1.Kathmandu Durbar Square: Beautiful Mountain around surround Kathmandu, the land of gods. Some two hundred years ago a western Visitor wrote that there were as many temples as there were houses and many idols as there were people. In fact Kathmandu boasts one of the largest congregations of magnificent historical monuments and shrines ever built. Duly recognized as a world Heritage Site by UNESCO- this particular area best known as Kathmandu Durbar Square lies in the heart of the city. Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex consists of a huge Royal Square imposing a tremendous variety of temples dedicated to different Hindu gods and goddess. Most of the buildings we see here date from 15th to 18th century. The entire Palace Complex here is named after a monkey god called Hanuman. One can see a huge stone statue of Hanuman painted all red right next to the main entrance (the golden gate) of the palace. Hanuman here is regarded as a powerful protector of the entire Durbar Square.
ome of the important monuments to be seen here are:
Taleju temple: The tallest of all structures built by king Mahendra Malla in 1549 A.D.
Jagannath temple: Built in the 16th century, known for fascinating erotic figures wooden carving
Kal Bhairav: One of the largest stone idol in Kathmandu representing the terrifying aspects ofShiva.
Statue of King Pratap Malla: It is in praying gesture to Digu Taleju, the royal family deity right across.
Kumari Ghar: It is a17th century Kumari temple, an example of the highly developed Nepalese temple craft.
Kasthamandap: It was built from the timber of a single tree. The Kathmandu City derives its name from the same temple, Kasthamandap.
2.Swoyambhu Nath Stupa: Located in a lovely little hillock, Swayambhu Nath Stupa was built around 250 B.C. Generally a holy memorial site Stupa represents a typical Buddhist architecture. Its main feature the white dome is identified with a spotless pure jewel of Nirvana and a thirteen-tiered golden spire in conical shape surmounted on the dome. Underneath this towering structure is a pair of all seeing eyes of Buddha painted on all four sides of the Stupa. The Stupa of Swayambhunath stands on a typically stylized lotus Mandala base-a long time ago believed to have originated from a legendary lake of Kathmandu Valley.
3. Boudha Nath Stupa One of the oldest and the biggest Buddhist monuments ever built in Nepal, Boudhanath is an imposing structure standing some 36 meters. The Stupa which stands on the massive three level Mandala style Platforms surrounded by colorful private family houses is magnificent
This stupa was built in 5th century A. D. The site is considered very much like Mecca for the Tibetan Buddhists and every year tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the Himalayan region visit the stupa. During Lhosar festival the pilgrims worship the Buddhist deities, light the increase and butter lamp day and night. Every twelve-year a special ceremony is observed with great gusto and Ferro. During that time they dance, play musical instruments, chant and hymns
4. Pasupatinath Temple is considered one of the holiest shrines of all the Hindu temples. The temple has remained the presiding deity of ruling Nepalese Royalty. Located on the bank of the Bagmati River, this two-tiered magnificent golden temple with four triple silver doorways is unique example of the Nepalese temple architecture. It is one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in’ South Asia with hundreds of Shiva lingams, shrines icons of various Hindu god and goddess insides. This temple site occupies an area of 281 hectors in total. This temple attracts tens of thousand of pilgrims from India besides the locals. Historically pre-Christian era this temple seems to have its origin away back to the early Kirat period. Stone sculptures found in the vicinity support the antiquity of this place.
5.Patan Durbar square lies in the North West of Kathmandu city at Lalitpur. Marking the Northern end of the palace complex, the museum's imposing Keshav Narayan Chowk is still overshadowed by the dominant Degutale temple behind. The Palace and its Square are inscribed as a World Heritage Site.
6.Bhaktapur Durbar Square: It is a conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The square is one of the most charming architectural showpieces of the Valley as it highlights the ancient arts of Nepal. The golden effigies of kings perched on the top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in every place-strata, lintels, uprights, tympanums, gateways and windows, all seem to form a well orchestrated symphony.
7.Changu Narayan: Narayan, or Vishnu, is the preserver of creation to Hindus. His temple near Changu village is often described as the most ancient temple in the Kathmandu Valley. A fifth century stone inscription, the oldest discovered in Nepal, is located in the temple compound and it tells of the victorious King Mandev. The temple now covers sixteen hundred years of Nepalese art history. The temple, built around the third century, is decorated by some of the best samples of stone, wood, and metal craft in the Valley. In the words of one tourist guide, "When you look upon Changu Narayan, you observe the complete cultural development of the Valley." Vishnu as Narsingha disemboweling a demon is particularly stunning. The western bronze doors sparkle in the evening sunlight, dragons decorate the bells, and handsome devas stare from the walls. Garuda, half man and half bird, is the steed of Vishnu, and his life-sized statue kneels before the temple. The favorite of many tourists is the statue of Vishnu sitting astride his steed.
8: Lumbini: Lumbini, situated at the Terai plains of the southern Nepal, is the place where Siddhartha Gautam, the Shakya Prince and the ultimate Buddha, the Enlighten One, were born in 623 BC. The sacred place, marked by a stone pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka of India in 249 BC, is listed as one of the World Heritage Sites. Today the holy site is being developed as the supreme Buddhist pilgrimage and a symbol of world peace. The shrines and monasteries built by different countries and in different times reflect the architectural traditions of the respective countries, and thus giving Lumbini an international feel with a message of universal friendship and brotherhood. About 30km east of Lumbini is the village of Tilaurakot, which is believed to have been the location of the Kapilvastu royal palace where the Buddha grew up as the Shakya dynasty prince, until he renounced it at the age of 29 in search of enlightenment.
Attraction of Lumbini: - Main attraction at Lumbini remains the Sacred Garden, which is spread over 8 sq km and possesses all the treasures of the historic area. Today as part of the global initiative to promote Lumbini, many countries have built or are building temples, monasteries or stupas near the Sacred Garden in the International Monastery Zone.
Ashoka pillar, carrying an inscription identifying the holy site as the birthplace, is situated nearby the Sacred Garden. To one side of Ashoka pillar is the Mayadevi Temple, which houses a bas-relief depicting the nativity. Recent excavations have turned up a stone bearing a "foot imprint", indicating the exact place of birth. The Puskarni pond, where Queen Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother, had taken a bath before giving birth to him lies to the south of the pillar. Kushinagar is the place where Lord Buddha passed into Mahaparinirvana. A smaller shrine nearby contains a reclining Buddha, which was brought from Mathura by the monk Haribala. Bodhgaya is the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. The tree under which Buddha attained wisdom is called the Bodhi tree, while the temple marking the sacred spot is known as Mahabodhi Temple.
There are also three museums in Lumbini
The Lumbini Museum, located in the Cultural Zone, contains Mauryan and Kushana coins, religious manuscripts, terra-cotta fragments, and stone and metal sculptures. It also possesses an extensive collection of stamps from various countries depicting Lumbini and the Buddha.
Lumbini International Research Institute (LIRI), located opposite to the Lumbini Museum, provides research facilities for the study of Buddhism and religion in general. Run jointly by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) and the Reiyukai of Japan, LIRI contains some 12,000 books on religion, philosophy, art and architecture.
Kapilvastu Museum is situated 27 km west of Lumbini in the village of Tilaurakot. The museum holds coins, pottery and toys dating between the seventh century BC and fourth century AD. The museum also has good collection of jewelry and other ornaments of that period.