Heritage Sites

Kathmandu Valley

The cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley consists of seven groups of monuments and buildings – Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu),Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath and the Hindu temples of
Pashupati and Changu Narayan. These display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu
Valley is world famous.

Buddhism and Hinduism have developed and changed over the centuries throughout Asia. In Nepal, both religions prospered and
produced a powerful artistic and architectural fusion beginning at least from the 5th Century AD, with the three hundred year
period between 1500 and 1800 AD being its golden period. These monuments were defined by the outstanding cultural traditions
of the Newars. This is manifested in their unique urban settlements, buildings and structures with intricate ornamentation displaying
outstanding craftsmanship in brick, stone, timber and bronze that are some of the most highly developed in the world.

Pattan

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Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini. It became a place of pilgrimage
and Indian emperor Ashoka erected one of his commemorative pillars there. Apart from being a Buddhist pilgrimage centre,
the archaeological remains associated with the birth of Lord Buddha form a central feature.

The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes includes the Shakya Tank, the remains within
the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century,
and also the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Moreover, there are the excavated remains of
Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd
century BC to the 15th century AD.

Lumbini

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http://nepal.saarctourism.org/world-heritage-sites.html

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/121

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