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| swayambhunath monkey temple |
Kathmandu Valley the fertile, mountain sheltered and historic heart of Nepal is the home to three of the largest cities including Kathmandu and hundreds of smaller towns and villages. The Kathmandu Valley is the most developed and populated place in Nepal and popular to tourists for its unique, rich, culture and architecture. Geographically the valley is made up of the Kathmandu District, Lalitpur District and Bhaktapur District covering an area of 220 sq. miles. The Valley hosts an UNESCO world heritage sites namely Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Swayambhunath (monkey temple), Boudhanath, Pashupatinath Temple, Changu Narayan. All these sites are easily visited as day trips from Kathmandu.
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| Boudhanath Stupa kathmandu Valley |
The valley has a host of lesser-known, but still wonderful, temples, viewpoints and traditional Newari villages, and half the fun is getting to and from these sights, by foot, mountain bike or motorbike. Many people miss out on these sights in a feverish rush to get to Chitwan, Pokhara or Everest, but the irony is that you'll find far fewer tourists just 10km outside Kathmanduthan you will jostling for a view at Everest Base Camp.
With a rapidly expanding population of 1.5 million the valley has certainly changed over the years, but aspects of traditional life endure. Rural life continues to move to the rhythms of the seasons and spectacular festivals, and the timeless demands of the fields, the family and the gods remain the fundamental priorities of most people's lives.
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| kathmandu Durbar Square |
Despite rampant development, the valley’s underlying traditions have proved remarkably resilient. It was long the stage for the quarrels of three rival city-states, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and these divisions remain ingrained in valley society. Kathmandu and Patan have now grown together within the confines of the Ring Road, but Bhaktapur, on the east side of the Bagmati River, still remains proudly separate. Like the other, smaller Newari towns of the valley – Kirtipur, Thimi, Sankhu, Bungmati – it preserves a distinctly medieval air, its wood- and brick-built houses tightly clustered together around alleyways and temple plazas, and the lives of its residents still bound up with the paddy fields outside the city walls. On the southern and eastern sides of the valley, meanwhile, and in the lush side-valleys and on the steep slopes of the rim, the countryside continues to shimmer in an undulating patchwork of paddy fields – brown, golden or brilliant green, depending on the crop and the season.
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| Mountain view from Kathmandu Valley |
In the heart of the valley, the sheer density of sights is phenomenal. Just beyond the Ring Road beat the twin hearts of Nepali religion: the Shiva temple and sombre cremation ghats at Pashupatinath, the sacred centre of Nepali Hinduism; and the vast, white stupa at Boudha, the hub of Tibetan Buddhism’s small renaissance. Other Hindu holy places provide moving reminders of the sacred geography that lies behind the brick and concrete: the sleeping Vishnu statues at Budhanilkantha and Balaju, the sacrificial pit of Dakshinkali and the hilltop temple of Changu Narayan are the most outstanding.
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| Kathmandu Valley |
Hiking and cycling are best in the valley fringe. Trails lead beyond the botanical gardens at Godavari to the shrine of Bishanku Narayan, and up through rich forests to Phulchoki, the highest point on the valley rim. For more woodland solitude and views, hike up Shivapuri, Nagarjun Ban’s Jamacho, or any high point on the valley rim.
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| Beautiful Kathmandu Valley with Mountain View |
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| Kathmandu Valley at Night |
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| Kathmandu Valley Painting |
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| Kathmandu Valley Fields |
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