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Thamel
  But old aspects of Kathmandu stubbornly remain, and the city still retains the atmosphere that is derived from its warm and friendly population. Away from the main commercial and shopping areas, you will see lots of fine brick neighborhoods in narrow lanes. The city is definitely a contrast between the modern and the traditional – the old medieval Kathmandu and the modern Durbar Marg area. Today, Kathmandu is a wonderful city to visit, considered to be one of the most exotic cities in Asia. It is full of religious temples and palaces and is a semi-mecca for yoga, meditation, Hindu, and Buddhist enthusiasts. While the streets are filled with strange odors, they are saved by the colorful music tuned from the jangling of cymbals and the beat of drums from the hands of street performers. And the narrow lanes strolled by vendors carrying their woolen shawls and heavy-laden baskets full of fruits and vegetables somehow brings a sense of comfort to the foreign traveler’s eyes. History Kathmandu has been inhabited since 900BC. Folkloric tales tell of Buddha’s visit to the region around 6th century BC, although this has not been confirmed by any evidence. For thousands of years, various dynasties ruled over Kathmandu, including the Malla Dynasty from 12th century to 17th century, which is when most of the city’s temples and palaces were built, and the Shah Dynasty from the 18th to the 19th century. For more than a hundred years from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, Kathmandu was run by the Ranas who cut the city off from the outside world with the intent of isolating the country. When they were removed from power in the mid-1950s, Nepal opened its borders to the modern 20th century. With the unveiling of Nepal to the rest of the world, the 1960s ushered in a wave of hippies and flower children. This group found the Kathmandu valley a beautiful place where they could get by on a dollar a day with a little leftover for marijuana and hashish. They came from all over the world to linger in darkened restaurants, nodding to Hendrix and the "Dead" in between sipping lemon teas and bites of hash brownies. They walked the streets wrapped in velvet and satin, rings in their ears, barefooted or sporting "thongs." Streets that had never seen westerners suddenly became theirs - "Freak Street" and "Pie Alley". Within a decade, the hippies were gone and the next wave of tourists consisted of western, trail-nuts-munching trekkers in designer shirts and expensive sneakers. Today, Kathmandu is much like any western city – cars, computers, factories, cell phones, TVs, traffic congestion, and smog. Attractions Kathmandu, once believed to be the legendary Shangri-La, is all about exploring the medieval pagodas, temples, and palaces, nowhere else especially than along the streets at the heart of Kathmandu in Durbar Square. This ancient square is filled with palaces and temples including the Kasthamandap (“House of Wood”), which was built in the 12th century. Today, the temple still serves as a traveler’s shelter and a community center just as it has since 1000 AD. In addition to the Kasthamandap, you’ll find a number of other temples and palaces at Durbar including the Taleju Temple. This is one of the oldest temples with its famed three roofs and pyramid-shaped base. It is dedicated to the royal goddess of Taleju. Built in 1563, the Taleju flaunts an exquisite woodcarving and is considered the most well proportioned of the temples. Another temple at Durbar is the Ashok Binayak, which is north of Kasthamandap and considered one of the most important and popular Ganesh shrines in the valley. Among others, you’ll also find the Maju Deval, Narayan Temple, Vishnu Temple, Saraswati Temple, and the Kumari Palace, which is dedicated to the young goddess from the Newar Sakya clan of gold and silversmiths. Outside of Durbar Square, you’ll find other notable temples like the Pashupatinath, which is an important temple dedicated to Shiva. But mostly, you’ll find a number of palaces, many of them built by the Ranas. Singha Durbar is another point of interest. It was built in 1901 and proclaimed the largest private building in Asia, with its more than 1,000 rooms and numerous courtyards. It became the seat of government following the overthrow of the Ranas. In 1973, a fire severely damaged it, not to mention the records that were lost. Its front elevation has been restored. Also of interest is the Rana palace of Kaiser Mahal near Thamel. Field Marshall Kaiser Shumsher JB Rana filled his palace with more than 35,000 books. Today, his palace houses the Education Ministry and a public non-lending library. You can go in to see the palace, the eclectic collection of books and the overgrown palace grounds. The Yak and Yeti and the Shanker Hotels were also Rana palaces. Kathmandu underwent a total facelift for the South Asian Area Regional Council in 1987. One place that was transformed was Nag Pokhari, the pond to the east of the palace. This pond is great to bike or walk around. While the Durbar Square may be the best sightseeing area of Kathmandu, the best place to hang out is Thamel. Restaurants, budget hotels, trekking equipment and bicycle rentals, even fax and telex services are all found here. This is a great place to stroll, shop, dine, stay, and collect all your traveler information. Believe it or not, the slums of Kathmandu are also worth a visit as well. Kathmandu was once enclosed by a wall. Only caste Hindus were allowed to build inside. The "lower castes" - sweepers, blacksmiths and cobblers, were forced to live in the slums outside. There are still neighborhoods made up largely of people whose name identifies them as traditionally having "unclean" occupations. East of the Ashok Binayak temple, you can find Bisnumati, for instance, an example of what life is like in the ignored sections of the populace. You should also visit Basantapur Square. At Basantapur, you’ll find the famed “Freak Street”, which is today lined with super-cheap lodges, pie shops, and displays of tie-dyed fashions mixed in with new concrete buildings. You can still see the occasional die-hard hippie. And some cafés, with their sixties’ songs, have remained. | |
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Article Contributors Anonymous user updated 1 year ago |
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