Kathmandu

On the first full day tour in Kathmandu, you will get busy exploring three UNESCO heritage sites. On top of an informative monumental sight and pleasure, this is the great day to observe the dwelling of Kumari, the living goddess. Numerous sanctums, various wings of the old palace, artistic courtyards, ancient sculptures and variety of architecture are the main attractions of this site. A gallery in the Durbar square complex presents memorials of the rulers from Shah Dynasty, the Gurkhas. Monuments to visit in Kathmandu Darbar Square area: Kumari Baha- Etymologically, ‘Kumari’ stands for a virgin girl- the living goddess and ‘Baha’ is a monastery in local tongue. Designed in Vihara architecture, Kumari Baha houses the living goddess. As a living reincarnation of Hindu goddess Taleju, a young girl is selected from a Buddhist family maintaining religious harmony and co-existence. The cult resembles Dalai Lama. The girl gets retired when she reaches puberty. Kalabhairav– The lie-detector god, often known as the justice-god as it was used to sore the truth from the suspected criminals back in 17th century. The destructive manifestation of Shiva, one of the prominent Hindu gods. Kasthamadap- A pavilion made up of an enormous single tree in 12th century. Kathmandu valley was named after the same building Kasthamandap, the wooden pavilion. Freak Street- An alley where the hippies had fun in 1960s and 70s. Shiva Parvati Temple- The shrine of Shiva, the destroyer, along with his consort Parvati watching human deeds from window.Big Bell- The ceremonial bell still active at 9am. The one who is employed to ring this 1000kg bell gets a liter of milk every day. Taleju Temple- A skyscraper pagoda from 16th century enshrining Taleju, the family deity of royalties. The spiritual test of the girl to be Kumari is performed here as Kumari is believed as the incarnation of this goddess.Nasal Chowk- Last used in 2001 to coronate the last king of Nepal, it’s the main courtyard used by then kings for rituals and ceremonies. Mohan Kali Chowk- The courtyard with golden spout surrounded by the finest masterpieces of art work on stone, metal and wood. Sundari Chowk- One of the oldest courtyards of the palace comprising monolithic sculpture of Krishna dominating the serpent demon. King’s Column- Pratap Malla’s figure on the top of a pillar. Re-erected after 1934 earthquake. Swayambhunath: Approximately 2600 years old Buddhist Stupa, Swayambhunath is overlooking the entire Kathmandu valley. Swayambhunath- literally ‘self-existent god’, is often referred to as the Monkey Temple due to the hundreds of monkeys- the local dwellers. The main Stupa, memorials of monks and local people, ancient sculptures, temple of child protector goddess, monasteries, etc are the main attractions here. Moreover, you can throw bird-eye-view to all the monument sites of the Kathmandu tour since this is the highest point inside the valley. Patan City: Historically known as Lalitpur- the city of fine arts, Patan is the oldest town among the three sister cities. It proffers huge collection of finest workmanship on its Newari and Buddhist monuments. Patan is the house of distinguished artists who have been performing their skills on wood, stone, metal and canvas from the time immemorial. Pagodas, Shikhara and octagonal temples enclose Patan Durbar Square, the medieval royal palace. Five storied Kumbheswar temple is one of the busy temples nearby the square. Golden temple- the Buddhist Vihar from 12th century, Rudravarna monastery, the temple of thousand Buddhas and so forth are worth visiting. Last but not the least, while being at Tibetan Refugee Camp, you will see the manual procedure of carpets weaving. Overnight at hotel Kathmandu.

Kathmandu

In order to present three diverse experiences in a single day in Kathmandu tour, today we are taking you to two different cultural sites and a natural site. We start from Pashupatinath, literally- the god of animal lives. As one of the must visit legendary Hindu temple in the subcontinent, this site welcomes millions of visitors every year. The temple is located on the bank of sacred Bagmati River, which runs down to the Ganges. Here, you get a chance to witness open public crematorium with all the rites and rituals being performed. You come to see even the holy men posing for pictures with painted face, dreadlocked hair and ash-applied body. Today’s Kathmandu tour continues to Bouddhanath, the god of wisdom. It is considered as one of the largest Stupas in the world. Constructed back in the 4th century, this Stupa is the must visit site for the Tibetans. The shrine itself resembles a Tibetan village since the locale comprises Tibetan monasteries and the exiles.