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around
Kathmandu Valley
Balaju Water Garden-Situated five kilometres north-west of Kathmandu, Balaju Water Garden
is an ideal place for rest and relaxation. The park
features a long line of twenty-two water spouts, each of
which were ornately carved with crocodile heads during
the mid-eighteenth century. The garden also includes
many other ponds, some of them containing large and
small varieties of fish. Adjoining the garden is an
olympic-sized swimming pool open to the public; Balaju
Industrial Estate is located near by.
Swayambhu-Swayambhu
is said to be two thousand years old, making it one of
the world's oldest and most glorious Buddhist Chaityas.
The Chaitya (Stupa) which forms the main structure, is
composed of a solid hemisphere of brick and earth
supporting a lofty conical spire capped by a pinnacle of
copper gilt. Painted on the four-sided base of the spire
are the all-seeing eyes of Lord Buddha. The temple is
situated three kilometres west of Kathmandu city, and
stands on the Valley. This hill is a mosaic of small
Chaityas and pagoda temples.
Boudhanath-This
colossal stupa, one of the biggest in the world, is
situated eight kilometres east of the capital. Like
Swayarnbhu, the stupa is inset on four sides with the
all-seeing eyes of Lord Buddha gazing in each direction.
Built on a huge octagonal base, the stupa is also inset
with prayer wheels. It is common to see dozens of
worshippers constantly perambulating the stupa while
taking care to spin each of the sacred prayer wheels.
Around the stupa are various smaller shrines and the
houses of important Lamas (Buddhist priests). The stupa
takes an added importance at all the Buddhist festivals
when Buddhists come from all over the country to take
part in the sacred rituals.
Gokarnaban-This
lovely Royal Game Sanctuary, also known as Gokarna
Safari Park, lies about ten kilometres north- west of
Kathmandu. It is situated on the bank of the river
Bagmati. Many wild animals such as the spotted deer, are
found in the sanctuary and can be viewed from the
elephant back. One can enter the game sanctuary on
paying an entrance fee at the gate or by making
arrangements with a travel agency. On the northern side
of Gokarna, on the way to Sundarijal, there is a
pagoda-style temple of Gokarneshwar Mahadeva. To its
right, situated on a hillock, there is a small village
known as Gokarnagaon. Accommodation is also available in
Gokarna Safari Park.
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Chabahil-On
the road to Boudhanath is the lovely stupa of Chabahil
that could be even older than Boudhanath itself.
According to the tradition, it was built in the 3rd
century B.C. by Charurnati, the daughter of the Indian
Emperor Ashoka, after she married and settled in the
Valley. There is also some ancient statuary about the
stupa.
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Sundarijal-Situated
ten kilometres north-east of Kathmandu, Sundarijal is
famous for its scenic beauty. There are magnificent
waterfalls, cataracts and rock formations, making it an
ideal place for a picnic. One has to walk a short
distance after the motorable road ends.
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Kirtipur-Kirtipur
is a small town located eight kilometres south- west of
Kathmandu on the top of a hill or plateau- shaped ridge.
Tribhuvan University sits at the foot of the hill. This
historic town has many things to offer including ancient
shrines, temples, old houses, villagers typically
dressed in old traditional costumes and people 1 weaving
on hand looms.
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Sankhu-Sankhu,
located twelve kilometres east of Kathmandu, is a good
example of a small Newari town, with many fine old
buildings and temples. Beyond the village, up a long
flight of stone steps, is Bajra Jogini, another historic
temple with beautiful views of the Valley.
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Chovar-Chovar
is famous for its gorge, said to have been cut by the
god Manjushree to drain the water out from the Kathmandu
Valley which was at that time a lake. On the hilltop,
there is small pagoda dedicated to Adinath. From this
point one can see a superb view of snow clad mountain
peaks. Chovar is located eight kilometres south-west of
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Pharping and
Dakshinkali-Pharping has a shrine of
Shesh Narayan which is richly endowed with history and
art. The picturesque shrine stands on a hillock below
which there are many fish ponds. The famous temple of
Dakshinkaii is situated about two kilometres from
Pharping. Every Tuesday and Saturday, pilgrims
congregate at the temple to sacrifice the animals and
worship the goddess Kali.
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Budhanilkantha-Eight kilometres north of
Kathmandu is a remarkable, colossal statue of the god
Vishnu reclining on a bed of snakes. The 5th century
statue lies in the middle of a small pond.
Budhanilkantha is a place of pilgrimage for all Hindus
and is the scene of great activity at such festivals as
Haribodhini Ekadasi and Kartik Poornima. But the
reigning King of Nepal may not visit the spot.
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Godavari-This
scenic village is situated ten kilometres south-east of
Patan city. The road from Patan city runs to Godavari
passing through the towns of Harisiddhi, Thaiba and
Badegaon. One of Nepal's holy places, it is also a good
picnic spot set amidst dense forest. The Royal Botanical
Garden, a fish hatchery and a marble quarry are also
located here.
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Bajrabarahi-The ancient temple of Bajrabarahi is situated in a small woodland park located
about ten kilometres south of Patan, near the village of
Chapagaon. A visit to Tikabhairab and Lele from here is
well worthwhile.
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Phulchoki-Phulchoki
is a 2,791 m. hill, and a good hiking spot as it offers
a spectacular view of the whole Kathmandu Valley.
Rhododendrons of different colours are found here
including pure white and dark red varieties. A jeepable
road leads to the top of the hill, where there is a
Buddhist shrine.
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Suryavinayak-Suryavinayak is the shrine
of Ganesh, the elephant- headed god. The shrine has been
positioned in such a way as to catch the first rays of
the morning sun. Excellent views of Bhaktapur with snow
peaks in the background can be seen from here. Being
located in a thick forest, it is also a good picnic spot
flanked bymany attractive landscapes.
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Changu
Narayan-Chanqu Narayan is situated at the
end of a long ridge which runs well into the Valley. It
is said to have been built by King Hari Dutta Varma in
323 A.D., the King also installed the goddess of
Chinnamasta. The temple is richly decorated with
suciptures and carvings and is said to be the oldest
pagoda-style temple in the Valley. It is situated about
125 metres above the Valley floor and affords a
beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.
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Pashupatinath-This is the holiest of all
the Shiva shrines in Nepal and is the abode of lord Pashupatinath, the guardian God of Nepal. The temple of
Pashupatinath is a large double-roofed pagoda of
gold-gilt and brass; the gateway are plated with silver.
It stands on the western bank of the Bagrnati, about
five kilometres north-east of Kathmandu and contains the
sacred lingam of Pashupatinath. The whole place is a
mosaic of other temples and shrines dominated by the big
gilted figure of Nandi, the mount of Shiva; this is
seated on a stone pedestal opposite the main gate,
flanked by a golden trident. There is a crematorium
outside the temple by the side of the wide but shallow
river. On the occasion of the annual festival of
Shivaratri (February/March), the temple is thronged by
thousands of devotees, including a large number of
pilgrims from India. The temple is also the site of a
number of other different festivals and rituals taking
place throughout the year.
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Guheshwari-About
a quarter kilometre beyond Pashupatinath temple, on the
left bank of the river Bagmati, the temple of goddess
Sati, Lord Shiva's consort, stands in the middle of a
paved courtyard surrounded by rows of rest houses. This
temple has the usual arched construction of tubular
metal work covering the main building. Towards the top,
it transforms itself into four gilded snakes which
support the crowning piece of the roof. The whole
structure of the temple is designed after the tantric
yantra or geometric triangle, signifying the female
principle of procreation.
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