Kathmandu
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This article is about the city. For the furry comic book, see Katmandu.
Kathmandu (Nepali: काठमाडौं) is the capital city of Nepal. It is also the largest city in Nepal. It is a city of 670,000 in a valley by the same name in central Nepal, near the Vishnumati River. Kathmandu is located at 27°43' North, 85°22' East (27.71667, 85.36667). [1] (http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html)
History
Kathmandu is said to have been founded by king Gun Kamdev in AD 723. According to legend, the area was a lake in the past, but Manjushri, a disciple of the Shakyamuni Buddha, cut open a hill to the south and allowed the water to flow out, making the region habitable. The origin of the present name is unclear, but one of the more likely theories is that it was named after Kastha-Mandap ("temple of wood" in Sanskrit), after a pagoda carved from the single tree on the order of King Lakshmi Narasingha Malla in 1596.
Present
The old city is noted for its many Buddhist and Hindu temples and palaces, most dating from the 17th century. Many of these landmarks have been damaged by earthquakes and pollution. Seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in this valley.
Kathmandu_signs.jpg
Small_stupa_in_Kathmandu.jpg
Stone_carving_in_Kathmandu.jpg
Kathmandu has been popular with western tourists since the 1960s when it became a key stop on the hippie trail.
External links
- Kathmandu Metropolitan City (http://www.kathmandu.gov.np:)
- The Kathmandu Post (http://www.nepalnews.com.np/ktmpost.htm)
- Wikitravel: Kathmandu (http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Kathmandu)da:Katmandu
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