It is the historic seat of royalty. The Durbar Square, with its old temples and places, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. It is here that Kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations solemnized. Interesting things to see here are; Taleju Temple built by King Mahendra Malla in 1549 A.D., Kal Bhairav, the God of destruction, Nautalle Durbar, Coronation Nasal Chowk, the Gaddi Baithak, the statue of King Pratap Malla, the Big Bell, Big Drum
and the Jagannath Temple. On the right-hand corner, large wooden lattice screen hides an enormous gilded face of SwetBhairav. The screen is removed only during the Indra Jatra festival.There are also Numismatic and Tribhuvan Museum inside the Hanumandhoka Palace building. Photography is prohibited inside the museums. Both the museums remain closed on Tuesday and government holidays. This is the one of the UNESCO cultural heritage sites of Nepal.
Swayambhunath
The history of the Valley, according to the legends, begins with Swayambhunath, or "the self existent". This is one of the world's most glorious Buddhist Stupa. It is around 2000 years old. The Stupa, which forms the main structure, is made of brick and clay supporting the lofty conical spire capped by a pinnacle of copper gilt. Painted on the four-sides of the spire base are the eyes of Lord Buddha. It is three kilometers west of Kathmandu City, and is situated on a hillock about 77m above the level of the Valley. This hill is a mosaic of small chaityas and pagodas. Swayambhunath is, perhaps, the best place to observe the religious harmony of Budddhist and Hindu, in Nepal.
Pashupatinath Temple
About five kms from Kathmandu the famous Pasupatinath Temple renowned for its superb architecture, its two-tiered golden roof and silver doors. Thousands of devotees converge here on an annual pilgrimage on the occasion of Maha Shivratri, the night of Lord Shiva falls in the month February. Entrance into the temple-precincts is permitted only for the Hindus but other can clearly see the temple and rituals beings performed inside from the eastern bank of the Bagmati river.
The temple was listed in the UNESCO world Heritage Monument list in 1797.
Nagarkot
Nagarkot is a popular tourist resort of Nepal, famous for sunrise and sunset. It is situated 32 km east of Kathmandu at an altitude of 2,175 m above the see-level. The panorama of the major peals of eastern Nepal Himalayas including Sagarmatha, (Mt. Everest), can be seen from here. Himalayan peaks like Manaslu (8,163m) Ganesh Himal (7,111m) Langtang (7,246m) Choba Bhamre (6,016m) Gaurishankar (7,134m) and Numbur (6,957m) are also seen on a clear day. A motorable road links Nagarkot with Bhaktapur.
Lumbini
Lumbini the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is the pilgrimage destination of the world's millions of people faithful to the schools of Buddhism. UNESCO lists this nativity site, identified by Indian Emperor Ashoka's comme-morative pillar as a world Heritage Site. The main attraction is the Sacred Garden spread over 8sq km and possessing all the treasure of the historic area. The Mayadevi temple is the main attraction for pilgrims. Lumbini was so important that the world community, particularly the United Nations and the Government of Nepal, has launched a masterplan for the maintenance and preservation of Lumbini.
