Dhulikhel

Dhulikhel is the administrative centre of Kavrepalanchok District, Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 9812 people in 1624 households.^[1]Dhulikhel lies along the B.P Highway and Araniko Highway. Araniko Highway connects Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city with Tibet's border town of Kodari. Dhulikhel is located near the Himalayas at 1550m above sea level and is situated 30 km southeast of Kathmandu and 74 km southwest of Kodari. The people in the village are Newars, Bhramin, Chhettri, Tamang and Dalit. Drinking water in Dhulikhel is one of the best water in Nepal. It was made with the Help of the GermanNGO, German Technical Cooperation.

Dhulikhel has for many centuries been an important trading centre on the ancient commercial route linking Nepal to Tibet. Since time immemorial, people of Nepal travel to Tibet to bring home salt and gold. Likewise, the Tibetans every year with their flocks of sheep enter into Nepal during Dashain, the greatest Hindu festival. They purchased chilies and other daily necessities in Nepal and return to their homeland. In those days, a whole day walk from Kathmandu to Dhulikhel was comfortable for Tibet trippers with easily available of food and water at Dhulikhel at the evening for overnight stay. Even now, a bird's eye view from the resorts at Dhulikhel to the landscapes; highway to Tibet and horizons far to the Tibetan borders, clearly exhibits Dhulikhel as the gateway of Tibet. After adjoining with Tibet by motorable road in 1965, Dhulikhel got a face lift and developed as a tourist destination both for Tibet trippers and tourists. Dhulikhel is an ideal station to stop for overnight stay while going to Tibet and coming back to Kathmandu.

The Mountains - A Tourist Paradise: The spectacular snowfed mountains seen from Dhuklikhel must be one of the finest panoramic views in the world. When a blue haze covers the lower portion of the mountains, they seem to be floating in the air. With the snowy mountains on the backdrop, Dhulikhel is a stage of immense beauty and a paradise for nature lovers. Green inviting hills of which still virgin and some turned into beautifully carved agricultural terraces cater to the beholders' pleasure.

Geographically, the plains rise up gradually up to the green mountains and further into the snow capped Himalayas. The panorama offers a majestic undisturbed view of the Himalayan ranges stretching from Mount Annapurna in te far west to Mount Karolung in the Far East. More than twenty Himalayan peaks including Mt. Annapurna (8091 m), Mt. Ganesh Himal (7429 m), Mt. Langtang (7234 m), Mt. Phuribichyachu (6637 m), Mt. Gaurishanker (7134 m), Mt. Lhotse (2516 m) and many others can be seen in their full glory from the different vantage points in Dhulikhel. In short, it is the foremost point for the mountain-oriented sightseeing since time immemorial. The eco-himalayan atmosphere will surprise anyone an unforgettable experience in lifetime.

The Old Town: The oldest area of the town, the southern end, is an assembly of fine old Newari houses, often occupied by 20 or more members of the local extended families. They may not all have glazed windows, hot water or modern furniture, but they have dignity and a friendly atmosphere. Their most valuable assets are the beautifully carved windows and doors, fine examples of traditional Newari craftsmanship.

As one wanders down the traffic free narrow streets, one passes through a medieval city inhabited for at least five centuries and may have a feeling that he is in the garden of cultural theme park. The plan of the city is based on ancient Hindu planning doctrine with the position, shape, scale & dominance between buildings, temples, public squares all having their own meaning and harmony. There are organically developed compact settlements around Dhulikhel. These settlements in one hand conserved heat in the cold valley, and at the same time maximized land for agricultural use. One of such old settlements is Shrikhandapur, which lies 2 km west of the core city near the Kathmandu University, and is also a centuries old Newari settlement. The settlement is protected by Swet Bhairav (an incarnation of Lord Shiva) and Narayan (Vishnu) deties.

Temples: There are numerous temples in the town depicting an example of traditional and old Newari craftsmanship of Dhulikhel. These are important places of worship for local people. The core area of Dhulikhel has interesting narrow cobbled streets and lanes embedded with number of Hindu Shrines and a few Buddhist Stupa.

In the centre of the old town is the Narayan Temple with its yellow metal roofs. It is dedicated to Lord Krishna whose birthday is joyfully celebrated here in August. Alongside is the Harisiddhi Temple whose God responds to the worshippers' problems and sees their right and wrong doings. Both the temples are adorned with profuese wood carvings and fronted by two Garudas in quite different attitude. Bhagwati Temple situated at the top of the western part of the town is considered as one of the best place to see around Dhulikhel and also to enjoy the best mountain views. The GaukhureshworMahadev Temple is about 20 minutes walk to the east of the town near Tundikhel Recreation Park and is located in a peaceful and quite environment. Further up hill, one reaches, within half an hour trek, the Bhagwati (Kali) Temple. This is a beautiful pagoda that one can see on the skyline as one drives into Dhulikhel.