Kathmandu Valley 1 Day Day Tour

Trip Overview

Kathmandu valley (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur) holds six of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One them Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal. The climate in Kathmandu valley is moderate not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter. The Kathmandu valley was once seen as one valley but later on it was divided between three Malla kings so each one can rule in their places. Malla period was a golden period in Kathmandu valley when amazing palaces and temples were built around Kathmandu Valley.

Kathmandu Durbur Square:

Kathmandu was later declared as capital of Nepal after Prithivi Narayan Shah conquered it. The construct for royal palaces in this site was started during Licchavi period. Many kings have ruled Kathmandu valley for centuries from Lichhavi period to Shah period. All have ruled from palaces built around Basantapur area which was later declared as a museum. Now, we can see a statue of Narasimha (God which have lead of a lion and body of a man) at the main entrance. Inside the museum, many equipment which was used in ancient wars are kept. Uniforms or prince and princess, coins, throne, coffins etc are displayed in the museum. There is a huge space after entrance which is called Narasimha chowk. It is vast and vacant area where ceremony of kings and queen were held in ancient times. Beside, the museum, there are a lot of temples around Kathmandu Durbur Square. One of them is Taleju temple which opens only once in a year for just one day. Indra jatra is also celebrate in Kathmandu Durbar Square. It is a festival in which living goddess Kumari is worshipped. The house of the living goddess is also in Kathmandu Durbar Square where the chariot of the goddess is also kept.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square:

Bhaktapur is the smallest district and is one of the most and historically rich city in Nepal. Bhaktapur has Nyatapole temple (five storied) which is really famous in Nepal and it is also known for its Juju (king) curd which is very delicious. Other than that, it was Pachpanne Jhyale Durbar which is 55 windows palace. A golden gate made entirely of gold which is the entrance of the palace. All of these places were built in Malla dynasty (Newari King). There are a lot of temples built around durbar square. It is also said that there is a hidden tunnel inside durbar premises for king to escape if there is an attack from enemies. Bhaktapur also celebrates Bisket Jatra on the occasion of Nepali calendar. It is celebrated by pulling chariots of Bhairav and Bhadrakali. There is also a pond inside the durbar premises. There are separate museum for every type of ancient art and civilization like art, wooden, metal. Sculpture of god and goddess can be seen everywhere around durbar premises.

Patan Durbar Square:

Patan of Lalitpur is really famous for its Krishna temple which is said to be made out of one stone. It was built by King Siddhi Narasingha Malla in the 17th century. Legend believe that it was inspired by a dream. Similar to Kathmandu Durbar Square it has a museum where battle armors, king and queen throne, war equipment etc are kept. Stone scripted in Newari language is also kept inside the museum. There is a golden tap inside the durbar premises which is made out of gold. There are many sculpture of gods surrounding the golden tap. The view outside from the museum is absolutely phenomenal and beautiful. There is a massive bell just outside the museum which was used by ancient kings. A little far from the durbar, it has a golden temple which is also made of out gold.

Swayambhunath Stupa: (Monkey Temple)

Swayambhunath is located in a hill and from the front side there is a steep ladder climb to the temple. Legend say that the entire valley was once a lake out of which grew a lotus and the Swayambhu was formed. Swayambhu means “Self-Created” after that the stupa was built. There are numerous temple built around Swayambhunath like Manjushri. Manjushri cut a gorge at Chovar and drained out the water from the lake where Kathmandu lies now and the lotus turned into a hill that’s why Manjushri has a temple right side Swayambhunath in honor of the deed done by him. There are lot of monkeys there and it is said that it was born from the head lice of Manjushri. It is holy place for Buddhist as well as Hindu peoples. There are a lot of monastery built around Swayambhunath where sculptures of Buddha or other Buddhist gods can be seen. There is a huge crowd in Swayambhunath on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti to celebrate the birth of Gautam Budhha.

Pashupatinath Temple:

Pashupatinath is one of the most sacred for Hindu religion and one of the greatest temple of lord Shiva. Pashu means animal and Pati and Nath means protector or lord. Legend say in ancient time when there was no temple villagers used to bring their cows and buffalos to this place for grazing. They noticed the cows and buffalos not giving any sort of milk. Later on they discovered that the cows and buffalos were going to a place where they shower milk. After evacuation a Shiva Linga (A status of lord Shiva) was found buried under the ground which was later build as a temple. There is four entrance to the temple, western is the main entrance and others are only opened during festivals. There is a huge sculpture of Nandi (transport of lord Shiva cow) in the front of the temple. The linga was five faces which faces to North, South, East, West and to the sky. There are a lot of Shiva temples behind the temple and ghat (where people are burnt after their death).

Boudhanath Stupa:

Boudhanath is 11 km far from Kathmandu. It is a Buddhist stupa which was constructed centuries ago. According to Newar Buddhist mythology it was built after a prince cut the head of his father unknowingly and with a regretful heart it was built. Boudhanath is surrounded by modern and ancient builds. There are a lot of prayers wheels around the stupa. It has to huge base on which it stands on. Boudha is UNESCO World Heritage Site. Initially this place was named Khasti after Majesty’s Government of Nepal renamed the place to Boudhanath. Many tourist from around the world come to visit Boudhanath Stupa. It was damaged by earthquake in 2015 and reconstructed which was then officially inaugurated by Puspha Kamal Dahal (former Prime Minister). This place is crowded during day as well as night time.