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Nepal has always seemed a mysterious and remote destination to visitors from the outside world. Half-forgotten verses from the poetry of Kipling conjure up “green-eyed idols in the Vale of Kathmandu”, and images of Shangri-La, the forbidden Himalayan haven where time stands still, come readily to mind. Certainly Nepal is unique. Perched on the southern flanks of the great Himalayan Mountains, caught for millennia between the ancient empires of India and China, this – the only Hindu kingdom in the world today – is a cultural treasure-trove of South and Central Asian traditions.

Most travellers to Nepal arrive by air at the bright new terminus of Tribhuwan International Airport, just five kilometres east of Kathmandu city centre. Others may choose to make the harder but more adventurous journey overland from the Indian border at Birganj. In either case, their first experience of the country, before starting on a trek into the old, steep mountain valleys, or heading west to relax by Pokhara's Lake Phewa, is likely to be of Kathmandu, the nation's capital. And this is as it should be – like Rome of Italy, or Athens of Greece. Kathmandu is more than just an appetiser for what is to come; it is an experience in its own right, a city few visitors can ever forget.

According to legend, Kathmandu Valley was once a holy lake encircled by mountains. To this body of sacred water, inhabited by giant serpents and nagas, came the first Buddha who threw the seed of a lotus into the lake. The seed sprouted, and burst into a thousand-petalled lotus flower. When the Buddha saw the beauty of the flower, he caused the hills to part, draining the lake and forming a valley, so that the lotus would always be protected by a rim of mountains.

Many years later a Buddhist monk came to settle in the valley, where he built a tall pagoda with a gilded spire. This became the central stupa of Swayambhunath, which stands on a hill just west of Kathmandu city, marking the site where the first lotus flower bloomed. To this day, the people of Kathmandu believe, the gilded spire of Swayambhunath radiates a sacred light protecting the whole valley. Swayambhu, magnificently set on a conical hill, provides a fine vantage point for visitors to the Nepalese capital. From its sacred steps, looking east and south, broad vistas of the city are apparent, from the snaking Bagmati River to the pagodas of distant Bhaktapur.

Kathmandu is an enigma. Mediaeval in aspect, yet offering an astonishing variety of regional and international cuisines. First class hotels compete with an array of reasonable guest houses in the popular tourist district of Thamel – yet a walk of just five minutes in any direction leads to another city, rich in the smell of spices and old in time. This is the real Kathmandu, an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows.

The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square. The rambling old Hanuman Dhoka, or royal palace, takes up most of the eastern side of the square. Built almost four centuries ago by Nepal's Malla kings, only a small part of the complex is open to the general public. At the left of the entrance stands a statue of Hanuman, the monkey god of Hindu mythology, after which the palace is named. Just within the main courtyard is a likeness of Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu, disembowelling a demon. Directly in front of the gates stands a large, tiered pagoda dedicated to Jagannath, a manifestation of Vishnu as Lord of the Universe, bearing an inscription dated 1563. There can be no doubt that these are the royal precincts of a Hindu kingdom – unmistakable signs are everywhere.

As if to bear this out, on the southern side of Durbar Square is the ornate doorway to the Kumari Bahal. This entranceway leads to one of the loveliest and most elegant courtyards in the capital. All four sides are lavishly decorated with wooden fretwork windows, ornamental brackets and carved doorways. This is the home of Nepal's living goddess, the Kumari. According to tradition, a virgin female child of the Shakya community, carrying appropriate auspicious signs, is chosen to become the Kumari and carried in state to her new home, the Kumari Bahal. Here she remains as a living goddess, appearing in state to bless the people of Kathmandu and the royal family on festive occasions or at important religious ceremonies. As soon as she reaches puberty, she ceases to be considered divine, and is returned to normal life. Meanwhile, another little girl will have been chosen to become Kumari, extending continuing protection and blessing over the Kingdom of Nepal to keep it, and its people, from harm.

Passing back into Durbar Square, directly opposite the Kumari Bahal, is a gorgeous temple dedicated to the lovers Shiva and Parvati. Statues of the divine couple stand at a first floor window, gazing down onto the crowded square as though watching those passing by. Nearby stands the huge form of the Kasthamandap, the oldest building in Kathmandu, from which the name of the city is derived. Other Hindu elements closely associated with this central area are an octagonal temple dedicated to Krishna, and – of abiding interest – a four metre high figure of Kalabhairab, a manifestation of Shiva as the terrifying "Lord of Time". This figure is renowned throughout Kathmandu Valley as a true test of honesty – local people are convinced that it is impossible to tell a lie in Kalabhairab's presence!

Before leaving Durbar Square, one curiosity which deserves passing attention is a stone inscription set in the outer wall of the royal palace just to the side of the main entrance. Carved in 1664 by King Pratap Malla, who was clearly something of a linguist, the text includes no fewer than fifteen languages (including two words in French and one in English), and is supposed to be a poem to the goddess Kali. According to legend, should anyone manage to translate the whole poem correctly, milk will gush from the spout in the middle of the inscription.

Intoxicating though Durbar Square may be, Kathmandu's appeal is not limited to palaces and religious monuments. Immediately south of the square, lying behind the Kasthamandap, lies the quarter known as Jhochhen to the Nepalese, and "Freak Street" to a generation of young western travellers. Once the haunt of wide-eyed hippies high on a strange mixture of marijuana and mysticism, the area has been cleaned up since King Birendra came to the throne in 1972, and ‘sightings' of genuine, old-fashioned hippies have become rare indeed. Still, a walk through Jhochhen is a stroll down memory lane, whilst designer cafés and ‘pie shops' strive to recreate the atmosphere of the late sixties – minus the marijuana.

Due east from Durbar Square runs Ganga Path, also known as New Road. This is the main commercial district of Kathmandu, a swathe of modernity cut through the heart of the old city. To the south rises the strange and apparently purposeless pencil-like form of the Bhimsen Tower, and straight ahead the open space of Tudhikel and Ratna Park.

Ganga Path is the place to go for shopping. Fine handicrafts are on sale everywhere, ranging from statues of deities cast in brass and bronze, or exquisitely carved in scented woods. Thanka, or Tibetan religious paintings, are enduringly popular – though genuinely antique specimens are few and far between. Hand-woven textiles in linen, cotton and silk are piled high on counters, whilst Tibetan, Chinese and Nepalese carpets hang from walls and doors. The Nepalese are renowned for their jewellery-making skills, and the gold and silver rings, necklaces and bracelets of the Patan smiths carry intricate traceries that show a complete mastery of the art.

For the present, prices of these often exquisite objects remain very reasonable by international standards – a factor which helps to explain the huge number of tourists from neighbouring India who throng Ganga Path day and night, haggling for bargains. Travellers to Nepal would do well to learn from their example. Bargaining is a time-honoured skill in the exotic bazaars of Kathmandu, and haggling over the price a pre-requisite for doing business with the canny Nepali shopkeepers!

The range and quality of restaurants available after a hard day's sight-seeing and shopping makes individual recommendations an invidious task. Still, one establishment stands out above all others and is deserving of particular mention. This is the uniquely-named Yak and Yeti Chimney Room, part of the five-star hotel of the same name. Founded by Boris, a Russian long-term resident of Kathmandu, the Chimney Room is located in an old Rana Palace. The elaborately decorated hall has been converted into an elegant dining room, where local and international delicacies can be enjoyed by the warmth of an open hearth. Although not cheap, there could be few more satisfactory ways to end the day in exotic Kathmandu.

Out and About in Kathmandu Valley

The Vale of Kathmandu – about twenty five kilometres long and fifteen wide – is an unusually large and fertile plain in the heart of the Nepalese highlands. As such, it has been an important regional centre for millennia, and is densely populated, supporting three royal cities together with a number of smaller towns, villages and temple communities. Most visitors to Nepal go to Kathmandu and its environs for the architectural and religio-cultural treasures, then travel to Pokhara – or trek into the nearby Himalayas – to enjoy a taste of rural Nepal. Still, for those with limited time who wish to experience the Nepalese countryside, Kathmandu Valley has several alternatives to offer.

Eight kilometres north-east of Kathmandu city looms the impressive bulk of Bodhnath stupa, centre of Tibetan Buddhism and of Tibetans-in-exile in Nepal. The stupa is surrounded by many small stalls selling Tibetan handicrafts, and there are numerous monasteries in the area, some named after Tibetan retreats destroyed by the Red Guards at the height of China's destructive "Cultural Revolution". A stroll around Bodhnath provides the visitor with some cultural insight into the world of Tibetan spiritualism, as well as the opportunity to taste chang – Tibetan corn beer – and, should the inclination strike, a cup of salted yak-butter tea.

An alternative day trip to rural Nepal can be contrived by visiting the "sleeping Vishnu" image at Budhanilkantha. The journey involves taking a bus or taxi to Bansbari, just to the north of the capital, and then walking for about an hour to Budhanilkantha on the northern rim of the valley. En route the traveller will pass fields of waving wheat – or golden stubble, when the harvest has been garnered in. Colourfully-dressed women labour to transplant rice in the carefully-terraced paddies that mount into the foothills at the valley's edge. The sleeping image of Vishnu – said to be the largest in the world – dates from the 11th century AD, and represents the god lying on a bed of snakes. Beyond Budhanilkantha, it is possible to climb to the summit of Sheopuri, at 2,725 metres the highest point in the valley. The return journey occupies a full day, but offers remarkable views over Kathmandu to Patan and the Chobar Gorge.

Finally, a third alternative way to experience rural Kathmandu is to go for a stroll in to the old Newar village of Gokarna, beyond Bodhnath. A pleasant walk of about two hours will bring the traveller to the beautiful three-storeyed temple of Shiva called Gokarneswar, in an area surrounded by game reserves on three sides. The villagers speak little or no English, but are smiling and friendly. Further down the road towards Sundarijal are a number of attractive waterfalls. This journey, combined with a visit to Bodhnath, can comfortably be undertaken on a day trip from Kathmandu by bicycle.

Patan and Bhaktapur

Kathmandu may be the largest town in Nepal and capital of the realm, but it is only one of three ‘royal cities' clustered at the heart of Kathmandu Valley.

Just to the south of the capital directly across the Bagmati River, Patan – also known as Lalitpur, or "city of beauty" – is the second largest town in the valley. Whilst Kathmandu provides a unique combination of Hinduism and Buddhism both in its architecture and in its everyday cultural life, Patan has a distinctly Buddhist air. Easily reached by taxi, bicycle or on foot, Patan is best visited on day trips from Kathmandu – hotels here are markedly inferior to those of the capital. Accommodation aside, Patan is a treat for the senses – visual, spiritual and (in the spice market, at least) olfactory. Literally packed with historical monuments, a good place to start any exploration is the central Durbar Square.

Where Patan is Buddhist, Bhaktapur – "city of the pious" – is predominantly Hindu. Located about sixteen kilometres east of Kathmandu on the old trade route between India and Tibet, Bhaktapur is the least modernised of the three royal seats in the valley. Strict controls ensure that new buildings are rarely constructed, and then only in an appropriate style. Motor traffic rarely enters Bhaktapur. Tragically, the city was devastated by a powerful earthquake in 1934; since that time dedicated work by the Nepalese-German Bhaktapur Development Project has restored much that was damaged or destroyed, and protected the city from the ravages of unrestrained development. Bhaktapur, again best seen in a day trip from Kathmandu, is an essential experience – a trip in a time capsule to mediaeval Nepal, again best undertaken from the city's magnificent Durbar Square.

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Text by Andrew Forbes; Photos by David Henley & Pictures From History - © CPA Media