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Kathmandu is the capital city of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. It is the largest metropolis in Nepal, with a population of 1.5 million in the city proper, and 3 million in its urban agglomeration across the Kathmandu Valley, which includes the towns of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur and the municipalities across Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu is also the largest metropolis in the Himalayan hill region.

The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 feet) above sea level in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal. The valley is historically termed as "Nepal Mandala" and has been the home of Newar culture, a cosmopolitan urban civilization in the Himalayan foothills. The city was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces, mansions and gardens of the Nepalese aristocracy. It has been home to the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) since 1985. Today, it is the seat of government of the Nepalese republic established in 2008; and is part of the province 3 in Nepalese administrative geography.

Climate

Five major climatic regions are found in Nepal. Of these, Kathmandu Valley is in the Warm Temperate Zone (elevation ranging from 1,200 to 2,300 metres (3,900 to 7,500 ft)), where the climate is fairly temperate, atypical for the region. This zone is followed by the Cool Temperate Zone with elevation varying between 2,100 and 3,300 metres (6,900 and 10,800 ft). Under Köppen's climate classification, portions of the city with lower elevations have a humid subtropical climate (Cwa), while portions of the city with higher elevations generally have a subtropical highland climate. In the Kathmandu Valley, which is representative of its valley's climate, the average summer temperature varies from 28 to 30 °C (82 to 86 °F). The average winter temperature is 10.1 °C (50.2 °F).

History

Archaeological excavations in parts of Kathmandu have found evidence of ancient civilizations. The oldest of these findings is a statue, found in Maligaon, that was dated at 185 AD.The excavation of Dhando Chaitya uncovered a brick with an inscription in Brahmi script. Archaeologists believe it is two thousand years old. Stone inscriptions are a ubiquitous element at heritage sites and are key sources for the history of Nepal. The earliest Western reference to Kathmandu appears in an account of Jesuit Fathers Johann Grueber and Albert d'Orville. In 1661, they passed through Nepal on their way from Tibet to India, and reported that they reached "Cadmendu", the capital of Nepal kingdom.

Places to visits

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  Boudhanath Stupa

  Boudanath is a Buddhist Stupa, considered to be the most sacred Stupa by the Tibetan Buddhists and is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Kathmandu.

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  Boudanath is said to have been constructed shortly after the demise of the Buddha. It is absolutely massive in size. It is believed to be the largest stupa in the country and one of the largest in the entire world. The entire stupa complex comprises of over 50 monasteries to house the monks and Tibetan refugees. Huge amounts of gold went into the building of the stupa, making this a truly mesmerising and fantastic structure. The 2015 earthquake however greatly damaged the stupa and it's reconstruction is underway, which will see a new "life tree" placed on top of the stupa.

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  Swayambhu Temple

  This temple is situated on a hilltop, west of Kathmandu City, in the valley. It is considered to be one of the oldest and the most sacred religious places in the country.

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  The Swayambhu Temple is an ancient Buddhist stupa in the Kathmandu valley. It is a climb of 365 steps up to the complex, which is dotted with shrines and smaller temples. The architecture is often describe as quite breath-taking, with a massive Vajra (thunder bolt sceptre) the first thing that comes into view the moment you complete the climb. The eyes of the Buddha are painted on the stupa, looking in all four directions, and inside, the stupa has a plethora of ancient and sacred artefacts. Recently, a monastery, a museum and a library were added to the complex which also houses restaurants, shops, and hostels for stay.

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  Narayanhiti Palace

  Narayanhiti Palace used to be the residence of the Monarch and the royal family of Nepal, as well as the centre of their operations.

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  This majestic palace complex, built in 1961 by King Mahendra, is located on the Northern end of Durbar Marg. This historical building has served as the residence and workplace for the Monarch for the longest time, and has undergone various renovations over the years. Much like any royal palace, you'll find exquisite and huge banquet halls, portraits of the Royal family hanging on the walls, and of course, the elaborate throne of the king. The Palace was reopened as a museum in 2007 by PM Prachandra. The places in the palace where the massacre of 2001 happened are distinclty marked, and the bullet holes are still visible in the walls. The Palace, even today, has not lost the feeling of the grandeur it once possessed.

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  Pashupatinath Temple

  Situated on the banks of river Bagmati, Pashupatinath temple is a sacred Hindu temple complex. It is an enormous collection of temples, shrines, ashrams and inscriptions of the region.

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  The sheer size of this entire temple complex makes it quite a remarkable attraction. It covers a sprawling 264 hectares of land, and contains within it 518 temples and monuments. The main shrine, the pagoda building, is inside the fortified courtyard and is protected by the Nepal Police. There are a few shrines inside the courtyard as well, and the rest outside it. The courtyard has 4 entrances, one for every direction, and only practicing Hindus and Buddhists of Indian or Tibetan descent are allowed inside. The Nepalese pagoda style is used for the architecture of the main building, the roofs are made of copper with a gold covering and the 4 main doors are covered by silver sheets. The idol of the deity is placed in the inner sanctum.

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  Durbar Square

  The Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of three Durbars in the Kathmandu valley. It is located in front of the old royal palace of the Nepal Monarchy.

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  The Kathmandu Durbar Palace, also known as the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex owing to the statue of Lord Hanuman at the entry of the palace, held the Palaces of the first two dynasties that ruled over the city, the Mallas and the Shahs. This location has seen the construction of palaces since as early as the 3rd century. The Malla and Shah rulers ruled from here till shifting to the Narayanhiti in 1896. The entire square houses several temples. The palace itself has beautiful architecture, and houses the King Tribhuwan Museum and the Mahendra Musuem. Other attractions in the square include the Kumari Chowk, which has a cage containing the Raj Kumari, a girl who was sacrificed and believed to have reincarnated as Lord Durga.

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  National Museum

  The National Museum of Nepal is a very popular tourist attraction of the city, and is the largest museum of Nepal. It houses a huge array of historical artefacts, weapons, and so on.

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  The museum was established in 1928 by General Bhimsen Thapa as a place for display of firearms and weapons, and was only opened to the public in 1939 by then Prime Minister Juddha Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana, who also opened a building for an art museum, which was opened in 1943. Today, the museum has on display much more than just simple art and firearms collections. It has an expansive art gallery which houses many wood and stone sculptures, carvings and metal works. One collection which particularly interests tourists is one of the 4 stolen sculptures, which were given to the museum by an art collector. The Buddhist art gallery is divided into three parts, each representing a different part of Nepal and it's cultures. The historical museum, which is the biggest building of them all, displays Nepal's biodiversity and also has a military section which has collections of weapons from throughout the history of Nepal.

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  Langtang Park

  The Langtang National Park, the first Himalayan National Park, is quite a breath-taking place to visit. It scales heights of 21000 ft. at its highest, and covers an expansive area of 1710 square km.

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  Established in 1976, the park gives a fantastic opportunity to travellers to observe the flora and fauna of the region. It lies approximately 32 km north of the Kathmandu Valley and also shares the international boundary with Tibet in the north and the east. It is also home to the Gosaikunda lake, which is considered to be sacred, and nestled between the hills, makes for quite a mesmerising sight. The flare of the park ranges from hill forests of Chirpine and Rhoden and the Nepalese alder at lower altitudes, to the Nepalese larch at mid altitudinal ranges, to vast grassland meadows beyond 4000m. The park is also home to the red panda, Himalayan black bear, ghoral and more than 250 species of birds. There are also trekking trails of varying difficulties which can be undertaken.

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  Dakshinkali Temple

  Located about 22km or a 45 min drive away from Kathmandu, the Dakshinkali temple is a one of the important Hindu temples of the region. The principle deity of this temple is Goddess Kali.

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  The temple is about a kilometre from the village of Pharping. The drive to the temple provides for a scenic and uphill road. On a motorcycle, the descent provides for quite an exciting experience. The idol of Kali is seen on top of a corpse, signifying a victory, and is adorned with the usual symbols of a skull cup, a sword, and a severed head. The temple comes alive during the festival of Dashain, where animal sacrifices are made and feasts are served, overall making for an ecstatic atmosphere. You can often find tourists picnicking in the area, or have a short trek after paying homage at the shrine. It also makes for a serene place to visit with your partner.

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  Garden of Dreams

  The Garden of Dreams, made in 1920, is a neo classical garden located in Kaiser Mahal, and was built by the Late Kaiser Shamsher Rana.

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  Also known as the Garden of the Six Seasons, the garden is an absolute thing of beauty. Kaiser built the garden, which was obtained for him by his father, the Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher. The garden has 6 quite fantastic pavilions, each representing the six seasons of Nepal. Apart from those, the garden has a collection of other pavilions, statues, urns, paths and fountains. The layout of the trees, flowers and shrubs was given utmost importance. It also has a restaurant inside, the Kaiser Cafe. Although the garden was neglected for decades, today it makes for quite a stunning visit.