Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu Valley
काठमाडाैँ उपत्यका
Nepa Valley, नेपा: उपत्यका, 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐣𑐶𑐐𑑅
Kathmandu Valley seen from the space by the NASA Earth Observatory
Kathmandu Valley seen from the space by the NASA Earth Observatory
Kathmandu Valley is located in Bagmati Province
Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
Location in Province
Kathmandu Valley is located in Nepal
Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)
Kathmandu Valley is located in Asia
Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley (Asia)
Coordinates: 27°42′14″N 85°18′31″E / 27.70389°N 85.30861°E / 27.70389; 85.30861
Country   Nepal
ProvinceBagmati Province
DistrictsKathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur
CriteriaCultural: (iii), (iv), (vi)
Reference120bis
Inscription1979 (3rd Session)
Extensions2006
Endangered2003–2007
Area665 km2 (257 sq mi)
The Durbar Square in Kathmandu

The Kathmandu Valley (Nepali: काठमाडाैँ उपत्यका), also known as the Nepal Valley, Nepa Valley or Swaniga: (Nepali: नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः or 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐣𑐶𑐐𑑅, स्वनिगः), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. It lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of the Indian subcontinent and the broader Asian continent, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. The valley holds seven World Heritage Sites within it.

The Kathmandu Valley is the most developed and the largest urban agglomeration in Nepal with a population of about 5 million people. The urban agglomeration of Kathmandu Valley includes the cities of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Changunarayan, Budhanilkantha, Tarakeshwar, Gokarneshwar, Suryabinayak, Tokha, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, and others. The majority of offices and headquarters are located in the valley, making it the economic hub of Nepal. It is popular with tourists for its unique architecture, and rich culture which includes the highest number of jatras (festivals) in Nepal. Kathmandu Valley itself was referred to as "Nepal Proper" by British historians. As per the World Bank, the Kathmandu Valley was one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in South Asia with 2.5 million population by 2010 and an annual growth rate of 4%.

In 2015, Kathmandu Valley was hit by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. The earthquake caused thousands of deaths and the destruction of many infrastructure across the Kathmandu Valley, which included the towns of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, Changunarayan, and Bhaktapur. Kathmandu is also the largest city in the Himalayan hill region.

Etymology

Historically, the valley and adjoining areas made up a confederation known as the Nepal Mandala. Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital, when two other capitals, Kathmandu and Lalitpur, were established. Until the 1960s, the Kathmandu Valley was known as the Nepala Valley or Nepa Valley. In 1961 the valley was listed as Kathmandu District, which began referring to the valley as Kathmandu Valley. The term Nepa Valley is still used among Newar people and local governments, while senior citizens still tend to refer to the valley as Nepal. The term Swaniga (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐣𑐶𑐐𑑅, स्वनिगः) refers to the three cities of Yẽn (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐫𑐾𑑃, येँ), Yala (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐫𑐮, यल), and Khwapa (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐏𑑂𑐰𑐥, ख्वप) ie. Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur respectively.

The Nepali name Kathmandu comes from the corruption of the word Kasthamandap (Sanskrit: काष्ठमण्डप, "wooden pavilion"), a structure in the Kathmandu Durbar Square. This unique temple is also known as the Maru Sattal (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐩𑐬𑐸𑐳𑐟:, मरुसत:), it was built in 1596 by King Lakshmi Narasimha Malla. The entire structure contains no iron nails or supports and is made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the timber used for this three-story pagoda was obtained from a single tree.[citation needed]

History

Pashupatinath Temple, dedicated to Pashupati

Newars

The Newars are the indigenous inhabitants and the creators of the historic civilization of the valley. Their language is known as Newar language, not to be confused with Nepali language. They are understood to be the descendants of the various ethnic and racial groups that have inhabited and ruled the valley in the two-millennium history of the place. Scholars have also described the Newars as a nation.

Newari architecture consists of the pagoda, stupa, shikhara, chaitya and other styles. The valley's trademark is the multiple-roofed pagoda which may have originated in this area; a famous artisan who influenced stylistic developments in China and Tibet was Araniko, a Newar who traveled to the court of Kublai Khan in the 13th century AD.

Mythology

Swayambhunath

According to the Swayambhu Purana, the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake known as Nagahrada and inhabited by Nāgas. According to the legend, Vipassī Buddha planted a lotus seed in the lake, which grew into a thousand-petalled lotus bearing a radiant manifestation of the primordial Buddha principle, known as the Dharmadhatu or Svayambhu. The legend associates the manifestation with the Five Great Buddhas Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitābha and Amoghasiddhi. Later, Bodhisattva Manjushri arrived at the lake to pay homage to the sacred manifestation and drained the lake by cutting a gorge with his sword through the southern hills at Chobhar, making the valley accessible for human settlement. The lake's Nagas were allowed to remain in the valley's ponds and water bodies.

A different account on the origin of the valley appears in Hindu traditions, which refers to Krishna draining the lake by cutting through the southern hills with his Sudarshana Chakra, allowing the water to flow out. The Gopals who accompanied him subsequently settled in the valley and became its first inhabitants.

Geography

Mountain view from Kathmandu Valley

The Kathmandu Valley is a cultural and political hub of Nepal. It was accorded the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1979. In 2003, UNESCO listed several sites as being "endangered" out of concern for the ongoing loss of authenticity and the outstanding universal value of the cultural property. The endangered status was lifted in 2007. The following seven sites in the valley are World Heritage Sites:

Notable areas

Dese Maru Jhya, the only window of its kind in the country
Kathmandu Durbar Square

Notable areas include:

Demographics

Kathmandu Valley has total population of 2,996,341.

Kathmandu (National Capital Area)

Kathmandu (NCT)
काठमाण्डौ (राष्ट्रिय राजधानी क्षेत्र)
Proposed Territory
Kathmandu Valley (a separate territory)
Kathmandu Valley (a separate territory)
Interactive map of Kathmandu (NCT)
CountryNepal
Capital TerritoryKathmandu
Area
 • Total
902.61 km2 (348.50 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
2,996,341

In 2015, the Government of Nepal proposed to develop Kathmandu valley as a separate national capital territory.

Kathmandu Valley consists of three districts of Bagmati Province whose total population is 2,996,341 and total area is 933.73 km2 (360.52 sq mi)

DistrictAreaPopulation (2021)
Kathmandu District413.69 km2 (159.73 sq mi)2,017,532
Bhaktapur District123.12 km2 (47.54 sq mi)430,408
Lalitpur District396.92 km2 (153.25 sq mi)548,401
Kathmandu NCT933.73 km2 (360.52 sq mi)2,996,341

Included cities

Cities population of Kathmandu Valley as per 2021 Nepal census.

Name District Population (2021) Area (km2) Density (/km2)
Kathmandu Kathmandu District 845,767 49.45 17,103
Lalitpur Lalitpur District 299,843 36.12 8,301
Budhanilkantha Kathmandu District 179,688 34.8 5,163
Tarakeshwar Kathmandu District 151,508 54.95 2,757
Gokarneshwar Kathmandu District 151,200 58.5 2,585
Suryabinayak Municipality Bhaktapur District 137,971 42.45 3,250
Chandragiri Municipality Kathmandu District 136,928 43.9 3,119
Tokha Kathmandu District 135,741 17.11 7,933
Kageshwari-Manohara Kathmandu District 133,327 27.38 4,870
Madhyapur Thimi Bhaktapur District 119,955 11.47 10,458
Mahalaxmi, Lalitapur Lalitpur District 118,710 26.51 4,478
Nagarjun Municipality Kathmandu District 115,507 29.85 3,870
Godawari, Lalitpur Lalitpur District 100,972 96.11 1,051
Changunarayan Bhaktapur District 88,612 62.98 1,407
Kirtipur Kathmandu District 81,782 14.76 5,541
Bhaktapur Bhaktapur District 78,854 6.89 11,445
Dakshinkali Kathmandu District 26,372 42.6 619
Shankharapur Kathmandu District 29,316 60.21 487

See also

References

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  2. 1 2 Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Kathmandu Valley". whc.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 31 October 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy" (PDF). cbs.gov.np. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  6. ↑ Slusser, M. (1982). Nepal Mandala: A Cultural Study of the Kathmandu Valley. Princeton University. ISBN 978-0-691-03128-6. Page vii.
  7. ↑ Tamot, Kashinath (2006). नेपालमण्डल. Nepal Mandal Anusandhan Guthi. ISBN 99946-987-5-3. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Tamot, K. (2006). नेपालमण्डल (नेपाली अनुवाद). Nepal Mandal Anusandhan Guthi. ISBN 99946-987-5-3. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
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  13. ↑ भक्तपुर नगरपालिका स्थानीय पाठ्यक्रम २०७५ (PDF). Bhaktapur: Bhaktapur Municipality. 2018. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
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  15. ↑ Rajendra S. Khadka Travelers' Tales Nepal
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  17. ↑ "Mesocosm". publishing.cdlib.org. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  18. ↑ "Chaitya Halls". History of Indian and Eastern Architecture. Cambridge University Press. 2013. pp. 125–169. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139814621.009. ISBN 978-1-139-81462-1.
  19. ↑ Gellner, D. N. (1994). Nepal: A Guide to the Art and Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley. Kiscadale. ISBN 1-870838-76-9.
  20. ↑ Foreign Areas Studies Division (May 1964). U.S. Army Area handbook for Nepal (with Sikkim and Bhutan). Washington, DC: American University. p. 105.
  21. 1 2 3 Von Rospatt, A. "The Svayambhu Chaitya of Kathmandu". Project Himalayan Art. Rubin Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
  22. 1 2 Pandey, V. P.; Rana, S. B.; Shrestha, S. D.; Khanal, A., eds. (2023). "Cultural Dimension of Groundwater in Kathmandu Valley". Groundwater in Kathmandu Valley: Status, Challenges and Opportunities. Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board.
  23. ↑ "History, Myths and Legends". Cultural Treasures of Nepal (PDF). Nepal Tourism Board. p. 23. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
  24. ↑ "In-situ Radiometric Assessment of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal Using Gamma Ray Spectrometry". Jordan Journal of Physics. 16 (2): 215–227. 2023. doi:10.47011/16.2.9.
  25. ↑ "State of Conservation (SOC 2003) Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  26. ↑ "Census Data" (PDF). 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  27. ↑ "Valley envisioned as national capital of federal Nepal". The Halayan. 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  28. ↑ "Road Map for Making Kathmandu Valley Development Concept Plan Risk Sensitive ..." (PDF). UNDP Nepal. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  29. ↑ "Kathmandu Metropolitan City | Government of Nepal". www.kathmandu.gov.np. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  30. ↑ "Lalitpur Metropolitan City | Government of Nepal". lalitpurmun.gov.np. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  31. ↑ "Budhanilkantha Municipality Office | Government of Nepal". www.budhanilkanthamun.gov.np. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  32. ↑ "Tarakeshwor Municipality | Office of the Municipal Executive". www.tarakeshwormun.gov.np. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  33. ↑ "Gokarneshwor Municipality | Municipality OfficeBagmati Pradesh, JorpatiKathmandu, Nepal". Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2022.