Kathmandu Durbar Square

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the seemingly uncountable monuments in the Kathmandu Durbar Square. The house of the living Goddess, the ferocious kal bhairab, the red monkey god, and hundreds of erotic carvings are a few examples of the sights at the square the buildings here are the greatest achievements of the Malla dynasty and they resulted from the great rivalry between the three palaces of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. The valley was divided among the children of Yaksya Malla.

Swayambhunath

The history of the Valley, according to the legends, begins with Swayambhu, or the "the self-existent". In times uncharted by history, Boddhisatwa Manjusri came across a beautiful lake during his travel. He saw a lotus that emitted brilliant light at the lake's center, so he cut a gorge in a southern hill and drained the waters to worship the lotus Men settled on the bed of the lake and called it the Kathmandu Valley. From then on, the hilltop of the self-existent Lord has been a holy place.Swayambhu's light was covered in time because few could bear its intensity.

Bouddhanath

Bouddhanath is among the largest stupas in south Asia, and it has become the focal point of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. The white mound looms thirty-six meters overhead. The stupa is located on the ancient trade route to Tibet, and Tibetan merchants rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many of them decided to live around Bouddhanath. They established many gompas, and the "Little Tibet" of Nepal was born.

Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath is the holiest Hindu pilgrimage destination in Nepal. There are linga images of Shiva along with statues, shrines, and temples dedicated to other deities in the complex. A temple dedicated to Shiva existed at this site in AD 879. However, the present temple was built by king Bhupatindra Malla in 1697. A gold-plated roof, silver doors, and woodcarvings of the finest quality decorate the pagoda construction.

• Bhaktapur Valley
• Patan Valley
• Pokhara Valley
• Lumbini
• Gorkha
• Nagarkot
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