-
Mani Mandap
Overlooking the Manga Hiti tank, the two wooden pavilions known as the Mani Mandap were built in 1700 for use in the elaborate ceremonies at royal coronations but destroyed completely in the 2015 earthquake.
-
Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery
This elegant monastery is one of the most impressive structures at Lumbini. Reached through a gateway flanked by Confucian deities, the elegant pagoda-style monastery looks like something from the Forbidden City.
-
Bhedetar Charles Point
Bhedetar is perched at 1420m and the soaring views over Everest and Makalu are spectacular on a clear day. The best views are from Bhedetar Charles Point, named after Prince Charles, who visited in the 1980s.
-
Jagannarayan Temple
Dating from 1565, this was the oldest temple in the square, and its roof struts were alive with carvings of couples engaged in saucy goings-on. Sadly, the temple was completely destroyed in the 2015 earthquake.
-
Indrayani Temple
Just outside the square, head down the path near the hiti that leads down the stairs to this atmospheric Kali temple that was built around a gnarled pipal tree. Blood flows on Saturdays with animal sacrifices.
-
Bidyapith Temple
Mul Chowk houses the small, gilded, central Bidyapith Temple, beside a wooden post used to secure animals for sacrifices. The central deity is Yantaju, a form of Durga,and a personal deity to the Malla kings.
-
Godavari Kunda Community Forest
Across the road from Godavari Kunda is a tiny scenic lake that leads to the entrance of a 30-hectare woodland, which is managed by local people and provides a haven for 300 species of birds and loads of picnickers.
-
Charumati Vihar
If you take the lane just north of the Chabahil stupa, and turn left at a small white stupa, you will reach the Charumati Vihar, a medieval Buddhist monastery that used to house the monks who tended the Chabahil stupa.
-
Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
Across the road from Devi’s Falls, this venerated cave contains a huge stalagmite worshipped as a Shiva lingam. The ticket allows you to clamber through a tunnel behind the shrine, emerging in a damp cavern adjacent to the thundering waters of Devi’s Falls.
-
Vishnu Temples
West of the palace, near the site of the ruined Jagannarayan Temple and statue of King Yoganendra Malla are three smaller Vishnu temples, including a brick-and-plaster shikhara temple, built in 1590 to enshrine an image of Narsingha, Vishnu’s man-lion incarnation.
-
Bachhareshwari Temple
Between the two groups of ghats on the west bank of the Bagmati is this small, 6th-century temple, decorated with Tantric figures, skeletons and erotic scenes. It is said that human sacrifices were once made at this temple as part of the Maha Shivaratri Festival.
-
Mountain Botanical Gardens
The Mountain Botanical Gardens spans over 193 acres of forest full of interesting plant species. February to March is the best time to visit, when the rhododendrons (the national flower of Nepal) are in full bloom, providing a stunning scenery with the Himalaya backdrop.
-
Taleju Bhawani Temple
On the south side of mul Chowk is the Taleju Bhawani Temple, flanked by statues of the river goddesses Ganga, on a tortoise, and Jamuna, on a makara. The upper galleries now form part of the museums architectural displays, with fine examples of carved wooden struts.
-
Viewpoint
This hilltop spot offers birds eye views over the otherwise off-limits Pashupatinath Temple. Look for the enormous golden trident on the northern side of the temple and the golden figure of the king kneeling in prayer under a protective hood of nagas (serpent deities) to the south.
-
Bhimsen Tower (Dharahara)
Today, all that remains of this 62m-high tower which once loomed over the streets of southern Kathmandu is the brick base. The tower collapsed to its foundations in the 2015 earthquake, killing 180 people, many sightseers who were admiring the views when the earthquake struck.
-
Nasamana Square
This square just northwest of Potters Sq lost its temples in the 1934 quake, but it still has a large Garuda statue praying to a vanished Vishnu shrine. Also here is a tall shikhara housing an important lingam, and two small Shiva shrines by a tank filled with alarmingly green alga
-
Gorkha Museum
Housed inside the grand Tallo Durbar, a Newari-style palace built in 1835, the museum’s exhibits are limited, but it’s interesting to see the finely carved woodwork up close. It’s set in 3.5 hectares of garden, which are nice for a stroll. There was some earthquake damage to the co
-
Civic Square
There are some interesting buildings in the middle of the village. Walk west along the northern brick lane and turn right just before you reach the main road. You’ll soon come to a large square with a music platform, a large white stupa, a Brahmayani Temple and classic Newari-style
-
Lumbini Crane Sanctuary
The wetlands surrounding the World Peace Pagoda are protected as a crane sanctuary and you stand a good chance of seeing rare sarus cranes stalking through the fields. There’s no formal entrance to the sanctuary and no admission fee – just stroll into the damp meadows behind the pa
-
Mahendra Park
You will have to use your imagination to envision the former glory of the 18th-century gardens at Balaju, now known as Mahendra Park . Although the gardens are faded and untidy, many local Hindus swing by to pay their respects at the cluster of shrines in the northeast corner of th
Total
367 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
9/19 20-travel/Page Goto:
