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Maru Tole
This tole (street) leads you away from Durbar Sq down to the Vishnumati River, where a footbridge continues the pathway to Swayambhunath. This was a busy street in the hippie era but the famous pastry shops that gave it the nickname ‘Pie Alley’ have long gone. Many buildings were d
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Gurkha Museum
Located just north of Mahendra Pul, near the KI Singh Bridge, the Gurkha Museum celebrates the achievements of the renowned Gurkha regiments. Accompanied by sound effects, it covers Gurkha history from the 19th-century Indian Uprising, through two World Wars to current-day disputes
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Woodcarving Museum
This museum has some fine examples of Bhaktapur woodcarving displayed in dark, creaky rooms. There isn’t enough light to justify paying the camera fee, but it’s worth a visit, not least for the extravagantly carved windows in the inner courtyard, which survived the earthquake with
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Western Stupa
If you follow either path leading west from the main stupa, you will reach a smaller stupa near the car park for tourist buses. Just behind is a gompa surrounded by rest houses for pilgrims and an important shrine to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. At exam time, many scholars c
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Naudhara Community Forest
The Naudhara Community Forest is 147 hectares of locally managed woodland, established with support from Bird Conservation Nepal (www.birdlifenepal.org). Guides (who almost certainly wont speak English) can be arranged through the ticket office for Rs 500 for a two- to three-hour t
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Bird Education Society
Run by local volunteers, the friendly Bird Education Society should be the first port of call for twitchers. In a new location on the road to the elephant breeding centre, the society has a library of bird books and a binocular rental service (Rs 50/100 per hour/day) and also has g
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Jagannath Temple
This temple, noted for the erotic carvings on its roof struts, is the oldest structure in this part of Durbar Sq. Pratap Malla claimed to have constructed the temple during his reign, but it may actually date back to 1563, during the rule of Mahendra Malla. The temple has a three-t
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Shiva Parvati Temple
Similar to Nyatapola Temple , this much smaller version also features pairs of statues of elephants, lions, bulls and the wrestlers Jayamel and Phattu leading up the stairs.
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National Botanical Gardens
The verdant botanical gardens are a quiet and peaceful spot for a walk or picnic, except on Friday and Saturday when the place is overrun with schoolkids. The visitor centre has some good exhibits on Nepal’s flora and in the middle is the decorative Coronation Pond with its 7m comm
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World Peace Pagoda
Balanced on a narrow ridge high above Phewa Tal, the brilliant-white World Peace Pagoda was constructed by Buddhist monks from the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji organisation. There are three paths up to the pagoda and several small cafes once you arrive. Sadly, there have been mugging
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Saat Tale Durbar
The centrepiece of the village is the Saat Tale Durbar, a seven-storey fortress built in 1762 by Prithvi Narayan Shah as his family palace after taking the town. The town served as Nepal’s capital until Shah conquered the Kathmandu Valley six years later. This was also where the gr
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Yatkha Bahal
Hidden off the main road just north of Durbar Sq is this large open courtyard set around a central stupa that resembles a mini-Swayambhunath. Directly behind it is an old building, the Yatkha Bahal, whose upper storey is supported by four superb carved-wood struts. Dating from the
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Manga Hiti
Immediately across from Bhimsen Temple is the sunken Manga Hiti, one of the water conduits with which Patan is liberally endowed. The tank contains a cruciform-shaped pool and three wonderfully carved dhara (water spouts) in the shape of makara (mythical crocodile-elephants). The t
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Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre
This park centre is worth a visit for its displays on Himalayan flora and fauna and the culture of the Khumbu Sherpas. From the flat area in front of the visitor centre, you can soak up an eye-watering panorama of Himalayan peaks, from Nuptse (7861m) and Everest (8850m) to Ama Dabl
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King Yoganarendra Malla’s Statue
South of the ruined Jagannarayan Temple, this tall column used to be topped by a striking brass statue of King Yoganarendra Malla (1684–1705) and his queens, installed in 1700.Sadly, the column collapsed in the 2015 earthquake. Behind the statue of the king are three smaller Vishn
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Thani Mai Temple
Perched atop Gurungche Hill, the main reason to climb up to Thani Mai is for its spectacular sunrise views. On a clear morning it has some of the most memorable 360-degree vistas in the country, with the Himalaya stretching out along the horizon, while the valley beneath is cloaked
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King Bhupatindra Malla’s Column
With hands folded in a prayer position, the bronze statue of King Bhupatindra Malla sits atop a column in front of the Vatsala Durga Temple. The statue was created in 1699 and it is now the only surviving royal pillar in the valley; similar statues in the Durbar Sqs of Kathmandu an
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Kakeshwar Temple
This white-topped temple was originally built in 1681 but, like so many other structures, was rebuilt after it was badly damaged in the 1934 earthquake. It may have been considerably altered at that time as the temple is a strange combination of styles. It starts with a Newari-styl
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Vatsala Durga Temple
Beside King Bhupatindra Mallas column and directly in front of the Royal Palace, this stone temple was built by King Jagat Prakash Malla in either 1672 or 1727 (depending on which inscriptions you trust) in the Indian shikhara style, but it was completely destroyed in the 2015 eart
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Varahi Mandir
Pokhara’s most famous Hindu temple, the two-tiered pagoda-style Varahi Mandir stands on a small island in Phewa Tal, near the Ratna Mandir (Royal Palace). Founded in the 18th century, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu in his boar incarnation. It’s been extensively renovated over th
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