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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.
Some 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 carving the wooden strata eaves.
Kal Bhairav:
One of the largest stone idol in Kathmandu representing
the terrifying aspects of Shiva.
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. Pashupatinath:
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:
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. |