Kathmandu is both the capital of Nepal and the largest city in the country. Most of the interesting things to see in Kathmandu are clustered around the old part of town between Thamel and the new shopping areas along New Road. Around the central Durbar Square are the old Royal Palace, a number of interesting Pagoda and Indian style temples and the Kumari Devi, residence of the living goddess. Some of the interesting other sight seeing places in the city includes:

Pashupatinath (World Heritage Site):
One of the holiest Hindu shrines in the world, the temple of Pashupatinath is the focus of pilgrims from all over Nepal and India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is built in the familiar Pagoda style. Chronicles indicate the temple’s existence prior to 400 A.D. It lies 5 kms east of the city center. This holy place is picturesque collection of temples and shrines. All the dying persons are brought to Pashupatinath for cremation. Only the Hindus are allowed to go inside.

Swayambhunath/ Monkey temple (World Heritage Site):
The Swayambhu Stupa crowns a hillock to the west of Kathmandu .A massive white dome surrounded by a 13 stage spire, the stupa is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Nepal. It is said to be 2000 years old. Its origins are linked to the founding of the Kathmandu valley, draining the water out of the lake by Bodhisattva Manjushree. Swayambhu manifested in the lake as a brilliant light emanating from a lotus and Manjushree let the water out by slashing a passage through the surrounding hills to facilitate paying homage to Swayambhu, thus making the valley inhabitable.

Bouddhanath (World Heritage Site):
It is the world’s biggest stupa located about 2 kilometers to the north of Pashupatinath temple. This colossal Stupa is known by the name of Bouddhanath, the god of wisdom. It is difficult to assign a period to it, as some believe that it was built during the reign of either Shiva Dev or Anshu Verma in the 7th century A.D. The design is much like the Swayambhu Stupa, except that the final consists of receding squares instead of circles. Bouddhanath attracts the Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world.

Patan is the second biggest city in the valley after Kathmandu. Patan can be easily reached from Kathmandu by bicycle, bus or three-wheeler. Buses and three-wheelers stop at the large gate to the Patan city from where it is a 10 to 15 minute walk along narrow alleys to Durbar Square. In the last few years a very large number of small handicraft shops have opened in Patan and it is an ideal place to buy fine bronzes and woodwork at reasonable price.

Patan Durbar Square (World Heritage Site):
It is an enchanting melange of Palace buildings, artistic courtyards and graceful pagoda temples. This square was the former Royal Palace complex which was the center of Patan’s religious and social life, and houses a museum containing an array of bronze status and religious monuments. One remarkable monument here is 17th century temple dedicated to the Hindu god Krishna, built entirely of stone.

Krishna Mandir:
The third temple, dedicated to Krishna, is the most famous in the Durbar Square. Built by king Siddhinarsingh Malla in the 17th century it was influenced by Indian architecture, not the pagoda styles. The mythical man-bird Garuda sits with folded hands on top of a pillar since Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu and the Garuda was his animal. The stone carvings at the top of the first-floor pillars tell the story of the Mahabharat while the second floor carved scenes are from the Ramayana. A major festival is held here in August on the occasion of Krishna’s birthday. A characteristic feature of this temple is that there are no nails or wood and the construction is entirely of stone.

Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon, is both the most medieval and least transformed by progress of the three valley cities. Perhaps its distance from Kathmandu at the far end of the valley accounts for the slower pace of change here. Much of the art work in this town was constructed at the end of the 17th century by king Bhupatindra Malla, one of the famous Malla Kings who ruled the valley at that time. Bhaktapur is well known for pottery and for its delicious curd. This city also has one art gallery and two museum- woodwork and bronze.

Golden Gate:
Adjoining the gallery is the Golden Gate of Bhaktapur built by the last Malla king in the middle of the 18th century. According to Percy Brown, who visited Nepal in 1912, this was the liveliest work of art in the whole of Nepal. a Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, tops the gate is shown eating serpents, its traditional enemies. The other multiheaded figure riding the Garuda is the goddess Kali.

Fifty-five Windowed Palace:
On the other side of the gate stands the palace which was first constructed in the 15th century and renovated in the late 17th. Opposite the palace is a large bell known as the barking bell. King Bhupatindra set it up in the late 17th century to avoid the effects of a bad dream, even today people say that dogs bark and weep when the bell is rung. The Durbar Square also contains a replica of the Pashupatinath Temple, built in the 15th century, with some atheistic erotic carvings on the struts.

Dattatraya Temple:
Only five minutes walk from the Nyatapole brings you to the square containing the Dattatraya Temple and the Pujari Math monastery. Built in the 15th century this is the oldest temple in the area and was dedicated to Vishnu; as a Garuda-topped pillar and his traditional weapons indicate. The temple is said to have been constructed from the wood of a single tree.

Bhairavnath Temple:
The two storeyed Bhairavnath Temple stands on the right of the Nyatapola and was originally constructed early in the 17th century. It has been rebuilt after suffering severe damage in the 1934’s earthquake and is unusual for having a rectangular base.