Baglung

Baglung is a city in western Nepal , 275 km west of Kathmandu. It is the administrative headquarters of Baglung District and Dhawalagiri Zone. Baglung is the largest and most populous of the Tri-cities area of the Kali Gandaki valley composed of two other district headquarters Beni (Myagdi) and Kushma (Parbat). Population of Baglung city proper is estimated to be close to 30000. The Tri-cities area of the Kaligandaki valley is home to a population of 132783 permanent residents. Baglung is a major business, financial, educational and healthcare center for the people of Kali Gandaki valley.

Places of interest

Very good views of Himalayas can be had from Baglung.Bhakunde a place near very near to Baglung is a good to place to see the panaroma of the various range of Himalayas. Terraced fields, waterfalls, forests, deep gorges and caves are abundant throughout the area. The temples in and around Baglung make an excellent pilgrimage. Baglung Kalika temple (built by King Pratapi Narayan, and renovated in late 90s) is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year especially during the festivals of Dashain and Chaitre Dashain. Trekking, biking, and rafting make it an ideal location for thrill seekers. Baglung is also the vantage point for trekkers to Mustang, Dolpa and Mt. Dhaulagiri. Baglung has the only hunting reserve in Nepal. Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve is a prime habitat for blue sheep and snow leopard.

Culture

Baglung and adjacent areas are well known for the folk Nepali music. The area has given rise to some of the more prominent names in folk music. Annual folk song competition held during the Chaitre Dashain festival attracts artists from all over the nation. In recent years music by artists such as The Sky Band, Sanjay Kishore Shrestha and Godhuli Band have gained main stream success.

Transportation

Baglung is connected to Beni Bazar of Myagdi to the north and Kusma Bazar of Parbat which are located 13 km to the north and 12 km to the south, respectively. A well-paved but winding highway connects the town with Pokhara, 72 km to the east. Highways to connect Jomsom, Mustang, Tibet to the north, Rukum via Burtibang and Dhorpatan to the west and Sera Bazar via airport (probably will see an extension to Palpa) to the south have been constructed recently. Most of the roads leading to nearby villages are either completed or under construction. However, these roads are not blacktopped and are closed during the monsoon season.


Mt. Dhaulagiri seen from Baglung

Baglung airport, in Balewa, is located 12 km to the south of the town across the valley from Kusma. This was the only connection to the outside world before completion of the Pokhara-Baglung highway. The airport is currently non-functional. Water transportation is virtually absent apart from seasonal white water rafting trips down the Kali Gandaki river for recreational purposes.

Demographics

There are around 27,289 inhabitants (2010) in Baglung Bazar. Annual population growth rate is 3.03%. It is the 42nd largest city in Nepal, up from 47th in 2001 [3]. Baglung Bazar is the major population center of tri-cities area encompassing three district headquarters namely Kushma (Parbat), Baglung (Baglung) and Beni (Myagdi). The district itself has a population of 268,937 (as per statistics of Nepal Government, 2001). Nepali (with accent unique to the region) is the most widely spoken language of the region. Other languages spoken include Newari, Gurung, Thakali, Tibetan and Magar.

Baglung is a multicultural and multiracial community. Majority of the population belongs to ethnic communities of Magar, Chhettri, Chhantyal,and Dalits. Smaller groups of Newar, Brahmin, Gurung and Thakali also live in the area. Majority of people from Baglung practice Hinduism. Other religions practiced in the area include Buddhism and Islam.

There is a Tibetan refugee camp located at Dhorpatan.

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.

Pokhara Valley

Pokhara

Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City (Nepali: पोखरा उपमहानगरपालिका Pokhara Up-Mahanagarpalika) is a city of close to 200,000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28.25 N, 83.99 E, 198 km west of Kathmandu. It is the third largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Biratnagar. It is the Headquarters of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and the Western Development Region. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations of the country.

Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley, which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley. The Seti River and its tributaries have dug impressive canyons into the valley floor, which are only visible from higher viewpoints or from the air. To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of Lekhnath, another town in the valley.

In no other place do mountains rise so quickly. In this area, within 30 km, the elevation rises from 1000 m to over 7500 m. The Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu ranges, each with peaks over 8000 m, can be seen from Pokhara and there is a lake named Phewa Tal (Tal means lake in the Nepali language, three caves (Mahendra, Bat and Gupteswor) and an impressive falls (Patale Chhango or Devi's Fall) where the water from the Phewa Lake thunders into a hole and disappears. Due to this sharp rise in altitude the area of Pokhara has one of the highest precipitation rates of the country (over 4000 mm/year). Even within the city there is a noticeable difference in the amount of rain between the south of the city by the lake and the north at the foot of the mountains.

Pokhara lies on an important old trading route between Tibet and India. In the 17th. century it was part of the influential Kingdom of Kaski which again was one of the Chaubise Rajaya (24 Kingdoms of Nepal) ruled by a branch of the Shah Dynasty. Many of the mountains around Pokhara still have medieval ruins from this time. In 1752 the King of Kaski invited Newars from Bhaktapur to Pokhara to promote trade. Their heritage can still be seen in the architecture along the streets in Bhimshen Tol (Old Pokhara). Hindus, again, brought their culture and customs from Kathmandu and settled in the whole Pokhara valley. In 1786 Prithvi Narayan Shah added Pokhara into his kingdom. It had by then become an important trading place on the routes from Kathmandu to Jumla and from India to Tibet.

When the citizens of Bhaktapur came to Pokhara they brought many cultural dances like, "BHAIRAB DANCE, TAYA MACHA, LAKHE DANCE" and many more which helped in the tourism sector. Before only Newari people used to live here. After the British camp was shifted here Magar and Gurung people also used to live here.

From 1959 to 1962 some 300,000 refugees came to Nepal from neighbouring Tibet, which had been annexed by China. Four refugee camps were established in the Pokhara valley: Tashipalkhel, Tashiling, Paljorling and Jambling. These camps have evolved into settlements. Because of their different architecture, prayer flags, gompas and chorten, these can easily be distinguished from the other settlements.

Until the end of the 1960s the town could only be reached by foot and it was considered even more a mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was finished in 1968 after which tourism set in and the city grew rapidly. The area along the Phewa lake developed into one of the major tourism hubs of Nepal.

Lakes & Rivers

Phewa lake in 1982

Phewa Lake or Fewa Tal is a lake of Nepal located in the Pokhara Valley near Pokhara and Sarangkot.

The Seti River is a river running down from the Himalaya in north-west Nepal. It is one of the largest river in Nepal.

Lekhnath Municipality is known as "Garden city of seve lakes" as there are seven lakes.

List of Lakes & Rivers in Pokhara :

• Phewa Lake
• Begnas Lake
• Rupa Lake
• Seti River
• Gandaki River
• Gude Lake
• Neurani Lake
• Deepang Lake
• Maidy Lake
• Khastey Lake
• BIjayapur River

Main Places of Pokhara Valley

• Davis Fall
• Sarangkot Hill
• Fewa Lakeside
• Chinese Stupa
• Begnas Lake
• Rupa lake
• Barahi Temple
• Gupteswar Mahadev Temple

Kathmandu Travel The Capital City of Nepal

The Kathmandu Valley

The Kathmandu Valley (Nepal Bhasa: नेपाः स्वनिगः Nepāḥ Svānigaḥ), located in the Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists.

The city of Kathmandu is named after a structure in Durbar Square called Kaasthamandap. In Sanskrit, kāṣṭh (काष्ठ) = "wood" and maṇḍap (मंडप/मण्डप) = "covered shelter." This unique temple, also known as Maru Satal, was built in 1596 CE by King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The entire structure contains no iron nails or supports and is made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the timber used for this two story pagoda was obtained from a single tree.

The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as 300 BCE, since the oldest known objects in the valley date to a few hundred years BCE. The earliest known inscription is dated 185 CE. The oldest firmly dated building in the earthquake-prone valley is almost 1,992 years old. Four stupas around the city of Patan are said to have been erected by a certain Charumati, a purported daughter of Ashoka the Great, a Mauryan king, in the 3^rd century BCE attest to the ancient history present within the valley. As with the tales of the Buddha's visit, there is no evidence supporting Ashoka's visit, but the stupas probably do date to that century. The Kirats are the first documented rulers of the Kathmandu Valley, the remains of their palace are said to be in Patan near Hiranyavarna Mahavihara (called "Patukodon"). The Licchavi Dynasty whose earliest inscriptions date back to 464 CE were the next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the Gupta Dynasty of India. The Malla Dynasty, who ruled Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding area from the 12^th century CE untill the 18^th century CE when the Shah Dynasty under Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the valley as he created present-day Nepal. Most of ancient Nepali architecture present in Nepal today is from the Malla era.

The temple of Pashupatinath.

Newars

The Newars, generally acknowledged to be the original habitants of the valley, are understood to be the descendents of the various ethnic and racial groups that have inhabited and ruled the valley in the 2-millennia history of the place. Although in today's state of Nepal, the Newars stand apart ethnically from the other groups on the basis of their composite Hindu-Buddhist religious culture and Nepal Bhasa, today spoken by all Newars as their mother tongue, the multifarious castes in the numerous caste systems within Newar society betray a surprising racial diversity. The similarities between the various cultural traits and complexes within Newar culture and those of many other ethnic groups in the Indian sub-continent lead us to hypothesize the occurrence of both vibrant circulations of peoples and cultures around the sub-continent during the last 2 millennia and a continuous and steady of diffusion of these ideas into the valley. Indologists/anthropologists and Newarologists describe Newar society as a "pre-dominantly Mongoloid people practicing an Indo-Aryan culture."

Places to see in Kathmandu Valley

• Kathmandu Durbar Square
• Patan Durbar Square

• Bhaktapur Durbar Square
• Thimi Durbar Square
• Changu Narayan
• Swayambhunath Stupa
• Boudhanath Stupa
• Pashupatinath temple
• Balkumari Temple/Thimi
• Wakachhen Mahadev/Thimi
• Golden Window/Thimi
• Chabahil
• Manjushree Temple in Majipa, Manjushree Tole
• Aditnath Temple in Chobhar hill village
• Palanchok Temple in kavre, east from middle of Kathmandu