism promotional events in the international market this year as well. As India and Sri Lanka are the first and fourth largest tourist generating market for Nepal, respectively, we are hopeful that visitors from these countries will increase further after this event,” says Ram Barakoti, Program Coordinator of Nepal Sales Mission.

As part of the tour, Nepali tourism entrepreneurs will be engaged in day-long B2B sessions at both the cities, informed Barakoti.

Stating that Sri Lankan tourists to Nepal come for Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, Barakoti raised concern that they are opting India for Buddhism pilgrimage. “We will encourage them to start the pilgrimage from Kathmandu,” he added.

In this program, tourism service providers and tour operators will also promote Nepal’s tourism attractions among Sri Lankan tour operators.

“As NAC is operating direct flights to Bangalore, we are hopeful that the number of tourists coming from Bangalore will increase as participating delegates will promote Nepal’s tourism attractions among local tour operators,” Barakoti noted.

NATTA is keen on promoting Nepal among Sri Lankan and Indian tourists as a key destination for historical, religious and natural attractions, added Barakoti.

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