A small kingdom tightly sandwiched between mighty China and India, with almost all conceivable landscapes, eight of the fourteen highest world peaks, beautiful tracks leading to Everest and Annapurna, ancient settlements, mountain villages, pristine lakes, green plains - this is what Nepal is. The capital of this small state - Kathmandu - has a second name - Asian Florence. This is truly a pantry of Buddhist art. They say that the capital of Nepal is as many temples as there are houses. In Kathmandu, there are many cultural monuments that UNESCO has included in the list of world heritage.
Although the capital of Nepal is a city with half a million people, at first glance it seems very small. There are only a few two-way streets in the city, along which a few cars pass. The rest of Kathmandu is the narrow labyrinths of alleys along which rickshaws and motorcyclists sweep.
Over the centuries of its development, the capital of Nepal has created its own special architectural style with individual features. She turned into a kind of museum.
Suffice it to say that in Kathmandu, more than a thousand temples and tens of thousands of structures, which are the masterpieces of Asian architecture, have been preserved. These are old houses, covered with the finest wood carvings, on the scruffy and dilapidated exterior facade of which you can see magnificent wooden bars decorated with bay window sculptures, luxuriously inlaid doors. Some ancient palaces and temples were built in the form of multi-story pagodas, reminiscent of Chinese influence.
The capital of Nepal lies along the Bagmati River. It was founded in the eighth century and was originally called Kantipur. Recalling a large anthill, the city is crowded in a mountain bowl. In clear weather, without leaving it, you can observe the highest mountains on the planet.
There is a legend that once there was a large lake on the site of the Kathmandu valley, but once a yogi with his magic sword cut a passage in the Chobhar Gorge through which water passed.
The capital of Nepal resembles a chaotic market: trade is in full swing here: on stalls, on the first floors of
multi-storey buildings built on narrow streets, in remote stalls, on sidewalks, on the steps of temples. Despite the fact that the city has several large shopping centers, malls, the main trade turnover falls on private traders.
The abundance of Hindu and Buddhist stupas, temples and pagodas - this is how the capital is characterized. Nepal is literally crammed with various shrines.
Built about two millennia ago, Swayambhunath, a Buddhist temple, which is a giant dome, is also called the "all-seeing eye" of the Buddha. 365 steps lead to it, on which monkeys jump, meeting and escorting numerous tourists.
One of the most famous sculptures in Kathmandu is considered a statue of the god Vishnu, reclining on a snake bed.
The true center of the capital of Nepal is Darbar Square, which is fully built up with palaces, shrines and temples. It houses the royal palace of the mid-sixteenth century, guarded by Hanuman - the monkey king.
The Taleju Pagoda, the most beautiful in the city, and the Kastamandal temple, according to legend made from the trunk of a tree, and the palace of the living goddess of the Nepalese kingdom - Kumari, also immediately rise.
In general, the capital of Nepal is a city where legends are intertwined with history.