Siam Society Events

Sightseeing at Kathmandu Durbar Square, Hanuman Dhoka Palace and the temples in the immediate vicinity.

This place is a landmark situated in the heart of the old city of Kathmandu. It has been and is a place of cultural and political activities and is architecturally rich beyond measures. There are about 50 notable monuments in this area.

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Morning:

Sightseeing at Swayambhunath temple and proceed to Lalitpur or Patan.

• The stupa of Swayambhunath is one of Nepal’s most distinctive and memorable landmarks. It stands on the summit of a hill which rises some 300 feet from the valley floor on the western out skirts of Kathmandu. The site has been sacred for at least 1,600 years and is the Kingdom’s most venerated Buddhist shrine. The whole stupa is a complex of Chaiyas, temples, images and other numerous religious objects.

Lalitpur, also commonly known as Patan, is across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu. Nowadays the two cities comprise a single sprawling metropolis enclosed by a Chinese built ring road. However, Kathmandu and Lalitpur still have separate municipal councils and the two historic centers retain their separate character and identity. Lalitpur which means “city of beauty” is the second largest town in the valley. It has a long Buddhist history and the four corners of the city are marked by stupas said to have been erected by the great Buddhist emperor Ashoka around 250 BC. Later inscriptions refer to palaces in the city in the 5th century although Lalitpur’s great building boom took place under the Mallas in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Lalitpur’s central Durbar Square is tightly packed with temples: an architectural wonder with a far greater concentration of temples per square meter than in Kathmandu and undoubtedly the most visually stunning display of Nawari architecture to be seen in Nepal. The Patan National Museum in the Old Palace is one of the best museums in Asia.

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• The temple of Pashupati or Pashupatinath is located in Deopatan, a little town 3 km. north-west of Kathmandu. The temple attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and has become well known far beyond the Kathmandu Valley. Today, the temple is the most important Hindu temple in Nepal. It is also one of the most important Shiva temples in the subcontinent and draws numerous devotees from all over India each year, including many wandering ascetic Hindu holy men.

• The great stupa of Bodhnath or Buddha is now very much a Tibetan preserve, and the Tibetans have their own legend of its origin, which is said to have been composed by Guru Rimpoche during the 8th century and rediscovered in the 13th. In recent years there has been a mushrooming of Tibetan monasteries and temples around the stupa and many Westerners are attracted here in order to study Tibetan Buddhism. The stupa of Bodhnath is the largest stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in the world.

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• Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon or “the City of Devotees.” is the third major town of the valley and in many ways the most mediaeval. Bhaktapur was the capital of the whole valley during the 14th to 16th centuries. Much of the town’s great architecture dates from the end of the 17th century. Bhaktapur is more purely Hindu than other valley towns. There are over 100 Hindu temples and shrines. The town is often described as having been planned to resemble the Damaru Drum of Shiva. Nevertheless, the few Licchavi remains suggest the early dominance of Buddhism and some Buddhist traditions are maintained. Member will spend a few hours visiting Bhaktapur city. The visit will include the Palace Durbar Square and many other sites of interest in the city.

• Nagarkot: There are various places around the edge of the Kathmandu Valley which offer great mountain views, but the resort village of Nagarkot is generally held to be the best. Nagarkot is on the ridge on the north-eastern rim of the valley and the view extends all the way from Dhaulagiri in the west past Mt Everest to Kanchenjunga in the east. The views can be stunning and the surrounding countryside is great for walking. The Himalaya Club is one of the best first class mountain resorts of Nepal (1914 M.).

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