Kathmandu

            A 218 square miles of land, situated above 4400 ft above sea level with three historic, artistic and cultural towns namely Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur together form what is known as the `Kathmandu Valley'. Kathmandu is the hub of Nepal's traditional culture and arts.  This is the place for rest, relaxation and easy-day sightseeing of historic and artistic temples and monuments, and mountain views. Being the capital city of Nepal, it offers much services including international airlines, hotels and other facilities. One also enjoys Kathmandu for night life, shopping and of course for the mountain views.
            Swayambhu: The history of Kathmandu valley begins from the Swayambhu temple. This valley was a lake, but later when Bodhisattva Manjusri cut a gorge in a southern hill and drained the waters to worship a lotus that he admired during his travel to the region, it lead men to settle on the bed of the lake and named this land Kathmandu Valley.  The word Swayambhu means "the self-existent" in English. Today this complex of stupas offers an opportunity to study the religious harmony in Nepal.  Tibetan monks, Brahimn priests and Newar nuns are the major worshipers here. Most of the monasteries have huge prayer wheels, fine Buddhist paintings and special butter lamps all add an elegant touch to the Swayambhu.
            Pashupati: When Lord Shiva came to Pashupati to escape from his boredom, he became famous as the lord of Animals (Pashupati)  Today, millions of Hindu pilgrimage pour into this temple. Many  Hindus from Indian sub contents, Nepal, Pakistan, Asia come to Pahsupati to pay their respects to the lord Shiva. From other parts of the world, many Hindus come to Pashupati to fulfill their dream of visiting the holiest Hindu pilgrimage in the world. You can see the  pagoda house which has gold-plated roof, silver doors and find woodcarvings. The linga (phallic symbol) of Lord Shiva, his images, statues, and  Bagmati river that flows beside it add to the holiness of Pashupati which lies just 1.5km from the international airport. The region is also surrounded by thick green jungle where monkeys and birds live and play and are often seen in large groups playing on the pavements of the temples in Pashupati. Sadhus who follow the life style of Shiva are found in Pashupati region. They paint their bodies with ashes, wear loin-cloths, Tika, and Rudraksha Malas.
             Kathmandu Durbar Square: This is a durbar of history and arts. One can see  artistic monuments, find the house of the living goddess, learn about the Kal Bhairam temple, red monkey god, and hundreds of erotic wood carvings.  The kastamandap rest house located within the durbar square is said to have been built from a single tree, it is because of this house, Kathmandu valley got its name. There is also a museum located at the Durbar Square which presents a complete history of Nepal's King and Rulers.

Bhaktapur

          Bhaktapur is located about 20 km east of Kathmandu in the Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur is known as the 'City of Devotees', the 'City of Culture', the 'Living Heritage', and 'Nepal's Cultural Gem'. It is one of the 3 royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Bhaktapur is rich in architectural beauty, filled with ancient Hindu and Buddhist religious sites, and palaces and courtyards where tourists can easily spend days absorbing the traditions and culture of the Newars.Bhaktapur's Durbar ('Royal') Square was added to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1979. 

         Bhaktapur is filled with monuments, most terra-cotta with carved wood columns, palaces and temples with elaborate carvings, gilded roofs, open courtyards. The city is dotted with pagodas and religious shrines. In Durbar Square, tourists will find the 55-Window Palace, which served as the seat of royalty prior to 1769. The palace has elaborately carved windows and doors and houses the National Art Gallery, with Buddhist Paubha scroll paintings, palm leaf manuscripts, and stone carvings. Just outside the palace, at the entrance to the Taleju Temple Complex is the Golden Gate, built in 1756, a splendid example of Repoussé metalwork. There also lies the Royal Bath, with its Golden Faucet. Durbar Square is also home to the Big Bell, built by the last Malla king of Bhaktapur, Ranajit Malla.

        The Nyatpol (or Nyatapola) Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi, lies in Taumadhi square. Built in 1702 with 5 stories, this is Nepal's tallest pagoda temple. Tourists can watch potters create works of art in the Pottery Squares. Indigenous (Newar) handicrafts include paubha scroll paintings, papier-mâché masks, cotton cloth, woodcarvings, metalwork, jewelry and ceramic products, haku-patasi (black sari), black caps and Juju-dhau (yogurt). 

Tourism Nepal

Nepal, now known as Federal Republic of Nepal is a landlocked country located in South Asia, sandwiched between India and China. Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometers (497 miles) long and 200 kilometers (124 miles) wide, with an area of 147,181 km² (56,827 sq miles). It lies between latitudes 26°and 31°N, and longitudes 80° and 89°E. Nepal is divided into three physiographic areas: the Mountain, Hilly and Terai regions. These ecological belts run east to west and are vertically intersected by north to south flowing river systems.

Nepal is believed to have got this name from the word Nepa: a Newari word that meant their kingdom and the unified state is now called Nepal. There’s another belief that a hindu sage named ‘Ne’ used to perform rituals here in the kathmadu Valley and so the name stuck afterwards.

Nepal came into place due to plate tectonics as the Indian subcontinental plate started to push into Eurasian plate during the Paleogene era, which still continues today. This collision produced the Himalayan range beneath which Nepal is located.

According to the historians, numerous dynasties ruled over small kingdoms scattered over, what is now Nepal, namely Kirats, Licchavi, Malla dynasties. Then around 1800 A.D. Late Great King Prithivi Narayan Shah unified all the scattered states, at its greatest extent, Nepal extended from the Tista river in the east, to Kangara, in the west as well as further south into the Terai plains and north of the Himalayas than at present. Disputes with Tibet and the Treaty of Sugauli have constricted the land to its current extent. After Rana regime ended and democracy prevailed in Nepal, numerous political factions have been governing Nepal.

As mentioned, Nepal is divided into three physiographic regions, the southern most lowlands Terai boarders entirely to India where altitude ranges from 700 to 1,000 meters. This contains large fertile land of Nepal. Then follows Hilly region towards the north where altitude ranges from 800 to 4000 meters. The Mountain region located in the great Himalayas is the northernmost part of Nepal, it contains a large number of peaks including Mt. Everest the world’s highest peak and has 8 out of 10 highest mountains of the world.

Since the country has an extended altitude range, any sort of climate can be experienced here, from the tropical hot and humid conditions in Terai to the alpine, snow laden regions in the Mountain. Nepal has diverse ecosystems as well; forested, grass lands, wetland, tundra like places. Large varieties of wild flora and fauna including plenty of endangered Specimens are found here. Nepal has 4 seasonal varieties; summer, autumn, winter and spring. The rainy season monsoon starts during the summer, the time for harvesting to start. Nepal has large river systems originating in the mountains, a number of which are suitable for adventure rafting.

Nepal is the only Hindu country in the world. Most of the citizens follow Hinduism. Numerous temples can be found through out. For an instance, millions of devotes come to visit the Pasupathi Nath temple located on the bank of Bagmati river. Buddhism comes next on the list. Nepal is also renowned for the birthplace of Lord Buddha who started this religion for the purpose to end sufferings from every people. His teachings are followed all over. Most of the festivals occurring have religious significance, which are full of colors, religious sacrifices, warmth and hospitality being spread.

Nepal is also diverse in its culture. Numerous ethnics groups inhabit different parts of Nepal, with their own languages, customs, the way festivals are celebrated, the clothes they wear and foods they eat, although boiled rice, lentil soup and curried vegetables, meat items, together with pickles are common and must for every Nepali. For an instance, the Newari culture prevailing in the Kathmandu valley have its ethnic identity, celebrating their festivals to their fullest. Moreover people live in harmony enjoying, participating and sharing their culture.

Places that are recommended to visit in Nepal are:

·        Katmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares

·        Pasupatinath Temple

·        Soyambhunath

·        Pokhara

·        Muktinath

·        Lumbini

·        Numerous wild life reserves: Chitwan N.P., Kosi tappu reserve, Bardiya N.P. etc

·        Hiking and Trekking routes: in Annapurna region and around any other hilly regions

·        Mountaineering and Rafting