Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city of Nepal. The city is situated in Kathmandu Valley that also contains two other cities - Patan and Bhaktapur. Nepali is the lingua franca of the valley and is the most widely spoken language. Nepal Bhasa/Newari is the language spoken by native people, the Newars. The city stands at an elevation of approximately 4,500 ft (1,400 m) and is inhabited by about 700,000 people. Kathmandu is the most developed city in Nepal.



Kathmandu, the gateway to the Himalayas, is set high up in an emerald green valley, surrounded by terraced hills. The beating heart of Nepal and totally cosmopolitan, it was the home town of the Newars, the country's master craftsmen and super tradesmen.

Trade created Kathmandu - for a thousand years the city controlled the most important caravan route between Tibet and India, so not surprisingly it has easily embraced the tourist business.




In many ways the city is seemingly unchanged since the Middle ages and indeed it contains no less than four UNESCO World Heritage Site (Durbar Square, the Swayambhu and Bauddhanath Buddhist stupas and the Hindu temple of Pashupati).

Yet in some parts of the city it appears to be just another polluted concrete jungle. Kathmandu has one of the highest rates of inflation in Asia and although there is more money around than before, most of it remains with the upper class.

Popular with westerners since the 1960s as a key stop on the hippie trail, Kathmandu has an enchanting old town, the area between Kantipath (the main north/south road), west to the Vishnumati River - a visual feast of rose brick and ancient wood-carved temples and palaces.

Durbar Square is a non-stop carnival, with temples and monuments as well as the former Royal Palace, home of the ancient Malla kings.