Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal (Local tour/trekking agency in Nepal)
Kathmandu Heritage City  Day Tour

With limited time in Kathmandu, Global Link Tours has created the perfect solution: the Kathmandu Heritage City day tour. This guided cultural tour offers an opportunity to explore the city's world heritage sites with the help of an experienced English-speaking guide.

The tour takes in three cultural UNESCO world heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley, including Bouddhnath, Pashupatinath, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. As one of the most bustling bazaars in the world, Kathmandu Valley boasts numerous Hindu temples, Buddhist stupas, and monasteries. Visitors will find it to be an open-air museum of medieval arts and architecture, with plenty to see and learn about.

Option 1: Bouddha Nath, Pashupati Nath, Bhaktapur:

Boudhanath:
Boudhanath means ‘The Lord of Wisdom’ and is the biggest Stupa in the Asian subcontinent. It is beleive all followers of Buddhism must visit it once in their lifetime. The stupa is believed to have been built in the 5th century because there had been twelve years of drought so the king built the stupa hoping that this would help to restore the water and it did so with the help of the dew drops – for this reason, it is also called the Dew Stupa.

Nepal used to be the transit point for Tibet and India – there was trade with Tibet from ancient times. Traders traveling to Tibet used to stop and give their greetings to the stupa and ask for the blessing of a safe journey and return. The complex is often called a mini Tibet as many Tibetans live around the stupa and it reflects the Tibetan form of Buddhism. There are lots of monasteries around Bouddhanath – it is a centre for learning and practicing Buddhism. Visitors should go around the stupa in clock wise direction spinning the prayer wheels as it brings more happiness, infinite merits and good luck. A heritage site – not to miss in your day tour in Kathmandu.

Pashupatinath:
The name means ‘The Lord of all Creatures and the God of Gods. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies to the eastern side of Kathmandu on the banks of the holy River Bagmati. The temple site dates from the 5th/6th century but the present temple was built in 16th century. It is one of most popular and important Shiva Shrines and all followers of Hinduism must visit the temple at least once in their lifetime.

During the Maha Shivaratri festival, the temple is full of devotees worshiping the stone Linga in the form of Shiva. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the main temple complex but still can view the two tier pagoda style temple from the eastern side of the river and see the funeral pyres on the banks. The platforms along the Bagmati holy river are popular for ritual baths and cremating the bodies of Hindus who have died. It is an honor for Hindus to be cremated here as it is believed that it ensures the soul rests in peace and is kept safely away from the rebirth cycle.

Bhaktapur:
The Name Bhaktapur means "city of devotees" in Nepali. However it does have some other translations meaning "Ancient Newari Town." Founded in the 12th century by King Ananda Malla. Bhaktapur rose to be a city renown for culture, crafts and trading due to being a part of the ancient Indian trading route through to Tibet.

Bhaktapur is one of three sister cities, which still, retains a medieval charm and visitors to this ancient town, are treated to myriad wonders of cultural and artistic achievements where normal traffic are not allowed, much quite then other cities, Walking around Bhaktapur is a lot less stressful and enjoyable ! The past glory of the Malla rulers continues to be reflected at the Durbar Square. Pottery and weaving are its traditional industries. Bhaktapur is famous for woodcarving, the Bhadgaolen topi (cap) and curd.

Option 2: Swayambhu Nath,Kathmandu Durbar Square,Patan Durbar Square :

Swayambhunath:
It is believed that the original stupa existed 2000 years ago but the present stupa is said to be built after the 14th century. Swayambhunath means ‘ The shrine existing by itself’ – it is often called ‘The Monkey Temple’ by the westerners as there are lots of monkeys scampering around the place which amuse pinning the prayer wheels and the monkeys playing around the stupa make the place really interesting and alive.

The panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley from the stupa is simply breathtaking. Legend says that once the Kathmandu valley was a huge lake and there was a lotus flower with a white glow in the middle of the lake. In the Buddhist version, Majushree, a Bodhisattwa, came from China and drained out the water and the lotus flower came to rest and stayed where the stupa exists now. In the Hindu version, the lake was drained out by Lord Krishna. On the eastern side of the stupa, there is a long staircase which climbs up the hill. On it is a beautiful pagoda style temple dedicated to the Mother Goddess Harati. All around the complex, there are shrines and statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities side by side illustrating the religious harmony that exists between them. Swayambhunath truly deserves to be listed as a World Heritage Site and one of the great place to visit in your day tour in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu Durbar Square:
This lies in the heart of the city. The locals of Kathmandu call it Hanuman Dhoka as it is named after the Monkey God, Hanuman. At the main entrance to the palace you can see the statue of the Monkey God clad in a red paint. Durbar Square is a World Heritage Site and history says that its design goes back to the 9/10th century, at the time of King Gunakama Dev, who was a true devotee of Kali, the goddess of terror, her main weapon being the sword – hence the layout of the square is in the sword form.

The complex consists of a lavish royal palace and around it are lots of temples dedicated to different Hindu gods and goddesses. This place used to be the royal seat until the 19th century. Now, the palace is used as a museum for visitors and coronation place for the kings of Nepal. The last king crowned here in 2001. The other special attractions of the Square is the Living Goddess – The Kumari, a young girl who goes through the most rigorous selection test. She acknowledges the greetings of visitors from her balcony window and the shrine is believed to be built from just a single tree named Kastamandap – (the origin of the name – Kathmandu.) The surrounding area has temples dating from the 15th century to the 18th. Now a day we can see lots of restoration taking place as the April 2015 earth has badly damage this site – still totally safe to visit to witness the old palace in Kathmandu sightseeing tour.

Patan Dubar Square:
It lies to the the south of Kathmandu. Considered to be the oldest and largest among the three cities of the Kathmandu valley. The layout of the square is in the form of disk. The city is believed to be formed in 3rd century called Lalitpur,the city of fine arts and crafts and it is separated from Kathmandu by the holi river Bagmati.

For tourists Patan is renown for it's ancient Durbar Square, surrounding streets, the Patan Kumari,Golden Temple, along with a host of stone and metal workings. Patan is also known as Lalitpur derive from the Sanskrit word "Lalitapattan" which means “Beautiful city”. Patan is a city filled with artisans, craftsmen and designers. Locally many people still called it Lalitpur while tourists sectors refer to it as Patan. It’s with this in mind that we can enjoy uncovering one of Patan’s oldest enigmas. A quasi-mythical series of events about how the city got its name. From gods to kings and lepers they all played a role as we unravel a mystery in the oldest city in Nepal.

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