Situated on the Himalayas, Nepal is a country of mountains, pagodas and palaces. The country has a rich historical and cultural background. The cities of Nepal still hold on to their culture are tradition. The most important city of Nepal is Kathmandu.
Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city of Nepal. The population of the city is 1.5 million. Situated in the valley of Kathmandu, at a height of 1300 meter above the sea level, this city is the center of all kinds of activities of Nepal.
The name “Kathmandu” comes from two Sanskrit words “Kaastha Mandap.” Kasstha means wood and Mandap means shade or cover. Kathmandu used to contain many wooden buildings and temples and this was the reason behind the name. Existence of human habitation in this valley can be traced back to 900 BC. The oldest building found in this valley is one thousand years old. Lord Buddha came to this valley in 6th century B.C.
The city of Kathmandu mainly consists of three cities: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Kathmandu is situated on the south of Bagmati River. Kathmandu is not very modernized. There are many Hindu and Buddhist temples, palaces, and buildings. UNESCO has listed this place on their world heritage list. Some of the most popular tourist sites are: Swayambunath temple, King's Palace Thamel chowk, Nasal chowk, Pashupatinath temple.
Another major tourist site of Kathmandu is the Durbar square. This square has many temples and palaces. Some of the temples are: Taleju temple, Shiva temple, Narayan temple etc. In addition, various festivals: Tihar, Holi, Bikram New Year, Teej, Indra Jatra, are held in Durbar squares.
Kathmandu as capital is the center of economy of Nepal. All the major administrative and private company offices are situated in this city. Major organizations like: Rashtriya Banijya Bank, the biggest bank of Nepal; Nepal Telecom and offices of many other private and foreign business organizations are situated in Kathmandu.
Tribhuwan International Airport, the only airport of Nepal is situated in Kathmandu. Many international airlines including, Air China, Air Nepal International, Air Sahara, Austrian Airlines, Cosmic Air, Druk Air, Gulf Air, Indian Airlines operate from here.
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