Bagmati is a zone in Nepal which contains the capital
Kathmandu. The other famous towns in Bagmati Zone are Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.
Katmandu, city, capital of Nepal, central Nepal, c.4,500 ft (1,370 m)
above sea level, is located in a fertile valley of the E Himalayas. It is the
administrative, business, and commercial center of Nepal, and lies astride an
ancient trade and pilgrim route from India to Tibet, China, and Mongolia.
Originally ruled by the Newars, Katmandu became independent in the 15th cent.
and was captured in 1768 by the Gurkhas, who made it their capital. In the late
18th cent. the city became the seat of a British resident. Following the 1951
downfall of the Rana prince ministership, Katmandu experienced an influx of
Western tourists, many of them mountain climbers. Tourism and trade with India
led to a rapid increase in Katmandu's population and to the expansion of paved
streets and sewage systems. More recently, luxury hotels and casinos have drawn
tourists from India. Landmarks include the elaborate royal palace, palaces of
the politically dominant Rana family, several pagoda-shaped temples, and many
Sanskrit libraries. Katmandu also has a number of colleges.Nepal's capital and
largest city simultaneously reeks of history and the wear and tear of increasing
modernity. The tightly packed historical centre, with its squares and temples,
continues to preserve a world light years away from the shanty towns, expensive
hotels, restaurants and shops on the city's outskirts.
Kathmandu is really two cities: a fabled capital of convivial pilgrims and
carved rose-brick temples and an amazing urban sprawl including monks and
beggars. The sights are heavily clustered in the old part of town. Creativity
and patience are required to navigate the city's narrow, often unmarked streets,
but if you lose your way, simply ask a passerby for directions. Durbar Square,
home to the old Royal Palace and the centre of the old town, lies between the
river and Kantipath on Ganga Path, the city's busiest road. To its south is
Freak Street, once the centre of hippy Kathmandu but now a bit of a backwater.
Thamel, the new tourist epicentre, is about 20 minutes walk north of Durbar
Square. This is the spot to find accommodation, food, phone services, trekking
gear, bookshops and internet cafes. Patan, the second-largest city in the
valley, lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu, but it's a much
quieter and less frenetic place to visit. The city is justly proud of its
temples and artisans and it is their handiwork that provides the focus of the
stunning Durbar Square - choc-a-block with the largest display of Newari
architecture in Nepal. It includes the Royal Palace, which contains a richly
decorated bathtub, and the two-tiered brick Jagannarayan Temple. A few minutes'
walk north of the square is the Golden Temple, a Buddhist monastery guarded by
sacred tortoises that potter around the courtyard; and the Kumbeshawar,
reputedly the oldest (1392) temple in Patan. South of the square is an area of
charming streets lined with metal smiths and brassware shops.
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