Kathmandu City and Swyambhunath Half Day Private Tour

The tour of Kathmandu City (also known as Kantipur) includes visit to the temple of the Living Goddesses, who acknowledges the greetings of the devotees from the balcony of her temple residence. Kasthamandap-the source of the name Kathmandu Supposed to be made from the timber of a single tree and the Durbar Square are with its array of temples overlooked by the Hanuman Dhoka Palace.

The Durbar Square offers the finest display of Newari urban architecture in Nepal. The temples here devoted to Shiva, Krishna, Ganesh and Vishnu are actively visited by residents and visitors. At the northern end of the square the ancient sunken water tap has been restored and is still in use with young girls filling huge jugs from the carved stone waterspouts. The courtyards of the Royal Palace with their ornamented windows, columned arcades, shrines and sunken royal bath are amongst the loveliest in all Kathmandu.

Continue to Swyambhunath, the most ancient and enigmatic of the Valley’s holy shrines the golden spired stupa of Swyambhunath tops a wooded hillock. Records of its history date as far as the 5th century, but its origins are believed to be older. It is the Kathmandu Valley’s most sacred Buddhist shrine and whilst its worshippers include the Vajrayana Buddhists of northern Nepal and Tibet, Newari Buddhists are the most fervent devotees.