‘scenic to cultural, historical and religious places of great interest’
Nepal World Heritage Sites Tour leads you around one of the most impressive places from culture, religious temples-monasteries-stupas to ancient heritage monuments, probably the one and only country in this planet, where Hindu and Buddhism melts in peaceful harmony.
Nepal World Heritage Sites Tour a great combination of historical and religious places of both Hindu and Buddhism culture with its age-old traditional life as it was since past glorious days of medieval times.
Most of Nepal World Heritage Sites Tour begins from the capital Kathmandu, which is also the main commercial hub of Nepal, an interesting city located on a valley surrounded by rolling green hills dotted with farm villages and terraces with close views of central Himalaya towards north.
As Kathmandu city and the valley steeped with historical and religious places of immense interest which you can visit and take a tour from a day to two days or more where you will soak into its ancient era of times, where age-old custom still exist despite its modernization of metropolitan city life.
Syambhunath Stupa or Monkey Temple:
.jpg)
On a day trip introducing Buddhism places listed in UNESCO Heritage site the ancient Swayambhunath Stupa or Chaitya believed to be built more than 2,600 years of history when Kathmandu valley was a lake at one time.
Standing on a small green hillock surrounded by forest with many monkeys that you can witness, situated just west of the city limit where Swayambhunath one of the most important monuments and landmark of Kathmandu and Nepal.
With four sided cardinal mystical eyes of Lord Buddha looking in all direction so that people can notice and will think twice from wrong doing, an interesting spot facing views of Kathmandu city and the valley with tiers of hills includes snow capped peaks towards north direction.
Swayambhunath popularly known as Monkey Temple due to large number of Rhesus species of monkeys that dwells around, the huge mound of white color adorned with golden tier religious spires with prayer wheels that surrounds the stupa.
Bouddhanath Stupa a Little Tibet:
.jpg)
From here a short drive takes you around ring-road (supposed to be on the outskirt of the city, at present where city have overgrown making a mid-ring road), as drive leads through many towns and farm areas to reach at another famous Buddhist sites in Bouddhanath Stupa.
Bouddhanath Stupa, also called as ‘Little Tibet’ because of Tibetan origin people local and migrants interwoven with Tibetan Buddhism known as the Nyinpa (Red Hat) sect of Buddhism, later Tibetan saint Tsho Kapa established Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sects in 11th C and followed by Kyigapa-and Sakyapa sects of Buddhism.
Here enjoy walking clockwise around the great large white dome of three tiers facing four mystical eyes of Lord Buddha, where visitors can walk around its upper floor and view the great bazaar that surrounds this great dome shaped Stupa, listed as World Heritage Sites of more than 600 years old history, when seen from distance the saffron painting on while dome depicts a lotus flower taken as purity.
Pashupatinath Temple:
After an exciting time at Bouddhanath a short drive leads to one of the holiest of all holy sites of Hindu at Pashupatinath Temple premises, the temple with great golden roofed pagoda, (one of the masterpiece arts that originated in Nepal, and later flourished to other Asian countries).
Although non-Hindu are not permitted inside the main inner temple courtyard, yet one can have great views of the temple with devotees in religious ceremony and worship to Lord Shiva where pilgrims takes a bath and holy dip nearby Bagmati River, to cleanse the sin of a hundred lifetime.
Holy Pashupatinath Temple located east of the city, where great religious festival called Shiva-Ratri (Birth Anniversary of Lord Shiva, one the three main gods of Hindu after Brahma and Visnu) where thousands of pilgrims from Nepal and India visit on this great holy events at Pashupatinath Temple, the area is also a popular cremation place for Hindu followers and religion which takes place at the bank of the river.
Durbar Square (Palace Courtyard):
From Pashupatinath Temple, a short drive takes you in the hub of city area with tour of famous World Heritage Sites Hanuman Dhoka and old Durbar Square (palace courtyard), the area steeped with old historical monuments with palace of Malla to Shah kingdom regime dating back from 6th to 19th Century, where some the palace built in Victorian style by Rana rulers in early 19th C. While others of past hundreds of year’s historical background.
Here tour leads you to numerous monuments includes resident of Living Goddess (Kumari Ghar), ferocious Kal Bhairab, red monkey god, and hundreds of erotic carvings are a few examples of the sights at the Square.
The old historical buildings are greatest achievements of Malla period, resulted great rivalry between three palaces of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur around medieval times.
Kathmandu Square teems with colorful life, vendors with handicrafts around Kastamandap Temple. This Temple built with the wood of a single tree and is the source from which the Kathmandu Valley got its name.
Nearby are great drums which were beaten to announce royal decrees. All woodcarvings, statues, and architecture in this area are exceptionally fine, and Kathmandu Durbar Square is among the most important sights for travelers to see, other interesting places to visit Akash Bhairab Temple /Hanuman Dhoka / Temple of Kumari / Kastha Mandap:
Lumbini Birth Sites of Lord Buddha ‘The Light of Asia’:
Beside historical palaces and temples, monasteries including impressive scenery of landscapes and white snow capped mountains, where one of major spots on Nepal World Heritage Sites Tour includes famous and landmark of Asia especially to Buddhism devotes visit of Lumbini, birth place of Lord Buddha known as ‘The Light of Asia’.
The journey to Lumbini by long overland drive of 6-7 hours, or the shortest, swiftest and easy route taking flight from Kathmandu to reach Nepal Far South West areas known as Terai belt, the flatland and sub-tropical country of Nepal.
Taking a scenic flight with views of mountain range of 50 minutes landing at Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairawa city, where short drive takes in the hub of Lumbini at Rupendevi where Lord Buddha was born.
Lumbini a traditional birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha way back in 6th Century B.C., also known as Sakyamuni, according to Buddhist tradition, Maya-Devi gave birth to the Buddha on her way to her parent's home in Devadaha in the month of May in the year 642 BC.
In 249 BC, the Buddhist convert Emperor Asoka visited Lumbini and constructed four stupas and a stone pillar. Asoka’s Pillar bears an inscription that translates as: "King Piyadasi (Ashoka), beloved of devas, in the 20 year of the coronation, himself made a royal visit, Buddha Sakyamuni having been born here, a stone railing was built and a stone pillar erected to the Bhagavan ["blessed one"] having been born here. Lumbini village was taxed reduced and entitled to the eight parts (only)".
The site was rediscovered in 1895 by German archaeologist came upon Asoka’s Pillar, identified by its inscription. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site. Lumbini was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
