Swayambhu Stupa

In Kathmandu Vally there are two big and famous Stupa (chaityas). One main Stupa is Swyambhu Stupa. This is one of the world's glorious Buddhist Chaityas (stupa) . It is said to be 2000 years old. The Chaitya which forms the main structure is made of a solid hemisphere of brich and clay supporting a lofty conical spire capped by a pinnacle of copper gift. Painted on the four-sides of the spire bases are the all- seeing eyes of Lord Buddha. It is three kilometers west of Kathmandu city, and is situated on a hillock about 77m above the level of the Valley. The hills ls is a mosaic of small Chaityas and pagoda temple.

Mt Fishtail(Macchapuchere)

The 6997m high mountain awakes to a cold and sleepy dawn.
This view is from a sunrise point in Pokhara, Nepal. The sunrise point is called "Sarangkot View Point" and is 1600m high. The city we were in (Pokhara) is 884m (above sea level). This is the most prominent mountan-tip of the Annapurna range thats in view in Pokhara.
Sun just rose and only the highest peaks got the light. The name Machhapuchare (translated as Fish Tail) of the mountain comes from it looking like a fish tail from some angle.

Bouddhanath Stupa., BUDDHA

The Bouddhanath Stupa is one of Nepal's most holy sites for the Buddhist faith. This remarkable structure, by far the largest of its kind in the nation, stands as a giant version of the smaller monuments lining the trails in the mountainous lands of the Sherpa people. No one is certain of the historical origin of the great structure, but it has been converging point for worshiping Buddhists in the region for centuries. It constructed as a monument to the Buddha, with a representation of his "all-seeing eyes" painted on the upper tower to watch the four cardinal compass directions. This tower, capped with a great pyramid, all sits atop a great dome and a base of 3 layers. The whole structure has a diameter of approximately 100 meters and a height in the range of 40 meters, which is immense in person. Prayer flag are draped from the top of the monument and fly in the breeze that clears the rooftops of the congested urban neighborhood. The site is located a few miles from the city center of Kathmandu, but this outlying section is still bustling with traffic and the din of street merchants. Tourists and faithful monks alike appreciate the hallowed ground that is a respite from the hectic city.

Bouddhanath is among the largest stupas in South Asia, and it has become the focal point of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. The white mound looms thirty-six meters overhead. The stupa is located on the ancient trade route to Tibet and Tibetan merchants rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many of them decided to live around Bouddhanath. They established many gompas, and the "Little Tibet" of Nepal was born. This "Little Tibet" is still the best place in the Valley to observe Tibetan lifestyle.

"Kumari" The Living Goddess

Not only does Nepal have many gods, goddess, deities, Bodhisattvas (near Buddhas), avatars and manifestations, which are worshipped and revered as statues, images, paintings and symbols, but it also has a real living goddess. The Kumari Devi is a young girl who lives in the building known as the Kumari Ghar, right beside Kathmandu's Durbar Square.

From time immemorial the practice of worshipping an ordinary pre-pubescent girl as a source of supreme power has been an integral

part of both Hinduism and Buddhism, a tradition which continues even to this day virtually in every household. They call this girl Kumari Devi and worship her on all the religious occasions.

The predominance of the Kumari cult is more distinctly evident among the Newar community inside the Kathmandu Valley as she has become an inevitable feature of their worship almost in every Vihar and Bahal and including the nooks and corners of Newari settlements. However, it was the Vajrayana sect of Mahayana Buddhism that was responsible for establishing the tradition of worshipping a girl from the Sakya community as the royal Living Goddess.

The selection of the Living Goddess is a highly elaborate tantric ritual. Upon passing the preliminary test, this is merely concerned with their 32 attributes of perfection, including the colour of her eyes, the shape of her teeth and the sound of her voice. Her horoscope must also be appropriate. The 4 to 7 year poor girls from the Sakya community are made to confront a goddess in the darkened room. The sight of the Buffalo heads scattered around, the demon- like masked dancers, the terrifying noises theyencounter scare some of these innocent babies. The real goddess is unlikely to be frightened, so the one who is calm and collected throughout the tests is the only girl who is entitled to sit on the pedestal for worship as the Living Goddess. Then as a final test similar to that of the Dalai Lama, the Kumari then chooses items of clothing and decoration worn by her predecessor.

The god-house Kumari Ghar is a store-house of magnificent intricate carvings where the Living Goddess performs her daily rituals. During her tenure in the god-house, Guthi Sansthan, the government trust fund bears her entire expenses including that of her caretakers. Under normal circumstances, her days in the god-house come to an end with her first menstruation, but if she turns out to be unlucky, as they say, even a minor scratch on her body that bleeds can make her invalid for worship. She then changes back to the status of normal mortal and the search of a new Kumari begins. It is said to be unlucky to marry an ex-Kumari.

On Indra Jatra, in September, the Living Goddess in all her jeweled splendor travels through the older part of Kathmandu city in a three tiered chariot accompanied by Ganesh and Bhairab each day for three days. It is really a grand gala in which people in their thousands throng in and around the Kathmandu Durbar Square to pay their homage to the Living Goddess. During this festival she also blesses the King in keeping with the tradition in which the first king of the Shah dynasty, who annexed Kathmandu in 1768, received a blessing from the Living Goddess.

"Hadigaun" The Beautiful Place

HadiGaun, the very famous and historical place in Kathmandu .
Hadigaun was the very famous and important place from the time of Kirat and Lichhivi region. Manmaeshori temple, Gahana pokhari, Dabali, Dunge Dhara, Bhatbhateni temple, Tudaldevi [vaisnawidevi] temple, Satyanarayan Sthan, Dhan Ganesh are some important historical and cultural place. It is also believe that the historical great palace 'Kailashkut Vhaban' built by Ansuvarma was in hadigaun.Visit nepal and hadigaun.