Personality Of Kathmandu Charming And Beautiful

I t is hard to find words          roads out of the Kathmandu         that do justice to              Valley, one going north to Lhasa   wonderful Kathmandu. One       in Tibet and the other winding     ridge away from the highest           down to the Terai plains - a five  mountains in the world, and           hour journey to cover a distance   thronged by a million Hindus and      of 50 kilometers. Historically,   Buddhists, this pricely city is       this was Kathmandu best defense    the archetypal mountain kingdom -     against foreign invaders. Unlike  mystical, magical and arcane.         India and Tibet, Nepal was never   Temples loom out of the mist          conquered by the British.          around every corner and the                                              cobbled streets resound with the      The city's meteoric rise to fame   chanting of mantras and the           began in 1769 when Gurkha king     chiming of temple bells. At          Prithvi Narayan Shah swept         dusk, the city is transformed         eastwards from his base at         into a cut-out of stupas, prayer      Gorkha, conquering the towns on    flags and temple spires. On          the valley rim and isolating       clear days, a wall of                 Kathmandu. Bhaktapur and Patan    snow-covered mountains rises          from the outside world. This      behind Kathmandu and eagles soar      marked the start of the golden     majestically overhead on the high     age of Kathmandu architecture -    Tibetan winds - it is like the        temple-strewn Durbar Square has    special effects from The Lord of      barely changed since. As the      the Rings, but right there, alive     city grew, the natural             in the real world.                    fortifications of the valley                                             walls became a hindrance rather    The main reason for Kathmandu's       an asset. Everything has to be    remarkable state of preservation      trekked in from the plains of      is its unique geographical            India and builders had nowhere to  situation. There are only two        go but up, explaining the rather   chaotic skyline of leaning brick      legend as another forbidden        towers.                               kingdom of the Himalaya. The                                            Swiss explorer Toni Hagen was the  Politics also played a role in        first European allowed in and      Kathmandu's status of suspended       walked all over the country,       animation. From 1816 to 1950,        setting a precedent for the        Nepal was completely cut off from     200,000 trekkers who now visit     the outside world, vanishing into     every year.                        About the Author: Tangopang is a frequent traveler with articles at http://www.nepalholidaytravel.com. Before your next travel to Nepal, visit Nepal Holiday Travel Guide for more tips. Read more articles by: Tango Pang Article Source: www.iSnare.com