Personality Of Kathmandu - Charming And Beautiful
By Tango Pang
It is hard to find words that do justice to wonderful
Kathmandu. One ridge away from the highest mountains in the
world, and thronged by a million Hindus and Buddhists, this
pricely city is the archetypal mountain kingdom - mystical,
magical and arcane. Temples loom out of the mist around every
corner and the cobbled streets resound with the chanting of
mantras and the chiming of temple bells. At dusk, the city is
transformed into a cut-out of stupas, prayer flags and temple
spires. On clear days, a wall of snow-covered mountains rises
behind Kathmandu and eagles soar majestically overhead on the
high Tibetan winds - it is like the special effects from The
Lord of the Rings, but right there, alive in the real world.
The main reason for Kathmandu's remarkable state of
preservation is its unique geographical situation. There are
only two roads out of the Kathmandu Valley, one going north to
Lhasa in Tibet and the other winding down to the Terai plains -
a five hour journey to cover a distance of 50 kilometers.
Historically, this was Kathmandu best defense against foreign
invaders. Unlike India and Tibet, Nepal was never conquered by
the British.
The city's meteoric rise to fame began in 1769 when Gurkha king
Prithvi Narayan Shah swept eastwards from his base at Gorkha,
conquering the towns on the valley rim and isolating Kathmandu.
Bhaktapur and Patan from the outside world. This marked the
start of the golden age of Kathmandu architecture -
temple-strewn Durbar Square has barely changed since. As the
city grew, the natural fortifications of the valley walls became
a hindrance rather an asset. Everything has to be trekked in
from the plains of India and builders had nowhere to go but up,
explaining the rather chaotic skyline of leaning brick towers.
Politics also played a role in Kathmandu's status of suspended
animation. From 1816 to 1950, Nepal was completely cut off from
the outside world, vanishing into legend as another forbidden
kingdom of the Himalaya. The Swiss explorer Toni Hagen was the
first European allowed in and walked all over the country,
setting a precedent for the 200,000 trekkers who now visit every
year.
