EXPERIENCING TWO HIMALAYAN TRIBES
 
KATHMANDU... CITY BEYOND THE SLEEPING HIMALAYAS... 

Kathmandu Durbar Square: Durbar square classic tour takes you to the famous places that have housed kings of different dynasties and temple-scapes representing the finest expamples of Hindu and Buddhist architectures.

Swayambhunath: One of the world’s most glorious, ancient, enigmatic and the holiest of Buddhist Chaityas, dating back more than 2000 years. Situated on a hillock Swayambhunath, literally “the Self-Created or Existent”, is a mosaic of small stupas and pagoda temple contributed over time by the succession of kings and noblemen. The main structure of the stupa is made of a solid hemisphere of brick and clay, supporting a lofty conical spire and capped by pinnacle of copper gilt. Painted on the four sides on the base of the spire are the “All Seeing Eyes” of Lord Buddha.  The main features of Swayambhunath in brief are “The Five Buddhas.”

Pashupatinath: Just a small walk takes you to the temple of Lord Shiva-Pasupatinath with a two tiered golden roof and silver doors. This structure is famous for its superb Newari architecture, situated near the banks of the sacred Bagmati River. Entrance to the temple precinct is permitted to the “Hindus Only”, however visitors can clearly see the temple from the eastern bank of the Bagmati River. Pashupati, literally, “Lord of the Animals” is the patron deity of Nepal and believed to have been unearthed by an obscure herdsman while one of his cattle was showering the earth with milk. Across the sacred river, above the array of decorated monuments, is the “Slasmantak or Mrigasthali Ban (forest)” where legends has it that Lord Siva dwelled in a form of an antelope to evade the hordes of demigods.

Bouddhanth: This colossal and ancient Stupa, one of Nepal’s most unique monuments and said to be the world's biggest, attracts Nepalese pilgrimage of Tibetan stock from as far as Dolpo and Mugu as well as Tibet, Ladhak in India and Bhutan. Baudhanath Stupa, with all seeing eyes of primordial Adi Buddha on all the four sides of the stupa, is said to hold the remains of Kasyapa - the Buddha of the previous time.The Stupa is 100 meters in diameter and was built on an octagonal base. Inset into the base are prayer wheels established by the Lichchivi King Mana Deva in the fifth century. The stupa rises to 36 meters above the base including the spire, “all seeing eyes” and the pinnacle represents the stages of enlightenment, symbol of royalty, compassion, knowing and nirvana. There are many myths about the origins of the stupa. We'll have lunch here after the sightseeing (around 1330hrs).

Bhaktapur: also known as Bhadgaon, situated at an altitude of 1401 m, is a home to medieval art and architecture and was the site for Burtoluchhi’s Little Buddha. The urban city covers an area of 4 sq. miles. Shaped like a conch-shell, Bhaktapur, meaning city of Devotees, pottery and weaving as its traditional industries. Bhaktapur, essence of the Newari City, 14 km east of Kathmandu, is Nepal’s greatest treasures. We'll have our lunch here (1330hrs) before continuing onto Patan (The City of Finest Arts).


Patan: Also known as “Lalitpur” literally the city of fine arts, is perhaps a living museum as she still retains her medieval air of the ancient times and almost half the inner city residents are craftsmen in their own right. Patan was one of the major Buddhist cities in Asia by the 7th century as pilgrims, scholars and monks from India, Tibet and China visited the city. It is said that at one stage the entire population of Patan City was comprised of monks and craftsmen only. The city is awash in a sea of Hindu temples, Buddhist monuments and structures with bronze gateways, guardian deities and wonderful metal and woodcarvings. In ancient times the ancestors of present day craftsmen were invited to Tibet and as far as Peking to built monasteries, pagodas and images of Buddha and other revered deities

TIBET... WITH THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS AND HOSPITALITY...

With an average altitude in excess of 3500m, Tibet can truly be described as the roof of the world, lying to the north of the great Himalayan range. With its spectacular mountain scenery and rich Buddhist culture, Tibet is a remarkable place to visit. On this trip, we will follow the Friendship Highway through some of the most amazing landscape on Earth. We'll pass small Tibetan settlements, nomadic herdsmen wandering across the wide arid plains and awe-inspiring mountain peaks. Equally as fascinating is the wealth of cultural interest and we will have plenty of opportunity to explore this side of Tibet, both in Lhasa and the other towns we pass through on our journey.

WILDLIFE EXCURSION... INSIDE ROYALCHITWAN NATIONAL PARK...   

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