| It is hard to find words that do justice to wonderful | | | | never conquered by the British. |
| Kathmandu. One ridge away from the highest | | | | The city's meteoric rise to fame began in 1769 when |
| mountains in the world, and thronged by a million | | | | Gurkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah swept eastwards |
| Hindus and Buddhists, this pricely city is the | | | | from his base at Gorkha, conquering the towns on |
| archetypal mountain kingdom - mystical, magical and | | | | the valley rim and isolating Kathmandu. Bhaktapur and |
| arcane. Temples loom out of the mist around every | | | | Patan from the outside world. This marked the start |
| corner and the cobbled streets resound with the | | | | of the golden age of Kathmandu architecture - |
| chanting of mantras and the chiming of temple bells. | | | | temple-strewn Durbar Square has barely changed |
| At dusk, the city is transformed into a cut-out of | | | | since. As the city grew, the natural fortifications of |
| stupas, prayer flags and temple spires. On clear days, | | | | the valley walls became a hindrance rather an asset. |
| a wall of snow-covered mountains rises behind | | | | Everything has to be trekked in from the plains of |
| Kathmandu and eagles soar majestically overhead on | | | | India and builders had nowhere to go but up, |
| the high Tibetan winds - it is like the special effects | | | | explaining the rather chaotic skyline of leaning brick |
| from The Lord of the Rings, but right there, alive in | | | | towers. |
| the real world. | | | | Politics also played a role in Kathmandu's status of |
| The main reason for Kathmandu's remarkable state | | | | suspended animation. From 1816 to 1950, Nepal was |
| of preservation is its unique geographical situation. | | | | completely cut off from the outside world, vanishing |
| There are only two roads out of the Kathmandu | | | | into legend as another forbidden kingdom of the |
| Valley, one going north to Lhasa in Tibet and the | | | | Himalaya. The Swiss explorer Toni Hagen was the |
| other winding down to the Terai plains - a five hour | | | | first European allowed in and walked all over the |
| journey to cover a distance of 50 kilometers. | | | | country, setting a precedent for the 200,000 |
| Historically, this was Kathmandu best defense against | | | | trekkers who now visit every year. |
| foreign invaders. Unlike India and Tibet, Nepal was | | | | |