Half day Sightseeing of Kathmandu City and Swyambhunath Stupa

0900 hrs, Morning will proceed for half day sightseeing of Kathmandu City and Swyambhunath Stupa. 

Swyambhunath is Perched on top of a conical hill is a white dome with glittering golden spire is visible from all sides of the valley for many miles. This most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu Valley, Swyambhunath Stupa, is also known as the Monkey Temple. According to the historical records, the stupa is over 2,500 years old. The name of Swyambhunath has been derived from Sanskrit word, Swayam (self), making Swyambhunath the ‘Self-Created One’. The surrounding of the stupa consists a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Lichchhavi period. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on each side and nose is made out as the number one in Devanagari script. The main stupa can be reached from two access points; a long steep stairway with 365 steps (leading directly to the main platform), and a car road leading to a longer way from the southwest entrance. This stupa too has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites list. This place offers an excellent view of the Valley. Though the temples around the stupa had some minor destruction and one of the temples beside the stupa collapsed during the 2016 earthquake, the process of reconstruction is ongoing.

Kathmandu durbar square

Durbar, which means palace, is where the kings were once crowned and where they ruled from. Kathmandu has its Durbar Square at its heart; here charm of old town blends well with traditional architecture in a rich cultural backdrop. The entire square was designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The massive complex consists of three main squares, which is home to palaces, temples, and courtyard. The temple of Living Goddess, Kumari, is also on the southern end. Kumari is a young Shakya girl from Newar community, chosen through an ancient and mystical selection to become the human incarnation of Hindu Goddess, Taleju. If you are lucky, you might get to get a glimpse of Kumari peaking out of an elaborately carved wooden window. The main Durbar Square is the most affected area by the 2015 earthquake. Three main temples of the area, Kasthamandap, Narayan temple, Trilokya Mohan, and Krishna Temple has been completely destroyed, while other have been partially damaged. On the Northeast side, the square consists of Hanuman Dhoka, the main entrance to the old royal palace. The Taleju Bhawani’s temple, the oldest of all the temples is situated in this area. Even though the old royal palace has been partially damaged, restoration process is going on. The Square is slowly making progress to yet again revive its old mystic and glory of being a living museum with finest traditional architectures in the world