Places of Historical Interest

(KATHMANDU, PATAN, BHAKTAPUR, LUMBINI, CHITWAN & JANKAPUR.)

For most visitors to Nepal, the Kathmandu valley the capital of Himalyan Kingdom Nepal, is their arrival point and focus of their visit. This small mountain - Sheltered valley is the historical centre of Nepal and the place where kingdoms rose and fell, places and the Temples were built and rebuilt, and Nepalese art and culture were developed and refined.

History:
The Newaris are regarded as the indigenous people of the valley, but their origins are masked in mystery. They speak Tibeto - Burmese language, which indicates they must have come from the east. In balance, it seems most likely that the Kathmandu valley has long been a cultural and racial melting pot with people coming from both east and west. This fusion has resulted in the unique Newari Culture that is responsible for the valley's superb art and architecture.

Geography:
The bowl like valley is about 25 km from east to west perhaps 20 km form north to south. Kathmandu lies at a height of around 1,300 meters, which gives it a temperate climate.
Places to visit in Kathmandu:

Places of historical importance in Patan.

Patan Durbar Square: As in Kathmandu, the ancient royal palace of the city faces on to the square, but Patan's Durbar square is a concentrated mass of temples, undoubtedly the most visually stunning display of Newari architecture to be seen in Nepal. The square rose to its full glory during the Malla period and particularly during the reign of King Siddhinarsingh Malla. Patan's major market, the Mangal Bazar is beside the square.

Bhimsen Temple: At the northern end of Durbar Square the Bhimsen Temple is dedicated to the god of trade and business, which possibly explains its well kept and prosperous look. Bhimsen a hero of the Mahabharata was said to be extraordinary strong. The three storey temple has had a chequered history.

Vishwanath Temple: Next to the Bhimsen Temple stands the Vishwanath or Shiva, Temple. The elaborately decorated two storey temple was built in 1627 and has two large stone elephants guarding the from entrance. Shiva's vehicle, the bull is on the other side of the temple while inside is a large lingam.

Krishnamandir: Continuing into the square, the third temple you reach is the Krishna mandir which is dedicated to Krishna and was built by King Siddhinarsingh Malla. Krishan is an incarnation of Vishnu.

Krishna Temple: An attaractive octagonal stone Krishna Temple also known as the Chyasim Deval, complete the front line of temples in the square. The temple was built by Vishnu Malla in 1723.

Royal Palace: Forming the whole eastern side of the Durbar Square is the Royal Palace of Patan. Parts of the palace were built in the 14th century and main period of construction was during the 17th and 18 century by Siddhinarshinga Malla. The Patan Durbar Square palace predates the palaces of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. It was severely damaged during the conquest of the Valley by Prithivi Narayan Shah in 1768 and also by the great earth quake of 1934. but it remains one of the architectural highlights of the valley with a series of connecting courtyard and three Taleju temples dedicated to the valley's main deity, the goddess Taleju.

Golden Temple: Also known as the Hirnaya Varna Mahavihar, the Kwa Bahal, or the Suwarna Mahavihar (Golden Temple), this unique Buddhist monastery is only a few minutes walk north of Durbar square. Legend relate that the monastery was founded in the 12th century although the earliest record of its existence is 1409. The large rectangular building has three roofs and a copper - gilded facade. Inside the shrine are images of the Buddha and Avalokitesvara and a stairway leads to the 1st floor where monks will show you the various Buddha's images and frescoes which illustrate the wall. The life of Buddha is illustrated in a frieze in front of the main shrine.

Rudra Varna Mahavihara: Also known as Uku Bahal, this Buddhist monastery near the Mahabouddha Temple is one of the best known in Patan. A large rectangular structure with two storey gilded roofs encloses a courtyard absolutely packed with interesting bits and pieces.

BHAKTAPUR:

Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon or the city of Devotees is the third major town of the valley and in many ways the most mediaeval. Since the major West German - funded Bhaktapur Development Project in the 1970s, it has been much cleaner and tidier town, but there's still a distinctly timeless air to the place. The oldest part of the town is around the Tachupal Tole, or Dattatraya Square, to the east of the town.

Bhaktapur was the capital of the whole valley during the 14th to 16th centuries and during that time the focus of the town shifted west to the Durbar Square area. Much of the town's great architecture dates from the end of the 17th century during the rule of Kind Bhupatindra Malla.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square: Bhaktapur's Durbar Square is much larger and more spacious than Kathmandu's and much less crowded with temples than Patan's. It wasn't planned that way: Victorian illustration show the square packed with temples and buildings, but the disastrous earthquake of 1934 destroyed many of them and today empty plinths show where some of them once stood and have not been rebuilt.

The Erotic Elephants Temple: Just before you enter the square, coming from the bus stop, pause for a little bit of wry Nepalese humour. On your left just before the entranceway to the square is a hiti. A few steps before that but on the south side of the road, perhaps 100 meters before the entranceway, is a tiny double roofed Shiva Parvati Temple with some erotic carvings on its temple struts. One of these shows a pair of copulating elephants.

Vatsala Durga Temple: Vatsala Durga Temple built by King Jagat Prakash Malla in 1672. The Shikhara style temple has some similarities to the Krishna Mandir in Patan. If front of the temple is the large Taleju Bell which was erected by King Ranjit Malla in 1737 to call the faithful to prayer at tenth Taleju Temple.

Pashupatinath Temple: Behind the Vatsala Durga Temple is the Pahsupatinath Temple Dedicated t Shiva as Pashupati. The Temple dates from the 17th century and is a replica of the main shrine at Pashupatinath. It's notable for the erotic carvings on the roof struts which show some exhausting looking position

Golden gate & 55 Window Palace:
Golden gate or Sun Dhoka is the entrance way to the 55 window Palace. The Golden Gate is generally agreed to be the single most important piece of art in the whole valley. The gate and palace were built by King Bhupatindra Malla but not completed until 1754 during the reign of Jaya Ranjit Malla. The Golden gate opens to the inner courtyards of the palace. First you enter a small entrance of courtyard then the larger Mul Chowk and a military guard ensures you don't try. The Guard will however, invite you t peer in from the doorway. Beyond Taleju Chowk is Kumari Chowk and Sundari Chowk with its bathing than, the Kamal Pokhari.

Nayatapola Temple:
The five storey 30 metre high Nyatapola Temple is not only the highest temples in the whole Kathmandu Valley, but also one of the best examples of traditional Nepalese Temple architecture. The towering temple is visible from Durbar Square. The temple was built during the reign of King Bhupatindra Malla in 1702 and the temple is dedicated to goddess Siddhi Lakshmi.

Porter age Square:
Potters' square can be approached from Durbar Square. This is the busiest square during the wee hour and one could see the earthen pot being made in a traditional way.

Dattatraya Temple:
This tall, square temple was originally built in 1427 but alterations were made in 1458. Like some other important structures in the Valley it was said to have been built using the timber from a single tree. The Temple is dedicated to Dattatraya although the Garuda topped pillar and the traditional weapons of Vishnu indicate that Dattatraya is actually another of Vishnu's incarnations.

Pujari Math:
There are 10 buildings around the square were originally used as maths or accommodation for monastic priest. The best know of the maths was the Pujari Math, which has been restored by the same West German aid project which has done so much work in Bhaktapur. The Pujari math was originally constructed in the 15th century during the reign of King Yaksha Malla, but restored in 1763. The Pujari Math is principally famed for the superb peacock window, could be seen in one of the traditional buildings in the small alley along side the monastery.

LUMBINI

Lumbini is believed to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism - the Buddha himself. This is confirmed by the existence of an inscribed pillar erected 370 years after the event by the great Buddhist emperor Ashoka and the presence of a number of ancient ruins. The place is revered as a Buddhist pilgrimage site and the people from all over the world do not refrain themselves from visiting this holy place while they are in Nepal.

History: The birth of Apostel of peace the Buddha has been idealised by number of suitable miraculous Buddhist tests. it is generally accepted, however that he was born in 624 BC., the son of King Suddhodana who ruled a small Kingdom, Kapilvastu, and queen Maya Devi, originally of the neighbouring Koliya principality. The ruins which you could see near to the Taulihawa to the west of Lumbini are believed to be those of Kapilvastu. Lumbini lay between the two kingdoms and it was on a journey to visit her parents when legend has it, Maya Devi stopped at Lumbini, then a beautiful garden surrounded by Sal trees. On one version of the story, Maya Devi was bathing when labour pains began, and the branches of an over hanging tree bent down to support her while she gave birth. The Pond where she took bath is still there and the Temple of Maya Devi, the mother of Gautama Buddha is constructed near to the pond.

CHITWAN:

Chitwan is the name not only of the park but also of the surrounding dun valley and administrative district. The name means "heart of the jungle" - a description that, sadly, now holds true only for the lands protected within the park. Yet the rest of the valley, though it's been reduced to a flat, furrowed plain, still provides fascinating vignettes of a rural lifestyle that's different again from the hill-clinging existence of upland Nepal. Really ugly development is confined to the wayside conurbanation of Naraynghat/Bharatpur - and even this has left the nearby holy site of Devghat unscathed.

JANAKPUR:

Janakpur 165km east of Birganj is indisputably the Tarai's most fascinating city often called Janakpurdham (Dham denoting a sacered place), it's a holy site of the first order, and its central temple, the ornate Janaki Mandir, is an obligatory stop on the Hindu pilgrimage circuit. Although Indain in every respect except politically, the city is, by Indian standards, small and manageable motorized traffic is all but banned from the centre, tourist hustle is largely absent, the proverty isn't oppresive, and the surrounding countryside is delightful. To top it all, Janakpur's railway, the only one still operating in Nepal makes an entertaining excursion in itself, There's so much going on, both in and around Janakpur, that it's worth setting aside a few days to absorb it all - though bear in mind that there are not much tourist - style lodgings, restaurants or other facilities.

Hindu mythology identifies Janakpur as the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Mithila which probably controlled a large part of north India between the tenth and third centuries BC. The city features prominently in the Ramayan, for it was in Janakpur that Ram - one of the incarnations of Vishnu in mortal form - we Sita, daughter of the Mithila King Janak.