Nepal: attractions, photos, reviews. Nepal, Kathmandu: the main attractions

This small state in South Asia is called the Land of the Great Mountains. Closed for foreigners the oldest Nepal only since 1991 opened its doors to tourists. Stunning beauty temples and monasteries have become available for public viewing. Under the charm of this mysterious country falls any traveler, even the most skeptical.

Exotic Nepal, whose attractions attract people wishing to enjoy the wild nature of ecotourists, who dream of defying the snowy peaks of climbers and all who want to achieve enlightenment, is first mentioned in the XIII century BC.

Earthquake 2015

Unfortunately, the spring of 2015 made its devastating adjustments, and most of the country's significant facilities were destroyed. Human sacrifices, the collapsed temples that were local attractions, the worn-out buildings are the result of the most powerful earthquake in eighty years.

Therefore, in this article we will talk about surviving and destroyed after the catastrophe of well-known man-made monuments, many of which can not be restored.

Swayambhunath Stupa

Where was it necessary to visit the tourists who first came to Nepal? Kathmandu, whose attractions have no analogues throughout the world, was famous for the stupa of Swayambhunath, located on a high hill. Each architectural element of a hundred-meter in diameter of the structure carried a huge meaning and symbolized concepts related to religion. It is believed that the upper part of the temple is nirvana, which all those who pray after thirteen stages of cognition want to reach.

On the walls of the main temple are painted the eyes of the Buddha, testifying to his all-seeing eye, and the foot of the 40-meter stupa depicts the connection of the four elements.

The main attractions of Kathmandu are, of course, temples, but not only Buddhist. Several Hindu shrines are next to the stupa, forming a whole complex, which symbolizes the harmonious connection of several religions. Since 1979, a place with strong spiritual power has been included in the UNESCO World List.

Now the dilapidated temple in the capital of the country is being restored, but the construction process is very slow.

The main square of the capital

It is said that the spirit of the country lives on its main square, so Durbar is the most visited place for Nepalese guests. The royal palace-museum of Narayanhiti, dozens of colorful temples in which worshiped different gods - everything was filled with a special, unforgettable atmosphere.

This continued until April of last year, until the natural disaster destroyed the main square of the country. The disaster took more than four thousand lives and destroyed the main attraction listed in the UNESCO heritage list.

Goddess Girl

Exotic Nepal, whose attractions have no analogues, is known by the mistress of the beautiful palace-temple of red brick in the center of the square. Devi Kumari is a living goddess who is chosen at the age of five by various parameters. The girl in whom the spirit of the goddess dwells, passes thirty-two hard trials.

The embodiment of the goddess Durga (Taleju) is seated on the throne, and her gaze, thrown at someone from the crowd, can, according to legend, change life for the better. Therefore, next to her house, there was always a huge number of people who were eager to have Davy Kumari stop them.

Having reached the age of 15, the girl received a monetary reward and left the palace forever, without the right to marry, since it is considered that marrying her is a very bad sign. And Nepalese begin to look for a new girl in the place of their goddess.

Royal Palace and temples

No wonder the name of the square translates as "palace", because here were located the luxurious buildings in which the kings lived. Now the monarchy is overthrown, and everyone can make a fascinating walk inside the ancient buildings that have remained intact after the disaster, in order to touch the history carefully preserved by original Nepal.

Attractions of the country - the bizarre form of temples - are fascinated by the original architecture. Some of them accept only Buddhists and Hindus, but the rest are hospitably open to all foreign guests.

Temple Kasthamandal

One can not ignore another fantastically beautiful temple complex, located in the capital of Kathmandu (Nepal). Sights, reviews of tourists who were always full of enthusiastic emotions, were built in the 16th century. According to ancient legends, the capital bears its name in honor of erecting a three-story pagoda, considered the oldest and best-preserved wooden structure in the world.

Initially, the building was intended for the temporary shelter of merchants, and only later it was transformed into a temple dedicated to St. Gorakhnath, the statue of which is located inside. His followers lived here until 1966, and after the reconstruction began, they moved to another place.

He was not spared by the earthquake of 2015, which destroyed the majestic structure. The iconic wooden monument turned into ruins in a matter of minutes, but there is no question of restoring the shrine. A natural phenomenon erased a temple from the face of the Earth, which is unlikely to be seen in its original state.

Dharahara Tower

Some attractions in Nepal are in a terrible state, but thanks to their transfer to private hands, many monuments continue to please descendants. This happened with the ancient tower of Dharakhara, built in the middle of the XIX century. Raised as a defensive structure, it looked more like a giant telescope, consisting of eight silvery parts.

After the devastation left by the earthquake at the beginning of the last century, the tower needed restoration, to which the authorities had no money. Only after it was leased in 1998, it was completely restored, and until 2015 the tower was a popular viewing platform, from which a stunning view of the capital of Nepal was opened .

However last year, the strongest earthquake in many years destroyed the historically important structure almost to the ground for the second time, and no one knows how long the process of restoration will last.

Jal-Vinayak Temple

Incredibly rich in religious relics is the capital of the small state of Nepal. Its main attractions are Buddhist temples, but the famous building dedicated to the Indian deity Ganesha serves as an excellent testimony of the symbiosis of two cultures.

The three-level roof is decorated with different images and openwork carvings. Almost three hundred figures of the deity, in which Ganesha is depicted as a short, plump man with an elephant head and four hands, are inside the entire temple. And at the entrance of his visitors meets a huge sculpture of a rat, which sits in anticipation of sacrifices.

The Garden of Dreams

Another energetically filled place is in the capital of the country, and here they hurry to be alone with nature and even have a good night's sleep. A huge territory of almost seven hectares is rightly proud of the mystical Nepal. Sights, photos of which, of course, convey the attraction of this amazing place, were discovered in the 20s of last century.

The main thing that catches your eye is the striking difference between a noisy metropolis and a calm corner where time seemed to stop. In the Garden of Dreams not only guests of the country aspire to get to, but also locals love to relax in nature and sleep in the open air.

The park's design is architecturally complex, which distinguishes it from all other green oases of the state. The broken territory allows tourists to pass through different seasons, in which the necessary microclimate is maintained. The garden of dreams with its delicious aroma is not for nothing famous for the whole world of Nepal, whose sights allow you to get into a real floral tale created by the hands of landscape designers and little affected by the disaster.

Damage from earthquakes

The only thing that now worries the authorities of Nepal is the irreparable damage that the earthquake brings to the country. Last year, tremors lasted only a minute, but destroyed many of the country's sights.

While no one gives predictions as to how quickly monuments will be restored. But we can say for sure that many of them will not reach the descendants in their original form.