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Muktinath

Muktinath is a sacred place both for Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass (part of the Himalayas), Mustang district, Nepal. The site is close to the village of Ranipauwa, which sometimes mistakenly is called Muktinath as well.

The Hindus call the sacred place Mukti Kshetra, which literally means the "place of salvation". Mainly the temple is with a predominant Sri Vaishnava origin and worshipped by Buddhists. This temple is considered to be the 105th among the available 108 Divya Desam. The ancient name of this place, before Buddhist origin is known as Thiru Saligramam. This houses the Saligrama sila considered to be the naturally available form of Sriman Narayana - the Hindu God HEAD. It is also one of the 51 Sakthi peetams. The Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means 'Hundred Waters'. For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa is a very important place of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers and one of the 24 Tantric places. They understand the murti to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara.

Birtamod

Birtamod is the commercial, educational and transport hub of Jhapa District. Ssrnamati Bazar, Kamatoli Bazar, Chakchaki Bazar and Surunga Bazar are some of the nearest local towns /settlements connected to Birtamod.
Transportation
Birtamod is connected to all parts of the country by a central highway, the Mahendra Highway which runs throughout the length of the country from east to west. Chandragadhi Airport is located in Chandragadhi (about 12 Kilometers from Birtamod) and serves 3 to 4 daily flights to and from Kathmandu. Buddha Air, and Yeti Airways are some of the airlines that have daily flights to and from Kathmandu , the capital of Nepal.

Dhankuta

Dhankuta is a hill town of Nepal located along the geographical coordinates- 26° 59' 0" N / 87° 20' 0" E, with about 20,000 inhabitants, located in the Dhankuta District in the eastern part of Nepal. Until about 1963 Dhankuta Bazaar (the town) was the administrative headquarters for the whole of north-eastern Nepal. Located a half mile above the town were the buildings of the Bada Hakim, the feudal district governor of the whole north-eastern region, a man with enormous power. The town also had the regional jail and army post. Because of Dhankuta's isolation from the lowland Terai and from Kathamandu, it was in many ways a self-governing area.

Income to purchase items (cloth, kerosene, batteries, medicines, etc.) that could not be produced locally came from a combination of sales of hill produce (tangerines, potatoes, etc.) and funds repatriated back into the hills by Gorkha soldiers serving first in the British and then more-often in the Indian armies.

The first five (3 male; 2 female) American Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in Dhankuta Bazaar in Fall, 1962 to work as teachers in the two high schools. In October, 1963 three male PCV's arrived to help establish the new Panchayat Development program.

From 1963 Nepal was divided into 75 Panchayat Districts, and the traditional Dhankuta administrative region was divided up into about six of the panchayat districts. The power of the Bada Hakim was transferred to the central government's appointed Panchayat Development Officer and each district's elected Panchayat President.

During the pre-panchayat period Dhankuta Bazaar prided itself as being in the cultural vanguard, a relatively progressive community with its own "intellectual" elite. Dhankuta Bazaar, already in the 1930s, had the only high school in Nepal to be located outside of the Kathmandu Valley. Early on it added a girl's high school and a two-year college.

Then and now there is a sharp contrast between Dhankuta Bazaar and the surrounding rural villages. The town is a commercial center and has a population that is primarily Newar. The surrounding area is agricultural and the population is made up of many caste/tribal groups, notably Magar, Rai (Aathpaharias), Limbu, Tamang and Tibetan.

Damak

Damak is a town and municipality in Jhapa District in the Mechi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. It is situated between the Ratuwa River in the east and the Mawa River in the west. As of 2001 census total population of city is 35,009. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 41,321 people living in 7,644 individual households.

Damak was changed to a municipality from a VDC (Village Development Committee) in the year 1982 AD. The Damak municipality consists of 19 wards which also includes the large Himalayan Tea State where the Ex-Royal Family has also invested. The municipality covers an area of 7,513 hectares and is at an average of 100 meters above the sea level. Lakhanpur in to the east, Urlabari, Rajghat and Madhumalla in the west and Chulachuli (Ilam) and Kohabhara VDC in the north and the south, respectively.

According to the census of 2001, Damak had 7,178 households containing about 35,000 people. The total area is 7,513 hectares out of which 1406.7 hectares is covered by residential area whereas 5,586.30 hectares is used for agriculture. The market area consists of 400.00 hectares, 215 hectares as forest plant area and 265.00 hectares is used in other purposes. In 056/057 there was 1 Health post, 1 Hospital (AMDA) and 1 Nursing Home (Life Line) which contains 50 beds in total. The Population Growth Rate is 5.14 per annum as per 2047/48 census. As per 056/057 census, there were about 88 industries, 1011 shops, 244 hotels and 9 financial institutions. Black topped road were 29 km, graveled roads were 150 km and earthen road were 500 km. In addition to it, the drainage runs 3.5 km through the main highway. There are 512 street lights and 1,114 telephone lines to public.Three bhutanse refugee camp(beldangi 1, 2, and 3) was also settled in damak in 1992.

Janakpurdhaam

History

 Janakpur, historically called Mithilanchal, is the centre of the ancient Maithil culture, which has its own language and script.

The first millennium BC text Shatapatha Brahmana tells that the king Māthava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, first crossed the Sadānirā (Gandaka) river and founded the kingdom of Videha, whose capital city was Mithila. As Gotama Rahugana composed many hymns in the Rgveda, these events must date to the Rgvedic period.

The most important historical reference to Mithila/Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki) is said to have been the princess of Videha. Her father, King Janak, found baby Sita in a furrow of a field and raised her as his daughter. When she grew up, the king announced that she should be wed by whoever was able to string the divine bow of Shiva. Though many royal suitors tried, Lord Rama, prince of Ayodhya, alone could even lift the bow. As Rama and Sita are major figures in Hinduism, Janakpur is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus.

In addition, both the great saints Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, and Vardamana Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara of the Jain religion, are said to have lived in Mithila/Janakpur. The region was an important centre of Indian history during the first millennium.

Chaughada

Chaughada

Chaughada is a village development committee in Nuwakot District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 5795 living in 1010 individual households. Baniyatar ward no.-9 is the great place of chaughada VDC. Most of the educated and social workers stay in this ward. Too many political issue and development program is leading by ward no. 9 people. people is very helpful and polite. They are believe in unite so Baniyatar is the most important ward of chaughada.

Panauti

Panauti, a small town located 32 km Southeast of Kathmandu, found in the central regions of Nepal. Panauti is a very historical city found in Nepal, as it was originally a small state given by King Bhupatindra Malla as a dowry to his sister. This town has a population of under 10,000 people and a few prominent icons, such as the Indreswor temple and Durbar square found in the town center. At the end of the 13th Century, Panauti was finally integrated into the unified kingdom of Nepal, along with Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, which are all former capital cities of the Kathmandu valley. Panauti, consists of a variety of Buddhist and Hindu religious monuments, and is considered to be one of the area’s most important medieval sites.

Panauti is quaint and interesting destination of Nepal. It feels as if has been left exactly the way the founders had built the town. A nostalgic atmosphere covers the narrow town streets and ancient structures. It is known as a Newari town that is located near Roshi khola & Punyamata Khola. Panauti can be easily reach from Kathmandu, which is at a distance of 32 km south-east.

As many villages and town of Newars , Panauti is also steeped in culture and tradition. Visitors will often find colorful stones, petals and other items that are laid out on the pavement to welcome everyone with great hospitality.

Panauti, situated at the confluence of the two rivers Rosi and Punyamati, has been regarded as an important religious site since very early times. In Nepali society, such river scared places. A visit or just an ablution in such places enables man to be freed from many sins and anxieties. Moreover, it is also believed that at Panauti, in addition to aforesaid two rivers, a third river Lilawati also converges making it again a tri-junction called Triveni. However, the last one is said to be visible only to the sheers and the intellectuals. The presence of this at Panauti has added and remarkably enhanced its religious sanctity and popularity as well. On account of this, every festive occasion, a great number of devotees from all across the country pour here for a holy ablution and to pay haomage to the nearby Indreshwor Mahadev Temple and other holy sites located here. The site is also regarded as Prayagtirtha of Nepal.

Ilam

Ilam district a part of Mechi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with the town of Ilam as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,703 km² and has a population (2001) of 282,806. It is about 600 km from Kathmandu. The highest point is Sandakpur with an elevation of 3000m. Ilam attracts many researchers who come to study rare birds and the Red Panda. Ilam stretches from the Terai belt to the upper hilly belt of this Himalayan nation.

The name Ilam is derived from the Limbu language in which "Ii" means twisted and "Lam" means road. Ilam was one of the ten self ruling states of Limbuwan before the unification of Nepal, its ruler King Hangshu Phuba Lingdom of Lingdom dynasty ruled Ilam as a confederate state of Limbuwan until 1813 AD. The treaty between the other Limbuwan states and the King of Gorkha (Gorkha-Limbuwan Treaty of 1774 AD) and the conflict of Gorkha and Sikkim led to the unification of Ilam with Gorkha. Ilam was the last of the ten kingdoms of Limbuwan to join the union of Nepal. The King of Gorkha gave the ruler of Ilam full autonomy to rule and the right of Kipat. Ilam was an independent Limbu kingdom until 1813 CE/1869 BS.

Ilam is a today one of the most developed places in Nepal. Its ILAM TEA is very famous and is exported to many parts of Europe. The main source of income in this district is tea, cardamom, milk, ginger and potato.

This place also has a religious importance. The devi temples have a great importance attached to them and many people come here just for pilgrimage.

The major attraction of Ilam is the 9-cornered Mai Pokhari lake. Also known as the abode of the goddess lots of tourists as well as Nepalese people come to visit this lake. Mai river and its four tributaries also emerge in Ilam district. The famous Mane Bhanjyang (Mane pass) connects Ilam with Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.

Ilam was much in the news in the past during the Maoist insurgency, from here the Maoists launched massive attacks frequently.

Tourists going to Ilam can expect to pay around 1000 rupees a week for accommodation and food.

Chitwan

Chitwan District is one of the seventy-five Districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district is in the western part of Narayani Zone with Bharatpur, the seventh largest city of Nepal, as its district headquarters. It covers an area of 2,218 km2(856 sq mi), and in 2001 had a population of 472,048 people. Bharatpur is a commercial and service centre of central south Nepal and merger destination for higher education, health care and transportation of the region.

The district takes its name from the Chitwan Valley, one of Nepal's Inner Terai valleys between the Mahabharat and Siwalik ranges, both considered foothills of the Himalayas.

Narayangarh, on the bank of Narayani River, is the main town with numerous shopping zones where people come from all over the district and neighbouring districts.

Now there are about 40 Village Development Committees (each of which has nine wards or villages) and one sub-Metropolitan city - Bharatpur and a municipality Ratnanagar each of which has more than nine wards or urban areas.

Chitwan is one of the few remaining undisturbed vestiges of the Terai region, which formerly extended over the foothills of Nepal.

Biratnagar

Biratnagar is a sub metropolitan city in south east Nepal which is considered as the second largest city after Kathmandu. In Nepali "Birat" means Huge and "Nagar" means city. Biratnagar is the hometown of many influential leaders in Nepalese politics including Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Girija Prasad Koirala, Manmohan Adhikari and Kirtinidhi Bista. Biratnagar is an industrial power house of Nepal with many industries located in and around its suburbs. It is in Koshi Zone - one of the fourteen administrative zones of Nepal and is also the headquarter of Morang district. Its geographical location is 26°28'60"N 87°16'60"E.

Since it is located in the fertile Gangetic plains, the land is very fertile and hence Biratnagar has traditionally been an agricultural hub and is home to many agriculture based industries of the country. It is located near the border of India and is therefore a major center for trade and commerce with India. Biratnagar is linked with Kathmandu by roadways and airways. Biratnagar Airport is the regional hub for vital air services serving the Eastern part of the country.

Dharan

Dharan is a major city in eastern Nepal, in the Sunsari District, situated on foothills of Mahabharat Range with southern tip touching the edge of the Terai at an altitude of 1148 ft (349m). It serves as a trading post between the hilly region and the plains of Terai region. It was once the location of recruitment center for Brigade of Gurkhas , opened in 1953. The recruitment center is closed and the campus is now the home of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences since 1993. Dharan Municipality organised a Golden Jubilee celebration of Dharan from January 28 to 31 January 2011 marking the 50th year of establishment of the municipality.

History

Dharan's history can be traced back to 1584 AD, to ten kingdoms of Limbuwan which was also known as Pallo Kirat Pardesh (a collective of Ten Kirant Limbu kingdoms). Dharan-Bijaypur was the capital city of the Bijaypur kingdom. This was prior to conquest and annexation of the Kingdom by Gorkha King, King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Dharan was known as Bijaypur until the 1950s when the settlement grew on the southern portion of Bijaypur and took its own name of Dharan.

Dharan started as a small trading settlement of Chaubis or Miklung Kingdom of Limbuwan (one of the ten kingdoms of Limbuwan). Over the last couple of decades, the population of Dharan has increased and diversified to include people from various ethnicities like Gurungs, Newar, Brahmins, Chhetris etc.

Hetauda

Hetauda is a small town and municipality and seat of Makwanpur District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 53,836 people living in 10,420 individual households.


It is 132 km from the capital Kathmandu via the old Tribhuvan Highway. There are now two alternate roads that are less than 80 kms. They are, however, not black topped yet. The city is enclosed by three rivers, the Rapti to the west, the Samari to the north and the Karra to the south. It is one the important industrial regions of Nepal. The settlement started due to its location at Tribhuvan Highway, and later was the meeting point of another major national highway - East-West Highway.





Physiography


Hetauda is considered one of the cleanest and greenest cities in Nepal, although there is no official data to support this claim. Due to its geographical features and its climate, it has been a popular choice for people migrating from the northern hilly regions to the south. Hetauda is situated in a unique geographical structure called doon, which means that it has a valley like geography. It is surrounded by hills: the Mahabharata range in the north and the Siwalik range in the south. The rivers Rapti, Samari, and Karra run through this area and flow southwest to meet Narayani, one of the bigger and popular rivers in the nation.


It is an hour's drive from the Nepalese border city of Birgunj, which is adjacent to its Indian counterpart, Raxaul. Both the existing highways to the capital city Kathmandu - Tribhuwan Highway and the East-West Highway, aka Mahendra Highway that trails the length of the nation - traverse through this city. With so many entry and exit points leading in and out of this town, Hetauda is set to grow into a commercial powerhouse if only the country realized its potential.


Hetauda is also known for its industries. Hetauda Industrial District (HID) is the biggest among the industrial districts in the nation. However, due to recent political events in the past ten years and present, HID is shrinking year after year. Industries have either moved to other countries or just shut down. Not only it houses some of the biggest industries in the nation, but also shelters the cottage and medium scale industries.

Hetauda is mostly a working-class residential town, and therefore a sizable portion of the population here are either employed by the industries or the government. Besides the industrial and governmental employment, individual entrepreneurship is another source of livelihood for the population which mostly tends to favor investment into transportation sector. Trucking is thus a popular business proposition as majority of goods plying to Kathmandu goes through this city. Recently, passenger service plying to Kathmandu using Indian Tata "Sumo" SUV's has taken hold in the city.


Among the big industries, Hetauda boasts of a cement factory whose production is aided by the ample supply of limestone that come from the northern Hills that form the base of the Mahabharata range. This limestone is blasted off of the quarry with the use of dynamites and then transported to the factory's production unit, which is situated 11 kilometres south across the town. The rope-way that was constructed to transport the raw materials from the quarry to the factory has stopped functioning due to lack of care and maintenance.


Among the popular attractions of Hetauda is the unique Martyr Memorial Park that was constructed to honor the martyrs of Nepal, including the ones who lost their lives since the time of British colonial wars to the ones who overthrew the autocratic Panchayat system in 1989. The Park has become a tourist spot since its completion in 1994. The main attraction of the park are the sculptures of these martyrs that are sculpted on one big boulder. The sculpting of the faces was accomplished by the student volunteers of Nepal Lalit Campus.


Similarly, Makwanpur Gadhi is another site east of the city, a fort of historic importance dating back to the unification process of Nepal. Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king that led the unification of the country into a greater Nepal, was married to the princess of Makawanpur whose father was a king of the Sen dynasty that ruled Makawanpur. Historians observe that this marriage, in fact, was a political strategy by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who saw the strategic benefit of an alliance with Makwanpur to encircle Kathmandu Valley.

Pokhara

Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City ( Pokharā Upa-Mahānagarpālikā) is a city of close to 350,000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28.25°N, 83.99°E, which is the centre of the country from east to west or from north to south, 198 km west of capital or 90 km west of Mugling, Chitwan or 178 km north of Sunauli(border town of India) or 150 km south-east of Jomsom or 80 km east of Baglung. It is the second largest city of Nepal. It is the Headquarters of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and capital of geographical Central Nepal i.e, Western Development Region. Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal. It is also known as the Tourist capital of Nepal, noted for its tranquil atmosphere and the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world can be viewed very closely from Pokhara. It is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit.

Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley, which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley. The Seti River and its tributaries have dug impressive canyons into the valley floor, which are only visible from higher viewpoints or from the air.To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of Lekhnath, a recently established town in the valley.


In no other place do mountains rise so quickly. In this area, within 30 km, the elevation rises from 1,000 m to over 7,500 m. Due to this sharp rise in altitude the area of Pokhara has one of the highest precipitation rates of the country (over 4,000 mm/year). Even within the city there is a noticeable difference in the amount of rain between the south of the city by the lake and the north at the foot of the mountains.


The climate is sub-tropical but due to the elevation the temperatures are moderate: the summer temperatures average between 25–35 °C, in winter around -2–15 °C.


In the south the city borders on Phewa Tal (lake) (4.4 km² at an elevation of about 800 m above sea level), in the north at an elevation of around 1,000 m the outskirts of the city touch the base of the Annapurna mountain range. From the southern fringes of the city 3 eight-thousanders (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu) and, in the middle of the Annapurna range, the Machapuchare ('Fishtail') with close to 7,000 m can be seen. This mountain dominates the northern horizon of the city and its name derives from its twin peaks, not visible from the south. The porous underground of the Pokhara valley favours the development of caves of which three prominent ones can be found within the city: Mahendra, Bat and Gupteswor. In the south of the city, a tributary of the Seti coming from Phewa Lake disappears at Patale Chhango (Nepali for Hell's Falls, also called Devi's or David's Falls, after someone who supposedly fell into the falls) into an underground gorge, to reappear 500 metres further south.

Kirtipur

Kirtipur is an ancient city in Nepal. It is located in Kathmandu District of Bagmati Zone 5 km south-west of the Kathmandu. It is one of the five municipalities of the Kathmandu Valley.

Etymology 

The name Kirtipur comes from Kirti (Glory) and pur (city). It is also said that once a queen named 'Kirti' ruled over this place so, it might have been named after same queen since 'pur' means city, and it states Kirtipur means city of 'Kirti'.
Demographics

Originally a Newari foundation, Kirtipur is still a centre of Newari culture. It has been merged with surrounding villages to form the municipality of Kirtipur with a population of around 50,000. It consists of many temples, Gumbas and Churches too. Due to the presence of Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur is also popular area for out-of-town students and professors to rent houses and they are major contributors to the local economy. Relationship between the locals and the non-locals is generally harmonious.

History

In 1826 B.S. (Bikram Sambat) it was annexed to the Gorkhali kingdom of Nepal by King Prithvi Narayan Shah on his third attempt, after bribing the doorman of the city. After he did this, to spite the city of Kirtipur, he cut off the noses of all the men in the city. This was the site of an inspirational peaceful demonstration of the people in the 2006 mass uprising that overthrew the powers of the king. It is considered to be an anti-monarchy city due to its bitter history against the Shah dynasty whose modern founder conquered the city insultingly, which was followed by negligence of the administration and development by subsequent rulers <citation needed

Patan

Patan is situated on the elevated tract of land in Kathmandu Valley on the south side of the Bagmati River, which separates it from the City of Kathmandu on the northern side. It was developed on relatively thin layers of deposited clay and gravel in the central part of a dried ancient lake known as the Nagdaha.

It is among the largest cities in the country, along with Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Biratnagar.

The city spreads over 16 sq. kilometres and is divided into 22 Municipal wards. The city is bounded by:
East: Imadol VDC and Harisiddhi VDC
West: Kirtipur Municipality and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)
North: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)
South: Saibu VDC, Sunakothi VDC and Dhapakhel VDC
History

Lalitpur is believed to have been founded in the third century B.C. by the Kirat dynasty and later expanded by Licchavis in the sixth century. It was further expanded by the Mallas during the medieval period. There are many legends after its name. The most popular one is the legend of the God Rato Machhindranath, who was brought to the valley from Kamaru Kamachhya, located in Assam, India, by a group of three people representing three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley. One of them was called Lalit, a farmer who carried God Rato Machhindranath to the valley all the way from Assam, India. The purpose of bringing the God Rato Machhindranath to the valley was to overcome the worst drought in the valley. There was a strong belief that the God Rato Machhindranath will make rain in the valley. It was due to Lalit's effort that the God Rato Machhindranath was settled in Lalitpur. Many believe that the name of the town is kept after his name Lalit and pur meaning township.

Lalitpur said to have been founded by King Veer Deva in 299 A.D. but, there is unanimity among scholars that Patan was a well established and developed town since ancient times. Several historical records including many other legends also indicate that Patan is the oldest of all the cities of Kathmandu Valley. According to a very old Kirat chronicle, Patan was founded by Kirat rulers long before the Licchavi rulers came into the political scene in Kathmandu Valley. According to that chronicle, the earliest known capital of Kirat rulers was Thankot. Kathmandu, the present capital was most possibly removed from Thankot to Patan after the Kirati King Yalamber came into power sometimes around second century A.D.

One of the most used and typical Newar names of Patan is Yala. It is said that King Yalamber or Yellung Hang named this city after himself and ever since this ancient city was known as Yala..

Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur, also Bhadgaon or Khwopa is an ancient Newar town in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It is located in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone. It is the third largest city in Kathmandu valley and was once the capital of Nepal during the great Malla Kingdom until the second half of the 15th century.

Bhaktapur is listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO for its rich culture, temples, and wood, metal and stone artwork.

It is the home of traditional art and architecture, historical monuments and craft works, magnificent windows, pottery and weaving industries, excellent temples, beautiful ponds, rich local customs, culture, religion, festivals, musical mystic and so on. Bhaktapur is still an untouched as well as preserved ancient city, which in fact, is itself a world to explore for tourist. 

From time immemorial it lay on the trade route between Tibet/China and India. This position on the main caravan route made the town rich and prosperous.

Geography 

Bhaktapur is around 13 km east of Kathmandu and lies on the old trade route to Tibet. It occupies an area of around 119 km² at an altitude of 1,401 meters above sea-level. Bhaktapur district, in which the Bhaktapur city lies, is the smallest district of Nepal.

Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the capital and, with close to one million inhabitants, the largest city of Nepal. The city is the urban core of the Kathmandu Valley in the Himalayas, which contains two sister cities: Lalitpur (Patan), 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to its south and Bhaktapur or Bhadgaon, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to its east, and a number of smaller towns. It is also acronymed as 'KTM' and named 'tri-city'. In the last census (2001), the city of Kathmandu had 671,846 inhabitants. Population estimates for 2005 were 790,612 and for 2010 they stood at 989,273. The municipal area is (50.67 square kilometres (19.56 sq mi) and the population density is 19,500 per km².

The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped valley in central Nepal surrounded by four major hills, namely: Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri. Kathmandu valley is part of three districts, Kathmandu District, Lalitpur District and Bhaktapur District, with the highest population density in the country and accounting for about 1/5 of its population.

Kathmandu is not only the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal but also the headquarters of the Central Region (Madhyamanchal) among the five development regions constituted by the 14 administrative zones of Nepal located at the central part of the country. The Central region has three zones namely, Bagmati, Narayani and Janakpur. Kathmandu is located in the Bagmati Zone.

Kathmandu, as the gateway to Nepal Tourism, is the nerve centre of the country’s economy. With the most advanced infrastructure among urban areas in Nepal, Kathmandu's economy is tourism centric accounting for 3.8% of the GDP in 1995–96 (had declined since then due to political unrest but has picked up again).

The city’s rich history is nearly 2000 years old, as inferred from an inscription in the valley. Its religious affiliations are dominantly Hindu followed by Buddhism. People of other religious beliefs also live in Kathmandu giving it a cosmopolitan culture. Nepali is the common language of the city, though many speak the Nepal Bhasa as it is the center of the Newar (meaning: citizens of Nepal) people and culture. English is understood by the educated population of the city. Besides a significant number of the population speaks any of the foreign languages like : French, German, Chinese, Hebrew, Korean etc. The literacy rate is 98% in the city.

From the point of view of tourism, economy and cultural heritage, the sister cities of Lalitpur (Patan) and Bhaktapur are integral to Kathmandu. The cultural heritage recognition under the World Heritage list of the UNESCO has recognized all the monuments in the three cities as one unit under the title “Kathmandu Valley.