A day tour of Kathmandu covers the important monuments of Kathmandu Valley within one day. After having breakfast in a hotel we visit the famous temples of Kathmandu like Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple), Pashupatinath Temple, Patan Durbar Square, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu's largest and most impressive Durbar square.
Below please find some brief insights about some of the monuments and squares that we will visit:
Pashupatinath Temple:
Pashupatinath temple is one of the holiest temple of Lord Shiva, according to the Hindu religion. Situated on side of lush green natural forest the temple is built in pagoda style with gilded roof and richly carved silver doors. The holy river Bagmati flows aside the Temple. Pashupatinath Temple is mostly visited on Mondays where the temple is crowded by its devotees.
Swayambhunath Temple:
Syambhunath Temple can be seen from different parts of Kathmandu Valley as it lies on the top of a hill West of the City. Swayambhunath Temple is the most popular and instantly recognisable symbols of Nepal, a 2000 years old Buddhist shrine. We can also visit the Saraswati (goddess of Study) Temple which is near of Swayambhunath Temple. We can see many monkeys on our way to Swayambhunath Temple, hence its other name, Monkey Temple.
Patan Durbar Square
Patan is a small city that touches Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. The mostly visited place of Patan is Patan Durbar square which constitutes numerous temples within a small area. The entire east side of the Durbar square is dominated by the ancient royal palace that were used to be ruled by the Malla Dynesty. Patan is also known as the city of fine arts which consists of remarkable monuments like Krishna Temple, Banglamukhi Temple, Patan Museum and many others.
Kathmandu Durbar Square:
Kathmandu Durbar Square is the natural place to begin our sightseeing. The old royal palace, running along the eastern edge of the square, takes up more space than all the other monuments here combined. Kumari Chock, home of Katmandu's "Living goddess", overlooks the square from the south. The square itself is squeezed by the palace into two parts: the Southern part with Kasthamandap, the ancient building that probably gave Kathmandu its name, and the Northern part, taken up by various processions of statues and temples. The building here is the greatest achievement of the Malla dynasty, resulting from the great rivalry between the three palaces of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur.
Kathmandu Valley was once divided among the children of Yaksya Malla. For visitors today, and for the Nepalese, it was serendipitous that they, and later their off springs, began an artistic warfare trying to outdo each other in splendid contributions. Kings copied everything their neighbors built in an even grander style. Today, all three Durbar squares are visited by thousands of people daily. Unfortunately the recent earthquake in Nepal destroyed some of the temples, but the squares are still worth visiting.
We look forward to giving you a wonderful day of sightseeing in Kathmandu.
Stephanie LouwTravel Expert in Namibia & South Africa
Julie IvesTravel Expert in Botswana & Namibia
Heike KolzingTravel Expert in Botswana & Namibia
