The Himalayan nation is a confluence of two of the world’s greatest religions – Hinduism and Buddhism.

These religions paved way for the multitude of temples, stupas, durbars and monasteries that make up the topography of the land of the Gurkhas and are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Most of Nepal’s pilgrimage sites draw throngs of people from across the globe, often cramping religious places on festivals such Dashain, Janmashtami, Shivaratri, Tihar and more.

The Hindu pilgrimage sites can be divided into four sections or Char Dams – Pashupat Kshetra, Mukti Kshetra, Ruru Kshetra and Baraha Kshetra, positioned in the different directions of the country, ranging from east to west and north to south.

Also, there are Vaishnav, Shaiva and Shakti shrines as per the devotees’ faith in Vishnu, Shiva and Kali.

In terms of Buddhism, Lumbini – the birthplace of Buddha stands as the most holiest site for the Buddhists in Nepal and around the world.

Interestingly, there are many temples, shrines and monasteries, which are significant to both Hindus and Buddhists.

The temple of Muktinath in Mustang is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Avalokiteshwar, equally revered by Hindus and Buddhists.

Besides, there are several monasteries and caves where the holy Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava is believed to have meditated.

While there is an endless list of temples, shrines, monasteries and more, here is a select few!

Nepal’s Top Pilgrimage Sites

Boudhanath Stupa

The 36-m high structure is one of the largest stupas in South Asia. It is located 8kms from Kathmandu and is visible right from the Tribhuvan airport. It was constructed in the 14^th century and is believed to have been created soon after Buddha passed away. The stupa’s massive mandala also makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. Read more..

Swayambhunath

Famous as the ‘Monkey Temple’ among visitors, the stupa is situated in the northwest region of Kathmandu Valley. The stupa presents a captivating view of the city as it overlooks most part of the valley. The site stands as a symbol of faith and harmony. It is believed to have evolved automatically when the valley was bought to life from a large lake more than 2,000 years ago. Swayambhu means self-existent one. Read More

Pashupatinath

The most holiest shrine for Hindus in Nepal and India is located on the banks of Bagmati River on the outskirts of Kathmandu. It is spread across an area of 246 hectares and is filled with temples and monuments. It features a variety of styles temples such as dome style, pagoda and Srikhara style. The shrine houses several temples including Bhuwaneshwori, Dakshinamurti, Panchdewal, Tamreshwor and more. The temple receives thousands of festivals on the occasion of Shivaratri. Read More

Lumbini

The Buddhist pilgrimage site is of high importance to Buddhists as it is considered as the birthplace of Buddha. The enlightened soul was born at the very spot in 623 B.C. The site is located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal and has the commemorative pillars erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 B.C. Mayadevi temple is one of the most important sites in the Lumbini garden. Read More

Muktinath

Follow the trail through Jomsom and arrive at Muktinath, a religious site that is of high significance to both Hindus and Buddhists. For Hindus, this a place of salvation where bathing in the water guarantees salvation after death. It is believed that the Lord Brahma himself lit the eternal flames that burn at the temple. Buddhists believe that this is the place where the holy sage Guru Rinpoche came to meditate. For Tibetan Buddhists, this place is one of the 24 tantric places, which houses the statue of Avalokiteshwara, the deity who embodies the compassion of all the Buddhas. Read More

Tengboche

The Tengboche monastery is situated in the Khumbu subregion of Nepal’s Province 1 and is considered as the largest gompa in the region. It houses a residing holy monk or Ringpoche who bless pilgrims and visitors to the area. The Buddhist monastery presents a picturesque view of the Himalayan mountains, which includes some important peaks such as Ama Dablam, Everest, Lhotse and Tawache among others. An interesting fact about Tengboche monastery is Tenzing Norgay, the first man to reach the summit of Everest was once sent to the very monastery to become a monk.

Budhanilkantha

The Budhanilkantha is one of the most-loved Vishnu temples of the Kathmandu Valley and is situated at the foot of the Shivpuri Hills. The temple presents an intricately-designed sculpture of the sleeping Vishnu, who looks similar to the Buddha. The stone statue of Lord Vishnu is the largest Vishnu statue in Nepal and is seen lying on a bed of Nagas in the center of a small pond.

Nepal’s topography exudes as sense of calm and peace that not only comes from the rich vegetation and landscape but also from the spirituality of its temples, monasteries and shrines. Read More

Wanting to make a religious pilgrimage? Then what better place than the abode of the Himalayas?

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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

The post Kathmandu: Nepal’s City of Glory! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Origin of Swayambhunath

According to the 15^th century Swayambhu purana, Lord Buddha planted a miraculous lotus that radiated a brilliant light and blossomed in the lake that once covered the Kathmandu Valley. This lotus later transformed into a sacred hill on its own and the place came to be known as Swayambhu, meaning ‘Self-Created’ or ‘Self-Existent’.

Swayambhunath is regularly visited by thousands of pilgrims including Vajrayana Buddhists of northern Nepal and Tibet, Newari Buddhists of central and southern Nepal, and even people of other faiths.

The ‘Monkey Temple’

A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, Swayambhunath is also fondly known as the ‘Monkey Temple’ on account of hundreds of monkeys that abound the hill.

At short distances from Swayambhunath are other historical temples such as the Shiva Jyotirlinga temple of Pashupatinath, Boudhanath Stupa, Changu Narayan, Dakshinkali and Budhanilkantha.

Swayambhunath houses the famous six meter high image of Shakyamuni, the oldest persona of Lord Buddha. Evening prayers are held every day around this statue along with the chanting of Sanskrit sutras.

Celebration of Festivals

The two main festivals celebrated at Swayambhunath are Buddha Jayanti and Losar. During these occasions, many pilgrims circumambulate the temple while the monks create a lotus pattern on the stupa with saffron-colored paint. The month-long Gunla celebration marking the end of the rainy season is another important event in Swayambhunath.

A Fascinating Experience

Swayambhunath is a mosaic of small stupas, pagoda temples and monasteries, and presents a magnificent view of the Kathmandu valley. Centuries-old statues, thousands of butter lamps, carved icons and the fragrance of incense sticks create a magical atmosphere at this ancient religious shrine.

Some of the prominent monuments in Swayambhunath include the Buddha statue on the western side, the huge gold-plated Vajra ‘thunderbolt’ in the east, statue of the sleeping Buddha, the Dewa Dharma monastery, noted for a bronze icon of Buddha and traditional Tibetan paintings, and the temple dedicated to Harati, the goddess of children.

Swayambhunath is perhaps the best place to observe religious harmony in entire  Nepal  and must not be missed on a trip to Kathmandu.

Also Read:

• Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination for an Unforgettable Holiday Experience

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With an unbeatable combination of natural beauty and cultural riches, Nepal provides a unique and rewarding holiday experience to all travelers, and is a most-sought global tourism destination for rich culture and heritage.

Here is a compilation of some of the most popular tourist attractions which you can plan to visit on your next trip to Nepal.

• Kathmandu
• Nagarkot
• Patan (Lalitpur)
• Sarangkot
• Bhaktapur
• Chitwan National Park
• Pokhara
• Parsa Wildlife Reserve
• Lumbini
• Chandragiri Hill
• Janakpur
• Poon Hill
• Boudhanath
• Mustang
• Swayambhunath
• Daman
• Dharan
• Bandipur
• Sauraha
• Tengboche
• Lobuche
• Annapurna Massif
• Lukla

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