Overview

Pharping is a thriving Newari town situated south of Kathmandu. It’s an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage sites taken over by large numbers of Tibetans. A circuit of its religious sites makes for a compelling day out from Kathmandu. Pharping lies on the road to Dakshinkali passing en route the pond at Taudaha, allegedly home to the nagas released from the Kathmandu Lake. The road from Pharping continues a few kilometres south to the blood-soaked temple of Dakshinkali, a favourite Hindu pilgrimage destination. Apart from the deep gorge containing the temple and its associated food stalls, there is little more to see here.

Kirtipur is an old Newari town located on a hill top just outskirts from Kathmandu has an impressive medieval temples dotted around its backstreets. When Prithvi Narayan Shah stormed into the valley in 1768, he made a priority of capturing Kirtipur to provide a base for his crushing attacks on the Malla kingdoms. Kirtipur’s resistance was strong, but eventually, after a bitter siege, the town was taken. The inhabitants paid a terrible price for their brave resistance – the king ordered that the nose and lips be cut off every male inhabitant in the town, sparing only those who could play wind instruments for his entertainment.