The Kathmandu Valley (
), located in
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
s and the Buddhists.
The city of Kathmandu is named after a structure in
Durbar SquareDurbar Square is the plaza opposite the old royal palace in the three main cities in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The square is filled with temples.-History:...
called Kaasthamandap. In
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
,
kāṣṭh = "wood" and
maṇḍap = "covered shelter." This unique temple, also known as Maru Satal, was built in 1596 CE by King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The entire structure contains no iron nails or supports and is made entirely from wood.
The Kathmandu Valley (
), located in
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
s and the Buddhists.
Etymology
The city of Kathmandu is named after a structure in
Durbar SquareDurbar Square is the plaza opposite the old royal palace in the three main cities in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The square is filled with temples.-History:...
called Kaasthamandap. In
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
,
kāṣṭh = "wood" and
maṇḍap = "covered shelter." This unique temple, also known as Maru Satal, was built in 1596 CE by King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The entire structure contains no iron nails or supports and is made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the timber used for this two story pagoda was obtained from a single tree.
History
The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as 300 BCE, since the oldest known objects in the valley date to a few hundred years BCE. The earliest known inscription is dated 185 CE. The oldest firmly dated building in the earthquake-prone valley is almost 1,992 years old. Four
stupaA stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, once thought to be places of Buddhist worship, typically the remains of a Buddha or saint...
s around the city of Patan, said to have been erected by a certain Charumati, a purported daughter of Ashoka the Great, a Mauryan king, in the
3rd century BCEThe 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:...
, attest to the ancient history present within the valley. As with the tales of the Buddha's visit, there is no evidence supporting Ashoka's visit, but the stupas probably do date to that century. The
KiratKirat-or Kirati- means people with lion nature. It is derived from two words Kira-Lion and Ti- people and it also means people from the mountain. They are indigenous ethnic Kirati group of Nepal. It includes the Limbu, Rai, Yakkha and Sunuwar ethnic groups. The Kirat were the earliest inhabitants...
s are the first documented rulers of the Kathmandu Valley; the remains of their palace are said to be in Patan near Hiranyavarna Mahavihara (called "Patukodon"). The
Licchavi DynastyLicchavi was an ancient kingdom in Nepal, which existed in the Kathmandu Valley from approximately 400 to 750....
whose earliest inscriptions date back to 464 CE were the next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the Gupta Dynasty of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. The
Malla DynastyThe Malla Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Nepal from the twelfth century to the eighteenth century. Malla kings of Nepal visited Lumbini in the 11th and 12th century...
ruled Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding area from the 12
th century CE until the 18
th century CE, when the
Shah DynastyThe Kingdom of Nepal was a monarchy in South Asia, established in 1768 under Prithvi Narayan Shah and abolished in 2008 when the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was proclaimed.-Unification:...
under
Prithvi Narayan ShahPrithvi Narayan Shah, King of Nepal was a Nepali nobleman. He was the ninth generation descendant of Dravya Shah , the founder of the ruling house of Gorkha...
conquered the valley as he created present-day Nepal. Most of ancient Nepali architecture present in
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
today is from the
MallaMalla may refer to the following:*Malla was an ancient dynasty in India, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.*Malla was a dynasty in Nepal.*Malla a caste or social group from Andhra Pradesh in India.*a Sanskrit term for a wrestler or boxer, see Malla-yuddha...
era.
Newars
The Newars, generally acknowledged to be the original inhabitants of the valley, are understood to be the descendants of the various ethnic and racial groups that have inhabited and ruled the valley in the 2-millennia history of the place. Although in today's state of Nepal, the Newars stand apart ethnically from the other groups on the basis of their composite Hindu-Buddhist religious culture and
Nepal BhasaNepal Bhasa is one of the major languages of Nepal. It is one of roughly five hundred Sino-Tibetan languages, and belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of this family. It is the only Tibeto-Burman language to be written in the Devanāgarī script...
, today spoken by all Newars as their mother tongue, the multifarious castes in the numerous caste systems within Newar society betray a surprising racial diversity. The similarities between the various cultural traits and complexes within Newar culture and those of many other ethnic groups in the Indian sub-continent lead us to hypothesize the occurrence of both vibrant circulations of peoples and cultures around the sub-continent during the last 2 millennia and a continuous and steady of diffusion of these ideas into the valley. Indologists/anthropologists and Newarologists describe Newar society as a "pre-dominantly Mongoloid people practicing an Indo-Aryan culture."
Mythology
According to Swayambhu Puran, the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake. The hill where the Swambhu stupa rests had lotus plants with beautiful lotus flowers abloom. One story says that the god
ManjusriManjusri is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism....
cut a gorge at a place called Kashapaal (later called Chobhar) with a sword called Chandrahrasha and drained away the waters in order to establish a habitable land.
According to Gopal Banshawali,
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
cut the gorge with his
Sudarshana ChakraSudarshana Chakra is a spinning disc like weapon with very sharp edge, which serves as an attribute of the Hindu God Vishnu. Lord Vishnu, also called Narayana, is portrayed with four hands, holding a Shankha , the Sudarshana, a Gada and a Padma...
to let the water out. He then handed the drained valley to the Gopal Vansi people, who were nomadic cow herders.
Geography
The valley is made up of the
Kathmandu DistrictKathmandu District is a district located in Kathmandu Valley, Bagmati Zone, Nepal. It is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia. The district has Kathmandu City as its district headquarters. It covers an area of 395km² and has a population of 1,081,845...
,
Lalitpur DistrictLalitpur District, a part of Bagmati Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Patan as its district headquarters, covers an area of 385km² and has a population of 337,785...
and
Bhaktapur DistrictBhaktapur district, a part of Bagmati zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Bhaktapur as its district headquarters, covers an area of 119 km² and has a population of 225,461....
. The valley consists of
Kathmandu Metropolitan CityKathmandu Metropolitan City is the largest urban area of Nepal. It is the capital city of Nepal. It is located in Western part of Kathmandu valley and South eastern part of Kathmandu district.- Administrative divisions :...
,
Lalitpur Submetropolitan CityPatan , officially Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, is one of the major cities of Nepal. It is one of the sub-metropolitan cities of Nepal located in the south-western part of Kathmandu valley. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts...
,
Bhaktapur municipalityBhaktapur , also Bhadgaon or Khwopa is an ancient Newar town in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It is located in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone...
,
Kirtipur MunicipalityKirtipur is an ancient city in Nepal. It is located in Kathmandu District of Bagmati Zone 5 km south-west of the Kathmandu. It is one of the five municipalities of Kathmandu Valley.-Demographics:...
,
Madhyapur Thimi MunicipalityMadhyapur Thimi is a municipality in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 47,751....
and several villages which present a high style of
NewarThe Newa are the indigenous people of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Newars are a linguistic community with Tibeto-Burman and Indo ethnictiy/race, bound together by a common language....
art and architecture. The valley is a cultural and political hub of Nepal. Mixed with all the other cultures, many of whom have recently arrived from different parts of Nepal,
NewarThe Newa are the indigenous people of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Newars are a linguistic community with Tibeto-Burman and Indo ethnictiy/race, bound together by a common language....
culture still exists very vibrantly. The Kathmandu valley was accorded the status of a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
by
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
in the year 1979.
Through the Kathmandu Valley flows the
BagmatiBagmati is a river of Nepal. It flows through the Kathmandu valley and is the river separating Kathmandu from Lalitpur. It is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists...
river.
Places to see
Important monuments of Kathmandu valley include:
- Kathmandu Durbar Square
Durbar Square is the plaza opposite the old royal palace in the three main cities in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The square is filled with temples.-History:...
- Patan Durbar Square
- Bhaktapur Durbar Square
- Thimi Durbar Square
- Changu Narayan
Changu Narayan is the name of the deity enshrined in the Changu Narayan Temple, located near the Changunarayan village in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples of the valley, and is believed to be constructed in the 3rd century. Changu Narayan is the name of...
- Swayambhunath
Swayambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in parts of the temple in the north-west...
StupaA stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, once thought to be places of Buddhist worship, typically the remains of a Buddha or saint...
- Boudhanath Stupa
- Pashupatinath temple
Pashupatinath temple is the biggest Hindu temple of Lord Shiva located on the banks of the Bagmati river in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple served as the seat of national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized...
- Balkumari Temple/Thimi
- Wakachhen Mahadev/Thimi
- Golden Window/Thimi
- Chabahil
Chabahil, one of the most important historical place in Kathmandu, Nepal is famous for its Licchavi stupa, called the Charumati Vihara. The stupa is considered by many historians to be the oldest Buddhist Stupa in Kathmandu Valley. According to the inscriptions found in the stupa, the stupa was...
- Manjushree Temple in Majipa, Manjushree Tole
- Aditnath Temple in Chobharhttp://www.chobhar.com hill village
- Palanchok Temple in kavre, east from middle of Kathmandu
Present
This valley hosts an
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
s composed of seven different Monument Zones: The centers of the three primary cities, Kathmandu Hanuman Dhoka, Patan and Bhaktapur, the two most important Buddhist stupas,
SwayambhunathSwayambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in parts of the temple in the north-west...
and Boudhanath and two famous Hindu shrines,
Pashupatinath templePashupatinath temple is the biggest Hindu temple of Lord Shiva located on the banks of the Bagmati river in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple served as the seat of national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized...
and
Changu NarayanChangu Narayan is the name of the deity enshrined in the Changu Narayan Temple, located near the Changunarayan village in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples of the valley, and is believed to be constructed in the 3rd century. Changu Narayan is the name of...
. Since 2003 the World Heritage List lists the site as being "in danger" out of concern for the ongoing loss of authenticity and the outstanding universal value of the cultural property.
In the past, Tibetan Buddhist Masters including Marpa, Milarepa, Rwa Lotsava, Ras Chungpa, Dharma Swami, XIII Karmapa, XVI Karmapa and several others visited and traveled in the Kathmandu Valley. However, the largest group of Tibetans came in the 1960s. Many settled around the Svayambhu and Baudha Stupas. Many other famous Lamas known throughout the world have their Buddhist monasteries and centers in the Kathmandu Valley..
Musical inspiration
Cat StevensYusuf Islam , best known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is a British musician. He is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
wrote a song titled "Katmandu," which appeared in his 1970 album,
Mona Bone JakonMona Bone Jakon is an album by singer/songwriter Cat Stevens. The album was released on April 1, 1970 on the A&M record label in the United States, and the Island record label in the United Kingdom. After a meteoric start to his career, Stevens virtually disappeared from the British pop scene in...
.
Rock musician
Bob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s. By the early 1970s, he had dropped the "System" from his recordings, and continued to strive for...
wrote a song titled "Katmandu," which appeared on his 1975 album,
Beautiful LoserBeautiful Loser is the eighth album by American rock singer/songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1975 .-Side One:#"Beautiful Loser" – 3:29#"Black Night" – 3:24#"Katmandu" – 6:09#"Jody Girl" – 3:41-Side Two:#"Travelin' Man" – 2:41...
.
Kathmandu is mentioned in the song "Cry Baby," by Janis Joplin.
Kathmandu is also mentioned in the song "Nobody Told Me," by John Lennon.
A Russian rock band
KrematorijKrematorij is a Russian rock group. The group’s front man is Armen Grigoryan .-History:...
had a song titled "Kathmandu" on their 2000 album
Three Springs.
The Argentinian musician
Fito PáezRodolfo "Fito" Páez Ávalos is an Argentine popular rock and roll pianist, lyricist, Spanish language singer and film director.-First years:...
has a song called
Tráfico por Katmandú ("Traffic through Kathmandu" in English).
New ageNew Age music is music of various styles, which is intended to create inspiration, relaxation, and positive feelings, often used by listeners for yoga, massage, inspiration, relaxation, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or...
guitarist Will Ackerman has a song called "A Happy Home in Kathmandu" on his 1993 album
The Opening of Doors.
The group
Tantra recorded a song called "The Hills of Katmandu" in the early 80's.
The world-famous banjo player
Béla FleckBéla Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, with bassist Victor Wooten, saxophonist Jeff Coffin and percussionist Future...
has a number called "Kathmandu."
David Hughes from Sweden, included a track titled "Kathmandu" on his 2007 release "Foreign Shores".
Some recent travelogues refer to the valley as the "Emerald Valley".
External links