Surrounding Kathmandu

Ancient Town of Bhaktapur

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Attraction | "The most beautiful stone-monsters… "

The Town Photo - Ancient Town of Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, Nepal

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The third largest town in the Kathmandu Valley is fourteen kilometers southeast from the capital and has the best Durbar Squre in it. It features the best conserved temples, the most beautiful stone-monsters, the highest pagodas in the country and the highest entry fee as well – that is if you are not local. The fee is roughly five times higher than for Kathmandu or Patan’s Durbar Squares and equals a local month-salary. I understand that there are different views in the issue of discriminating between tourists and locals and I will not use this space for a debate on the subject. Yet, I’ll describe a legal way of seeing the wonders without paying the fee. Reaching the town is easy. From th...Read More

The third largest town in the Kathmandu Valley is fourteen kilometers southeast from the capital and has the best Durbar Squre in it. It features the best conserved temples, the most beautiful stone-monsters, the highest pagodas in the country and the highest entry fee as well – that is if you are not local. The fee is roughly five times higher than for Kathmandu or Patan’s Durbar Squares and equals a local month-salary. I understand that there are different views in the issue of discriminating between tourists and locals and I will not use this space for a debate on the subject. Yet, I’ll describe a legal way of seeing the wonders without paying the fee.

Reaching the town is easy. From the Clock Tower in downtown Kathmandu, there are frequent buses that cost 10NRP. Tuk-tuk picked up everywhere in Kathmandu would reach Bhaktapur for 250 to 300NRP. The distance is tiny – to the extent of tempting to consider a day-walk there - but the figure is misleading. The road is very narrow and horribly congested. The trip may take an hour or three depending on the conditions, so plan ahead.

The buses terminal in Bhaktapur is outside the area enclosed for tourists and that is very convenient for finding a guesthouse. The Nepali authorities separated the medieval center of the town from the rest of the city and tourists willing to enter there between 08:00 and 18:00 need to pay an entrance fee of 1000NRP; this is the same amount paid for a one-month trekking permit in the Everest Region. The regular tourists’ guesthouses and hotels are all within that area and thus most visitors surrender to the imposed policy without thinking twice.

However, there is another choice. Hotels and guesthouses catering for locals will happily accept you, and they are scattered all over the place. If you visit Bhaktapur before or after a trek and still have with you a sleeping bag and related equipment, then there is nothing to worry about. Otherwise, checking out the facilities before paying for them is recommended.

Nepal being Nepal, many restaurants are at the front of hotels; tasty local dishes are available at prices that invite trying out everything. Maybe they are of served in a less pretty fashion that at the guesthouses in the center, but they are better than most options available during a trek in Nepal. For the night or two you will spend here, they are perfect – and the traveler would be contributing directly to the economy of local people: most guesthouses in the centre belong to government officers from Kathmandu.

Such a strategy would leave the medieval parts of the city open to the traveler before 08:00 and after 18:00. Before eight, you will have the town for yourself: the crowded temples that hosts thousands of tourists during the day, provide at this hour beautiful, unobstructed images of the truly marvelous structures. From sunrise until the official opening there are a couple of hours – depending on the season – more than enough for visiting the whole site as it is comprised of just three squares connected through a serpentine network of alleys. Red bricks covered with green moss. More notoriously, the only five-tier pagoda in Nepal – and probably the world – is in one of these squares (see entry dedicated to Nyatapola in this journal). After 18:00, you can join the crowds again in the colorful night markets of the place.

The ten hours in between are not wasted, as they can be used for a breezy visit to the resort town of Nagarkot (see separate entry in this journal), where awesome views of the mountains surrounding the Kathmandu Valley can be enjoyed or to wander around the other parts of the town. Bhaktapur is the main center for artisans in the Kathmandu Valley, and the outskirts’ tortured alleys hide wonderful sights covered up in that unmatchable mix of colors and textures Nepalese love so much.

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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 3, 2011

Ancient Town of Bhaktapur
Newar
Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

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Nyatapola Temple

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Attraction | "Nyatapola, the Five-Tier Pagoda"

Durbar Square Photo - Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur, Nepal

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The main reasons for visiting the town of Bhaktapur are the relics of the period when it was a city-sized kingdom; these are concentrated in three interlinked squares. The efforts needed for reaching the area are worthy since the structures here are much richer and better conserved than in Kathmandu and Patan.Durbar SquareThis Durbar Square is much larger than Kathmandu's and despite the 1934 earthquake it still has many temples. Just inside the gate on the left, the multi-armed couple Bhairab and Ugrachandi guard another gate and legend tells that after the sculptor completed them in 1701, his hands were cut off to prevent him from creating masterpieces elsewhere. To th...Read More

The main reasons for visiting the town of Bhaktapur are the relics of the period when it was a city-sized kingdom; these are concentrated in three interlinked squares. The efforts needed for reaching the area are worthy since the structures here are much richer and better conserved than in Kathmandu and Patan.

Durbar Square

This Durbar Square is much larger than Kathmandu's and despite the 1934 earthquake it still has many temples. Just inside the gate on the left, the multi-armed couple Bhairab and Ugrachandi guard another gate and legend tells that after the sculptor completed them in 1701, his hands were cut off to prevent him from creating masterpieces elsewhere. To the right is a cluster of temples, the largest of which is dedicated to Krishna. The Royal Palace encloses the north side of the square, and like the square itself, it is only a fraction of what it once was. Its west wing houses the National Art Gallery, which displays Newari Paubha and Tibetan Thanka paintings. Next door is the acclaimed, Garuda-topped Golden Gate, which was built in the early 18th century by King Bhupatindra Malla, who in golden form himself kneels atop a stone pillar facing the gate. A guard blocks foreigners from entering but there is plenty to admire from outside the Fifty-Five Windows Palace. Behind the king's pillar is the elephant flanked, stone Vatsala Durga Temple, built in the mid-18th century in the shikhara style.

The small bell next to it is known as the "Bell of the Barking Dogs," whose peal is said to make dogs howl. The larger Taleju Bell was used to call humans to prayer. The next temple is the Chyasilin Mandapa, or Octagonal Pavilion, which is a 1990 reconstruction incorporating fragments of the 18th-century original. In the eastern section of the square, around the corner of the palace, are several more temples and temples foundations, the most interesting of which is the 17th-century stone Siddhi Lakshmi Temple, with its procession of animals and people on either side of the stairs. The souvenir shops that surround this part of the square were once dharamshalas (pilgrims' rest houses). In a courtyard to the right off the far end of the square is Tadhunchen Bahal, a 15th-century monastery, holy for both Hindus and Buddhists. Back in the southeast corner of the main part of the square, the Pashupatinath Mandir contains a 17th-century reproduction of the linga at Pashupatinath and is the most active of the square temples, pay attention to the creative couples’ sculpted on the roof struts.

Taumadhi Tole

Taumadhi Tole is a secondary square, which features Nyatapola, the highest temple in Nepal, and Til Mahadev Narayan, an important place of pilgrimage. It is connected to Durbar Square by a short, shop-lined street. The red, five-tier pagoda of Nyatapola was built in 1702. Five pairs of stone creatures flank the stairs to the temple. Each pair of guardians is said to be ten times stronger than the one below, starting with a tremendous pair of Malla wrestlers who themselves are ten times more powerful than the average man. Next are a pair of elephants, followed by lions, giraffes and finally the goddesses Bahini (the Tigress) and Singhini (the Lioness). The image of the goddess Siddhi Lakshmi, to whom the temple is devoted, is locked inside the temple, accessible only to priests. The structure is not very tall, but its gothic proportions are odd to the extent even the unknowing visitor would realize there is something special with this pagoda.

The eastern side of the square is dominated by the comparably solid Bhairabnath Mandir, which was built as a single story temple in the 17th century. A second story was added during the 18th century and the entire temple was rebuilt with the existing three stories after the 1934 earthquake. The golden image of Bhairab is miniscule in proportion to the temple as a whole. A doorway in the building at the south side of the square leads to a courtyard filled by the Til Mahadev Narayan Mandir, a 17th-century temple (on an eleventh-century temple site) reminiscent of Changu Narayan with its pillar-mounted golden Garuda, chakra, and sankha. "Til" means "sesame seed" and its use in the temple's name is said to have come from a Thimi merchant who had a vision of Narayan in his stock of sesame seeds. Nearby is Potters' Square, where thousands of clay pots are made and sold.

Tachapal Tole

East from there, a wide, curving street of shops catering to locals links Taumadhi Tole to Tachapal Tole. The oldest square in Bhaktapur is also known as Dattratraya Square. Dattratraya is considered an incarnation of Vishnu, a guru of Shiva and a cousin of the Buddha. The wooden buildings in the square were once maths, residences for priests. The Dattratraya Mandir presides over the square from the eastern end. Built in 1427, it is the oldest surviving building in Bhaktapur, and like other famous structures in the valley, is said to have been built with the wood of just one tree. A pair of colorful Malla wrestlers guards the entrance creating a contrast to the temple, whose beauty lies in its detailed woodcarvings. A Garuda faces the temple from the top of a stone pillar. At the opposite end of the square is the rectangular Bhimsen Temple, which honors the favorite god of Newari merchants. The ground floor of the temple is open for business, while the shrine is upstairs. Behind the Dattratraya temple are two museums housed in maths. To the left, the Brass and Bronze Museum displays a collection of functional objects such as lamps, cooking pots, hookahs, spittoons, and ritual paraphernalia. Opposite in Pujari Math is the National Art Gallery Woodcarving Museum worth visiting more for its magnificent courtyard than for its artifacts. Around the corner, on another side of Pujari Math is the famous Peacock window, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of Bhaktapur woodcarving.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 3, 2011

Nyatapola Temple
Durbar Square
Bhaktapur, Nepal

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Pashupatinath Temple

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Attraction | "Surrounding Kathmandu"

Pashupatinath Photo - Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

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Durbar Square and Thamel are the main stops of most visitors in Kathmandu; Boudhanath – one of the world’s largest stuppas is also a must. Then, Patan, Bhaktapur and Nagarkot are also often visited by travelers waiting for their treks or flights. However, after all these are covered, there are still quite a few attractions surrounding Kathmandu. Here are the main ones:SwayambhunathAs Boudhanath, Swayambhunath is a large stuppa with the observant and colorful eyes of the Buddha drawn on it. However, this one is placed atop a hill and allows seeing large part...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 28, 2011

Pashupatinath Temple
Banks of the Bagmati River
Kathmandu, Nepal

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Village of Nagarkot

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Attraction | "What is Sarangkot to Pokhara?"

The Bus Photo - Village of Nagarkot, Kathmandu, Nepal

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Nagarkot is to Kathmandu what Sarangkot is to Pokhara: the closest place to the city from where you can see the whole range of mountains surrounding it. The village is at 2200m and offers good views of the Langtang Range of the Himalayas, just to the north. The highest peaks there are the Langtang Liru (7245m) and the Lunpo Lang (7064m) and the area is the third most popular trekking site in Nepal. The Everest can be seen at the northeast, but you will need an exceptionally clear day for that. If you arrived at Nepal overnight or from an angle in which the mountains were obstructed, then a visit...Read More

Nagarkot is to Kathmandu what Sarangkot is to Pokhara: the closest place to the city from where you can see the whole range of mountains surrounding it. The village is at 2200m and offers good views of the Langtang Range of the Himalayas, just to the north. The highest peaks there are the Langtang Liru (7245m) and the Lunpo Lang (7064m) and the area is the third most popular trekking site in Nepal. The Everest can be seen at the northeast, but you will need an exceptionally clear day for that. If you arrived at Nepal overnight or from an angle in which the mountains were obstructed, then a visit to Nagarkot will give you the drive needed to leave a comfortable guesthouse for the sake of a demanding trek.

Reaching Nagarkot is simple. The best is to travel first to Bhaktapur (see that entry in this journal) and then to take one of the buses climbing the rest of the narrow and steep way (20NRP for the way up and 12NRP while descending). Bhaktapur’s bus terminal is small and finding the right bus is no trouble.

Nagarkot is a vacations resort and all of its small population is dedicated to the tourism industry; few of its buildings are private, almost each one of them hosts a guesthouse or a restaurant. Accordingly, the prices are roughly threefold those of Kathmandu, but considering that the stays here are limited in time, this is a secondary issue. The steep topography of Nagarkot creates unforgettable sights; in Gantabya, the restaurant at the entrance of the village, you can see the tops of grown up pines just centimeters away from the window of the ground floor. Invariably, all guesthouses and restaurants here are upscale in the Nepali reality; yet, they are still very accessible. There is no need to book place months ahead, and the fees are reasonable.

Nagarkot exhibits a strong version of a Nepali climate characteristic: huge quantities of dew accumulate on the ground during the night and evaporate in the early hours of the morning, creating a fog that hides the mountains. Hence, to get a crystal clear sight of the Himalayas, you should stay in the village overnight. Just before sunset, the views are at their best, with soft blankets of clouds softly caressing greenish mountain ridges.

The surrounding area is not an attractive trekking place, unless you are interested in wandering around the Kathmandu Valley. Moreover, the terrain is different from the one in the more popular trekking areas, thus it is not an ideal location for checking trekking equipment. If that wasn’t enough to convince you to desist, then the place is relatively low, so that a first time visitor to mountainous areas won’t be able to assess his – or hers - reaction to altitude. Yet in the hyperactive Nepali reality, Nagarkot is the perfect place for spending a relaxed weekend observing mountains, just before engaging the real thing.

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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 28, 2011

Village of Nagarkot
32 Km East Of Kathmandu
Bhaklapur District, Kathmandu, Nepal

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Tribhuvan International Airport

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Attraction | "Kathmandu: Tribhuvan International Airport"

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Reaching NepalA relatively secondary destination in Asia, Nepal is not very well connected with the world. I find it convenient reaching it from Bangkok Index for two reasons: the tickets are competitively priced and the frequency of the flights is high, allowing flexibility in the planning of the trip.There aren’t many choices while traveling to Nepal; Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu is the only international airport in the ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on April 29, 2009

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Lalitpur

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Patan, or Lalitpur as it is usually called, is the second-largest city in the Kathmandu Valley and lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu. The town is much quieter and its main sights can be covered in an easy day walk. It is located just five kilometers south from Thamel and it can be easily reached it by bicycle, taxi, bus, riksha or foot. The last option is the most appealing since along the way are many attractions you will cross: Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, colorful temples and nice local coffee shops. The main attraction of Lalitpur is its Durbar Square; a wise planning will allow a very early visit there because later in the morning the place crowds up. The square has the ...Read More

Patan, or Lalitpur as it is usually called, is the second-largest city in the Kathmandu Valley and lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu. The town is much quieter and its main sights can be covered in an easy day walk. It is located just five kilometers south from Thamel and it can be easily reached it by bicycle, taxi, bus, riksha or foot. The last option is the most appealing since along the way are many attractions you will cross: Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, colorful temples and nice local coffee shops.

The main attraction of Lalitpur is its Durbar Square; a wise planning will allow a very early visit there because later in the morning the place crowds up. The square has the major display of Newar woodcarving-architecture in Nepal and it includes the Royal Palace, and the two-tiered brick Jagannarayan Temple; just below the roofs are carvings of very active couples. The Patan Museum is located there as well, but as usual in Nepal, the building is more interesting than its collection. The Newar architecture is exquisite; not only the delicate woodcarving but the tasteful use of ordinary bricks in rounded structures. The green hue added by moss perfectly complements the reddish bricks, adding a bit of life to what would be otherwise a rather dry visit.

North of the square is the Golden Temple, a Buddhist monastery watched over by tortoises and the Kumbeshawar, the oldest temple in Patan. It dates back to 1392. South of the square is Mangal Bazaar an area of narrow streets lined with many of the artisans’ shops the town is so proud of.

Four Stupas delimit the historical city and – surprisingly - they are called the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Stupas. Finding them is a little tedious; the eastern one is on the very outskirts, the western and the southern are within densely constructed areas (the last is very close to the bus terminal) and the northern one is off the way to Kathmandu, just before a secondary bridge.

Lalitpur has a small Zoo in its eastern part, but if you just came back from the Chitwan National Park, then you can skip it in favor of Jawalalkhel, a huge Tibetan Refugees Centre just south from the zoo. There you can buy colorful carpets and help to their precarious economy.

On your way back to Kathmandu, give some attention to the Bagmati River. It is shallow and wide, its rocky riverbed and riverside does not invite for a splash or a picnic, but you may spot cremation rites performed by the local Nepali/Hindu population within an adjacent temple in its northern shore. Unless you are Hindu, your participation or even visit to the site is not allowed, hence a camera with a good zoom is recommended. See more on the Pashupatinath temple in the Surrounding Kathmandu entry of this journal.

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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 28, 2011

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