| It is hard to find words that do justice to wonderful | | | | 1769 when Gurkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah swept |
| Kathmandu. One ridge away from the highest | | | | eastwards from his base at Gorkha, conquering the |
| mountains in the world, and thronged by a million Hindus | | | | towns on the valley rim and isolating Kathmandu. |
| and Buddhists, this pricely city is the archetypal | | | | Bhaktapur and Patan from the outside world. This |
| mountain kingdom - mystical, magical and arcane. | | | | marked the start of the golden age of Kathmandu |
| Temples loom out of the mist around every corner | | | | architecture - temple-strewn Durbar Square has barely |
| and the cobbled streets resound with the chanting of | | | | changed since. As the city grew, the natural |
| mantras and the chiming of temple bells. At dusk, the | | | | fortifications of the valley walls became a hindrance |
| city is transformed into a cut-out of stupas, prayer | | | | rather an asset. Everything has to be trekked in from |
| flags and temple spires. On clear days, a wall of | | | | the plains of India and builders had nowhere to go but |
| snow-covered mountains rises behind Kathmandu and | | | | up, explaining the rather chaotic skyline of leaning brick |
| eagles soar majestically overhead on the high Tibetan | | | | towers. Politics also played a role in Kathmandu's |
| winds - it is like the special effects from The Lord of | | | | status of suspended animation. From 1816 to 1950, |
| the Rings, but right there, alive in the real world. The | | | | Nepal was completely cut off from the outside world, |
| main reason for Kathmandu's remarkable state of | | | | vanishing into legend as another forbidden kingdom of |
| preservation is its unique geographical situation. There | | | | the Himalaya. The Swiss explorer Toni Hagen was the |
| are only two roads out of the Kathmandu Valley, one | | | | first European allowed in and walked all over the |
| going north to Lhasa in Tibet and the other winding | | | | country, setting a precedent for the 200,000 trekkers |
| down to the Terai plains - a five hour journey to cover | | | | who now visit every year. |
| a distance of 50 kilometers. Historically, this was | | | | Tangopang is a frequent traveler with articles at |
| Kathmandu best defense against foreign invaders. | | | | Before your next travel to Nepal, visit Nepal Holiday |
| Unlike India and Tibet, Nepal was never conquered by | | | | Travel Guide for more tips. |
| the British. The city's meteoric rise to fame began in | | | | |