Kathmandu, the national capital city of Nepal, is located in the Himalayan region and has everything to offer the tourists who come on their Nepal tour. The availability of numerous places of attractions makes a tourist confused about the selection of visiting destinations in Kathmandu. For your convenience, I am going to mention top 10 places with brief information that you should include in your Kathmandu tour:
Places to visit in Kathmandu
- Darbar Square
- Kumari Temple
- Sawayambhunath
- Bodhnath
- Kirtipur
- Pashupastinath Temple
- Dakshinkali Temple
- Nagarkot
- Daman
- Changu Narayan Temple
1. Darbar Square
Darbar Square, the spiritual heart of Kathmandu, attracts numerous tourists to include it in their Kathmandu tour. The Darbar Square has palaces, pagodas, temples, courtyards and many more to draw the attention of the visitors.
2. Kumari Temple
The Kumari Temple was built by Jaya Prakash Malla around 200 years ago. The goddess Kumari is worshiped as the reincarnation of Siva’s consort Parvati. It draws the attention of Hinduism followers and encourages them to include it in their tour to Kathmandu.
3. Swayambhunath
It is a stupa dedicated to the followers of Buddhism. Located at the top of the Padmachala hill (around 175 meters above the valley), the Swayambhunath Stupa is 3 kilometers away from the west of the city.
4. Bodhnath
Located around 8 kilometers away in north-east of the city, the Bodhnath Stupa rises 36 meters and is the largest stupa in Nepal. It has 108 images of the Lord Buddha having dhyaan and attracts the Buddhists from Tibet, India, China and several countries.
5. Kirtipur
Kirtipur, situated in southwest of Kathmandu, is the center of dyed yarn and cloth weaving. If you love hand woven cloths, include the town in your Kathmandu holiday. You will enjoy a lot participating in its cultural festivals.
6. Pashupatinath Temple
Just 5 kms far away from the airport, the Pashupatinath Temple is located in the northeast of the city and attracts numerous Hindus from Nepal and India. Completely dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple has four-headed image of Pashupatinath. The persons of other religion are not allowed to visit this temple. They can only see the Nandi Bull from far away.
7. Dakshinkali Temple
The Dakshinkali temple is dedicated to the goddess Kali and located in the southern edge of the Valley. The temple is about half an hour’s drive from Kathmandu. Many Nepalese families take a vow before the goddess that if their wish is fulfilled, they would offer the sacrifice. The goats are sacrificed in this temple to please the goddess. After the sacrifice, part of the meat is brought to the home for a feast.
8. Nagarkot
The Nagarkot village is situated near Kathmandu. It is the most popular place to view the Himalayas. Nagarkot is situated on the ridge to the north-east, and offers a view stretching from Dhaulagiri in the west to Kanchanjunga in the east. A better option would be to stay overnight at Nagarkot and view the mountains at dawn. In recent years, Nagarkot has developed into a king of a resort.
9. Daman
Daman is the another place to view the mountains. The 8,000 feet pass of Simbhanjyang or Daman is situated along the main road leading to the Indian border. It is located about 120 km from Kathmandu. Although at lower altitude, some people believe that this is the best place to view the mountains. On a clear day, you can also view the Mount Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Everest peaks. There is also a view tower fitted with long-range telescopes.
10. Changu Narayan Temple
The Changu Narayan Temple is dedicated to Narayan (Lord Vishnu). This is a very popular temple visited by thousands of pilgrims. This temple is one of the finest and oldest specimens of pagoda architecture.