167 © Lonely Planet Publications Placeholder Around the Image 1 Valley

Once upon a time, the valley surrounding Kathmandu was a vast lake, trapped by the uprising of the Himalaya. According to legend, the yogi Manjushree saw a sacred lotus rising from AROUND THE KATHMANDU the waters and opened a channel with his sword to drain the waters. So the was born. Today, this natural basin is a patchwork of terraced fields and sacred temple towns that showcase the glory of the architects and artisans of . If Kathmandu is the VALLEY head of Nepal, the valley could be its heart. Few visitors leave Nepal without seeing at least the Unesco World Heritage–listed towns of Patan and , which once jostled for power with Kathmandu. However, the whole valley is a living museum of Nepali culture. It is hard to go more than a few hundred metres without stumbling upon a medieval village or centuries-old temple. There’s so much to see here – just set out from Kathmandu and explore. Buses are fre- quent and inexpensive and all of the attractions in this chapter can be explored by rented mountain bike or motorcycle, or even on foot, utilising a series of shortcuts that can shave hours off the journey by road. As well as Patan and Bhaktapur, be sure to make time for Pashupatinath, the sacred funeral compound beside the , and Bodhnath, the gigantic stupa that acts as a spiritual lodestone for Nepal’s Tibetan Buddhists. Between these famous sights are smaller Newari towns and villages that lie well off the mainstream tourist circuit. In fact, you’ll see fewer tourists just 10km outside Kathmandu than you will if you trek for days through the Himalaya!

HIGHLIGHTS

Have your mind blown by the glorious Newari architecture of Patan’s Durbar Square ( p181 ) Get lost in the fascinating backstreets of Bhaktapur ( p194 ), Nepal’s best-preserved medieval town Join the pilgrims on the parikrama (clockwise circuit) around the enormous Bodhnath Stupa ( p174 ) Kakani Have a mini-adventure in the little-visited ᝲᝲ towns of the Southern Valley – Kirtipur Bodhnath Nagarkot ( p215 ), Bungmati (p219 ) and Chobar ( p216 ) Kirtipur Bhaktapur Wake up to bedside views of the Himalaya Chobar Patan from your hotel in Nagarkot ( p222 ), ( p226 ) or Kakani ( p233) Dhulikhel Escape the crowds and find the real spirit of Nepal in the temple town of Panauti ( p229 )

TELEPHONE CODE: 03 POPULATION: 4.7 MILLION AREA : 227,420 SQ KM AROUND THE KATHMANDU VALLEY 168 0 3 km KATHMANDU VALLEY 0 2 miles RUDTEKTMNUVLE • KtmnuVle AROUND THEKATHMANDU VALLEY Valley ••Kathmandu To Kakani (13km); Shivapuri To Chisopani To Chisopani (6km) (2725m) Nagi & Helambu Trisuli Bazaar (68km); Gompa NuwakotὈὈὈὈὈὈ (72km); Shivapuri Heights Bhotichaur Tinpiple Dhunche (119km) Shivapuri Budhanilkantha National Park

Park Village Manichur Chule Nagle Resort Temple Phulbari Mulkarkha Chowki Bhanjyang Nagarjun Gokarna Mahadev Forest Kopan to Kopan & Reserve Bodhnah trail Sundarijal Nagarkot to Monastery Sundarijal trail Bagdhara Jamacho (2095m) Gokarna ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈSee Kathmandu Map (pp114-15) Mahadev Temple Balaju Vajrayogini Ichangu Temple Nagarkot Kattike Gokarna Forest Narayan See Bodhnath Sankhu trail Halchok See Nagarkot Map (p174) Gokarna Bramhakhel Sankhu Rd Forest Map (p223) To Chitwan National Park (140km); Ring Jorpati Changu Pokhara (206km) ᝲᝲResort Narayan Nagarkot Stupa Chabahil Mulpani Temple Rv Bagmati River Tharkot See Pashupatinath Map (p171) River ὈὈὈTribhuvan KATHMANDU Jhaukhel Tribhuvan Pikhel Naikap Airport Nagarkot to Thankot Hwy Vishnumati Manohara Changu Bode Narayan trail Lookout Tower Nagadesh Gwatala Ghimiregaon Kirtipur Thimi See Bhaktapur Patan Balkumari Map (pp196-7) Machhegaon Nagarkot to Nala Panga Jawalakhel Koteshwar Temple Mahadev Hanumante Bhaktapur & trail Chobar See Patan Eastern Map (p182) Jal Binayak Temple Nakhu (Teta) Stupa Arniko Nala Taudaha Pond Chobar

Gorge Khola Suriya Hwy Bagmati Champa Devi Hattiban Binayak See Dhulikhel & Around Resort Lubbhu Temple Map (p227) To Barabise (2249m) (74km); Sanga Neyndo Karya Banepa Tibet (104km) Tashi Binayak Dollu Choling River To Barabise (80km); Dhulikhel Kodari (100km); Talku Bungamati Jiri (120km) Bandegaon

Thecho Bishankhu lonelyplanet.com Pharping Narayan

Chapagaon Vajra Varahi Godavari Dakshinkali Godavari Royal Botanical Gardens Village Godavari Resort Panauti To Namobuddha Badhikhel Phulchowki Mai Temple Lele Tika Bhairab Phulchowki (2760m)