Travel Guide

Places To See

Freak Street

Kathmandu's most famous street from the hippy overland days of the 1960s and '70s runs south from Basantapur Square. Its real name is Jochne but since the early '70s it has been better known as Freak Street. In its prime, the street's squalor and beauty was irresistible.

The smell of sweet incense, children fluttering prayer wheels, cheap hotels, ad hoc restaurants and shops selling enlightenment, were standard sights on Freak Street. Not surprisingly, it made an instant rapport with the dusty-haired 'freaks' who gave the street its name. Love-ins are a thing of the past, but Freak Street's history and plum position in the heart of old Kathmandu still make it a popular destination.

Hanuman Dhoka

The inner palace complex of the Hanuman Dhoka was originally founded during the Licchavi period, but as it stands today most of it was constructed by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century. The royal palace was renovated many times in later years. The oldest parts are the smaller Sundari Chowk and Mohan Chowk at the northern part of the palace (both closed).

The complex originally housed 35 courtyards and spread as far as New Rd but the 1934 earthquake reduced the palace to today's 10 chowks (courtyards).

Hanuman's very brave assistance to the noble Rama during the exciting events of the Ramayanahas led to the monkey god's appearance guarding many important entrances. Here, cloaked in red and sheltered by an umbrella, a Hanuman statue marks the dhoka (entrance) to the Hanuman Dhoka and has even given the palace its name. The statue dates from 1672 and the god's face has long disappeared under a coating of orange paste applied by generations of faithful visitors.

Standards bearing the double-triangle flag of Nepal flank the statue, while on each side of the palace gate are stone lions, one ridden by Shiva, the other by his wife Parvati. Above the gate a brightly painted niche is illustrated with a central figure of a ferocious Tantric version of Krishna. On the left side is the gentler Hindu Krishna in his traditional blue colour accompanied by two of his comely gopi (milkmaids). On the other side are King Pratap Malla and his queen. Cameras are allowed only in the courtyards, not inside the buildings of the complex.

Bhimsen Tower (Dharahara)

Towering like a lighthouse over the old town, this white, minaret-like tower is a useful landmark near the main post office. The views from 61.88m up - 213 steps above the city - are the best you can get. There is a small Shiva shrine right at the very top.

The tower was originally built in 1826 by the Rana prime minister, Bhimsen Thapa, as part of the city's first European-style palace. It was rebuilt after being severely damaged in the 1934 earthquake. The nearby Sundhara water tank lends its name to the district.

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

October-November, the start of the dry season, is probably the best time of year to visit Kathmandu: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the countryside is lush and green following the monsoon. February-April, the tail end of the dry season is the second-best time to visit: visibility is not so good because of dust, but the weather is warm and many of Nepal's wonderful wild flowers are in bloom. In December and January, the views are crystal clear, but it can be chilly in the evenings: few of the cheaper hotels in Kathmandu have any heating and most travellers stay out in the warmth of Thamel's bars and restaurants until late and then rush home and dive under the blankets. The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. You'll probably find you spend most of the time indoors with a book while the rain thunders down outside.

Weather Information

There are four main types of weather in Kathmandu: hot and muggy, hot and rainy, balmy and clear and just plain chilly. In the shoulder seasons of October-November and March-April views are clear, temperatures are warm without being oppressive and rain showers are brief and refreshing. November to February is also clear and dry but often cold, especially after dark. May and June can be unbearably hot and muggy until the monsoon arrives to inundate the country with unrelenting rain from June to September.

History and Culture

Pre-20th Centure History

The Newars are regarded as the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, but their origins are shrouded in mystery. They speak a Tibeto-Burmese language, but their physical features range from distinctively Mongoloid to Indo-Aryan. It seems most likely that the Kathmandu Valley has long been a cultural and racial melting pot, with people coming from both east and west. This fusion has resulted in the unique Newari culture that is responsible for the valley's superb art and architecture.

The Newari golden age peaked in the 17th century when the valley consisted of small city-states, and Nepal was a vitally important trading link between Tibet and the north Indian plains. The valley's visible history is inextricably entangled with the Malla kings. It was during their reign, particularly in the 1600s and 1700s, that many of the valley's finest temples and palaces were built. Competition between the cities was intense and an architectural innovation in one place would inevitably be copied throughout the valley.

The unification of Nepal in 1768 by Gorkha's King Prithvi Narayan Shah signalled the end of the Kathmandu Valley's fragmentation. Nepali, an Indo-European language spoken by the Khas of western Nepal, replaced Newari as the country's language of administration. In 1816 the Shahs closed the borders of Nepal and kept the country isolated until the mid 20th century. In 1846 a bloody massacre of Kathmandu's 100 most powerful men, held in the very public forum of Durbar Square, ended the Shah dynasty and installed the Ranas.

Modern History

While the Ranas maintained tight controls on Nepal's borders, they weren't averse to a little tourism themselves. The first Rana maharaja set off for Europe with a huge entourage, visiting Queen Victoria and causing quite a stir in stuffy old England. The Ranas were so impressed with European architecture that they began introducing neo-classical buildings into Nepal, including the 1904 Singha Durbar in Kathmandu. The Ranas began dressing like European royalty, and imported all the latest inventions. During this period of royal extravagance, the majority of people in Kathmandu became much poorer and the Hindu caste system became much more rigid - on the other hand, the archaic customs of human sacrifice, slavery and sati (the practice of burning widows on their husband's funeral pyre) were abolished.

On 15 January 1934 a huge earthquake struck the Kathmandu Valley, killing 4296 people and destroying many of Kathmandu's temples and palaces. Inspired by the independence movement in India, Nepalis began a political upheaval - an alliance was formed between the ousted Shahs, the army's Gurkha regiments and the dissatisfied poorer extended families of the Rana clan. In November 1950 they revolted. King Tribhuvan, a Shah, was anointed ruler in 1951 and struck up a government comprised of Ranas and members of the newly formed Nepali Congress Party. Power, of course, remained with only one party - the king's. The same year, the first European visitors in more than a century were allowed to enter Nepal, spearheaded by the Swiss explorer Toni Hagen.

In 1956, the first motorable road in Nepal was constructed, linking Kathmandu with India. Ten years later another highway opened, and in 1974 international air services began. Foreign aid began pouring in from the 1960s, bringing with it foreign aid workers and new prosperity for the city. Kathmandu's population tripled in 20 years, and the city sprawled as modern houses sprang up to meet the needs of ex-pats and immigrants pouring in from the country. In the 60s, the tourists also started arriving in droves, looking for cheap living and eastern answers to the questions of life, as well as a more permissive attitudes towards drugs and draft dodging than those found in Europe, Australia and America. Freak St became the centre of the action, as the hippies set up a huge market for every type of drug, every hybrid philosophy and any kind of pie you could imagine. Kathmandu was transformed into a tourist mecca, and the jumping-off point for the new trekking industry.

More recently, Kathmandu's Shangri-la image has taken a bit of a knock owing to the ongoing wrangles over the status of Nepali democracy. Parliamentary democracy was officially introduced in 1989, after years of uprisings against the self-serving system of panchayat, where politicians were directly appointed by the king. Just over a decade later, Nepali democracy was in crisis and the man who introduced it - King Birendra - was dead, massacred along with most of the royal family by an errant prince. Riots erupted across Kathmandu and even Thamel was placed under curfew.

Recent History

Birendra's successor, King Gyanendra, has succeeded in alienating almost every possible facet of Nepali society, cracking down on students and opposition politicians, repeatedly dissolving parliament and comprehensively failing to resolve the deadly Maoist uprising that has killed tens of thousands of Nepalis since 1996. Pro-democracy rallies and strikes and heavy-handed responses by the police and army are now commonplace and Kathmandu is frequently cut off entirely from the rest of the country by Maoist blockades. At times, most of Nepal has been under Maoist control apart from the Kathmandu Valley. With Republican feeling growing and conflict erupting on the streets of Kathmandu, the country is in a state of turmoil; travellers should monitor the situation carefully.