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The Sights and Sounds of Kathmandu
Valley with its three fabled cities Yen ( Kathmandu
), Yala ( Patan) and khopa ( Bhaktapur) and seven
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Once a big lake, the
valley was created by a Buddhist saint Manjushree by
draining out the water. The valley's civilization
over the centuries can be seen at
A couple of palaces, temples and traditional art of
culture and it is protected as the Heritage Site in |
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the social, religious and urban
focal point of the city. It is called as Hanuman
Dhoka. The site guarded by God Hanuman, the
temple-resident of Kumari (Living Goddes) as
Kasthamandap, after which the word Kathmandu is
named.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Kathmandu Durbar Square, also known as Hanuman Dhoka
Durbar, used to be the residence of the Nepali royal
family and administrators. This ancient palace lies
in the heart of the city. It consists of huge Royal
Palace with different temples, inside as well as
outside the temple, dating from the 15th to the 18th
century. This palace is named after Hanuman, the
monkey god, as a stone statue of Hanuman is placed
right next to the main entrance protecting the whole
palace. The key attractions of this place are Taleju
temple; built by King Mahendra Malla in 1549 AD.
Jagannath temple, Kala Bhairab; the god of
destruction, Kumari Temple (living goddess temple)
Nautalle Durbar (nine storied palace), the Gaddi
Baithak, the statue of King Pratrap Malla, the huge
Drum etc. Just on the right corner, a large wooden
pattern screen hides an enormous gilded face of
Sweta Vairav. This screen is removed only during the
Indra (the god of rain) Jatra festival. It was
listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Monuments in
1979.
 Temple of Kumari
The temple and the holy quadrangle with a Buddhist stupa at the center form the residential quarters of
the Chaste Virgin Living Goddess called KUMARI. The
traditional building has profusely carved wooden
balconies and window screens. The non-Buddhist and
the non-Hindu visitors may enter the courtyard
called the 'bahal' but may not proceed beyond
upstairs. The KUMARI acknowledges their greetings
from the central window of the balcony particularly
saved for Her alone and snapshot is strictly
prohibited.
Kastha Mandap
Located nearby the Temple of Kumari, this is a
unique type of wooden temple also known as Maru
Satal. It was built in 1596 A.D. by King Laxmi
Narsingh Malla. They say the timber used for its
relevant construction was sawed out of a single
tree. It is also believed that the capital of
Kathmandu derived its new name from this very 'Kastha
Mandap.' Today it houses the Hindu God namely
Gorakh-Nath.
Pashupatinath Temple
The Pashupatinath Temple is the largest Hindu temple
and is considered to be the holiest of all Hindu
Temples. This is a tow-tiered golden temple with
four silver doorways, hundreds of Shiva linga's,
shrines and holy symbols. It is located on the holy
river-Bagmati, 6km east of Kathmandu, the temple of
Lord Shiva. Non-Hindus are not allowed into this
temple. But the visitors can see the temple and the
other activities performed in the temple from the
eastern bank of the Bagmati River clearly.
It is believed that this temple was built long
before the Christian era begins. Its original beauty
still remains with the beautifully sculpted stone
sculptures found here. Thousands of Hindus come here
each year on Shivaratri. It was listed in the UNESCO
World Heritage Monuments in 1979.
Swayambhunath Stupa
This is the largest stupa in Nepal and it displays
typical Buddhist architecture, was built in 250 B.C.
This white dome is regarded as a spotless and pure
jewel or Nirvana. It has thirteen tiers,
representing the elevator to Nirvana, and a pair of
painted eyes on all four sides of this stupa,
symbolizing the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha. The
key attractions are Dewa Dharma Monastery, noted for
a bronze icon of Buddha and traditional Tibetan
paintings, the huge gold plated Vajra set in the
east side of the stupa etc. It was listed in the
UNESCO World Heritage Monuments in 1979.
Boudhanath Stupa
This is a huge Buddhist stupa located about 7 km
east of Kathmandu. This ancient huge stupa stands on
a massive mandala style platform and has features
similar to the Swayambhunath, though its final to is
bigger. This stupa is one of the biggest in the
world. It is said that this stupa was built during
the 5th century A.D. every year, in winter;
thousands of pilgrims from neighboring countries
come to visit this place. Visitors also use to come
here on the occasion of Lord Buddha's birthday.
Budhanilakantha
It is situated about 8km north from Kathmandu, at
the base of Shivapuri hill (watershed area) is
remarkable huge statue of Lord Vishnu, reclining on
a bed of snakes. This is one of the masterpieces of
stone sculptures of the Lichhavi period (Nepal had
many rulers before Shah Dynasty). This is the statue
from 5th century is in the middle of a small pond
and seems to float in water.
Dakshinkali Temple
The temple of Dakshinkali is located about 2km south
of Kathmandu. It is regarded as one of most
important Hindu goddesses. Pilgrims visit this
temple to offer their prayers and animal sacrifices
are made to the goddess. |
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