Kathmandu is a bit of a chaotic city, but full of life. It is located in a basin surrounded by mountains at an altitude of about 1400m, where tradition says that there was an ancient lake. The two most interesting neighbourhoods are Thamel and Bouddha.
It is the capital of the country and the largest city. It has large avenues always full of traffic, pollution and dust, and a complicated network of streets and alleys. Outside the “Ring Road”, which is the belt that surrounds Kathmandu and Patan, the city continues unevenly, with residential neighbourhoods mixed with orchards and cultivated fields that still bear the onslaught of the city.
Thamel is the meeting point for all tourist activity and where sooner or later everyone ends up. It is full of restaurants, accommodation, cafes, currency exchange offices and shops of all kinds. Many of them offer mountaineering equipment at a very reasonable price and with more than reasonable quality. It is a small neighbourhood, easy to walk leisurely and explore its infinity of interesting corners that you will find at every step.
But Thamel, while interesting (and necessary), is still a tourist-local mix. To explore Kathmandu that doesn’t live on tourism, it’s very easy. As you head south, tourists begin to dwindle and everything gains a local flavour. Go through the very interesting Jagatsundar Marg (Thahity Jyatha Marg), Siddhidas Marg or Maiti Devi Marg (Chandraman Maskey Marg), which form a triangle, you can go down one and up the other or vice versa. Once in Indra Chok, the lively shopping area of New Road (Sukra Path Avenue) opens, with shops of all kinds, many jewellery stores and very small alleys that can lead to “hidden” places. At the end of the avenue, New Road turns to the east, Kathmandu Durbar Square is on the west and the Dharahara Tower (which you can climb), with the interesting Civil mall and Kathmandu mall, on the southeast.
If you head south towards the Baghmati River, unfortunately dirty and polluted, about 30 minutes’ walk from New Road and on the border with Patan, you have other places to discover where few tourists come. They are arranging a path-walk along the river that is quite popular with locals. At the eastern end is the interesting complex of Ram, Kalmochan Mahadev and Tripureshwor Mahadev Mandir temples. Going west, you will find the cosy complex of Teku Temple and Three Deval Mahadev.
Bouddha is the neighbourhood that houses the massive stupa of the same name, as well as the bulk of the Tibetan community in the city. Its alleyways are always full of people up and down, as well as many shops, temples, and Buddhist monasteries, which can be viewed for free. It has a wide offer of restaurants, especially in the square that surrounds the Bouddhanath stupa, cafes and shops, although not as wide as Thamel. It is very close to the airport.
Bouddhanath or simply Bouddha, as it is also known and which gives its name to the neighbourhood, is the massive iconographic stupa of the city. We are sure you have already seen it in many photographs. It is located inside a large square full of life, with devotees praying or chatting, tourists, dogs, pigeons… Like all stupas, devotees walk around it clockwise. But you don’t necessarily have to be a Buddhist to do it. Driving the 108 prayer wheels that surround it, or parts of them, can be an enjoyable entertainment while positive wishes are spread throughout the universe. There is an access through which you can access the different levels of the stupa.
The entire Bouddhanath square is lined with restaurants and cafes, most of which have terraces on the upper floors with magnificent views over the square and the stupa. It is interesting to enter the Guru Lhakhang temple and walk on its roof to contemplate the panorama. Bouddhanath has a special atmosphere at night.
The Bouddhanath ticket is valid for one week from the date of sale.
From Bouddha to Pashupatinath, or vice versa, you can walk in about 40 minutes through narrow streets where you will not find too many tourists. There are different possible itineraries, but it is interesting to stroll through the temple of Om Aadi Kunja. This temple has the front half shaped like a cow and the back half like a bull. In Pashupatinath you exit or enter, depending on your route direction, through the north gate where the Guhyeshwari Shaktipeeth temple is located.
Pashupatinath is the holiest Hindu temple complex in Nepal dedicated mostly to Shiva. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter its main temple, who can only glimpse the ass of Nandi, Shiva’s bull, through the magnificent western gate. Being the most sacred temple, it is the preferred place to celebrate funeral rites in its “ghats”, the crematoriums of the deceased, located on the sacred and polluted Baghmati river. You have to keep in mind that it is a sacred space where funerals are being held. Therefore, you have to be discreet and respectful, keeping your distance and taking care of what photos you take. The times when most religious activity is concentrated are early in the morning or right at the end of the afternoon. In the eastern sector of the river there is a hill full of temples of all kinds, where gurus, sadus and astrologers (with their laptops) are located, along with monkeys and cows. On the north side there is an entrance that overlooks the river.
Swayambhunath It’s a complex of Hindu and Buddhist temples, featuring the city’s second largest stupa, although it’s much more than just a stupa. Perched on a hill, it offers wide views over the city and, naturally, has many steps, some quite steep. As is typical of temples, the entire complex is filled with small stalls and markets selling any kind of stuff. It’s also known as the Monkey Temple, for obvious reasons. The monkeys aren’t aggressive, but you know, it’s best not to pay them direct attention and keep anything that might look appetizing away from them.
Aside from the large and beautiful stupa, two large Shikara temples flank it stand out, while on its western side is the temple of Harati, or Ajima, protector goddess of children. Among other buildings, we find dozens and dozens of small stupas of various styles that almost fill the entire space.
Although there are several entrances, the main entrance is on the east side, at Bhagawan Pau. Passing by small stupas, temples, and Buddha figures, the stairs gradually incline to reach a final, rather steep section that leads directly to the stupa. On the west side, on Ring Road, begins Amideva Buddha Park, where there are three giant Buddha figures (its grounds are not directly connected to the park; you must exit and enter from the right). So, during a visit to Swayambhunath, you can enter from one side and exit from the other. There are some restaurants within the grounds. The wall surrounding the entire perimeter features a large number of stupas, thousands of prayer wheels, and some large Buddha figures. If you have time and desire, you can try doing the kora by following the entire path around it, preferably clockwise.
You can walk from Thamel in a walk of about 45 minutes through non-touristy Kathmandu and across the river.
Kathmandu’s Durbar Square is not just a square, it is a small neighbourhood south of Thamel. It brings together what used to be the palaces and administrative compounds of the kingdom, mixed with tenement houses, offices, shops and restaurants. As a small neighbourhood, it has different entrances with ticket counters. With very diverse buildings, one of which is home to Nepal’s best-known Kumari Devi. The Kumari is a living goddess incarnated as a girl from the age of four until she enters puberty. Although there are other Kumaris in the valley of Nepal, the one in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square is the most important, as in the past the kings received her blessing and nowadays the president of the republic does. They only appear in public about six times a year, or the few times when they appear somewhat bored through a window.
A quiet and curious place is the Garden of Dreams, a small neoclassical garden (admission is paid) near the edge of Thamel by Tridevi Marg. An ideal place to escape for a moment from the bustle of the city, lie on the grass or have a drink in one of its two restaurants.
Kopan stands out among all the Buddhist monasteries in the city for being the biggest, with the largest community, for the number of international students who attend and, above all, for its location on a hill over the city, making its large building stand out. Belonging to the Gelugpa tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, its history begins in 1969 when Lama Yeshe bought the land where the house of the astrologer of the King of Nepal was located. Since then, it has been growing until today. It is an interesting visit that shows us the structure of a Tibetan-style monastery, where we can walk through its gardens and its main temple, always with respect for its community.
Budhanilkantha is an open-air temple located in the village of the same name, about 10 kilometres north of the capital. Hindu and Buddhist devotees flock here to receive the blessing of Vishnu, whose sleeping statue is of great beauty and serenity. The figure of the sleeping Vishnu, Jalakshayan Narayan, rests on the cosmic serpent Shesha, whose multiple heads cradle the god.
This imposing recumbent figure is carved from a single block of basalt rock over 5 meters long, making it the largest in Nepal. It rests in the middle of a pond (pokhari), and tradition says that it floats in it, unsupported, and its water comes directly from the sacred lakes of Gosainkund, naturally possessing healing powers. In its space, a group of children and young boys of different ages study to become gurus in the future, while taking care of the temple’s tasks, such as cleaning and caring for the statue, and sprinkling sacred water on the faithful who approach Vishnu’s feet, access to which is open only to Hindus and Buddhists.
