History

As the story goes, the Kathmandu Valley was a lake surrounded by hills in ancient time. Blessed by the visits of various primordial Buddhas during various eons, the lake attracted pilgrims. Then a saint named Manjushree arrived, and created the valley by letting out the water with a sword cut on the southern rim of the valley at Chobhar gorge. And civilization began on the fertile lake bed.

Archeological digs show that Kathmandu, along with the other towns in the valley, ranks among the oldest human settlements in the central Himalaya. Excavations in the suburb of Hadigaon have shown up brick walls belonging to the period between 167 BC and 1 AD. Stone age tools have been unearthed inLubhu village, in the southern part of the valley.

Kathmandu existed during the time of the Lichhavi dynasty (300-879 AD) as two adjoining settlements-Yambu and Yangal. Yambu, also known as Koligram signified the northern half of Kathmandu, that is the area north of present-day Makhan Tole, next to the Durbar Square. (Yamby means "northern land" in Newari language.) The southern sector was called Yangal. It was also known as Dakshin Koligram. Yangal endures in the name of a locality in this part of the city.

Tradition has it that in the late 900's AD, the King named Gunakama Deva established Kathmandu at the sacred confluence of the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers by absorbing the first settlements of Yambu and Yangal. The town was laid out in theshape of Manjushree's sword-with the tip pointing north and the hilt in the south. The temples of the eight mother goddesses defined its perimeter. The temples stand to this day.

Old Kathmandu (Kasthamandap) corresponds to the current City core a compact network of charming temple squares and narrow streets lined with multi-storey houses. The Durbar Square (the old royal palace complex) occupies as center. Thanhiti (the upper fountain) marks the southern section. Such centuries-old water spours lie scattered on and around the city, and they are still a major source of drinking water for the inhabitants.

Most of Kathmandu's opulent cultural heritage-represented by soaring pagodas, houses decorated with carved windows, exquisite open-air shrines and courtyards filled with brilliant sculptures were put together during the Malla period (1200-1768 Ad). By then, Kathmandu was already a relatively large city. Father Giuseppe, a Capuchin missionary living here during the 1760's, wrote that 'Catmandu' contained about 18,000 houses.

The Great Earthquake of 1934 destructed parts of Kathmandu city to the ground, but they were rebuilt almost like the original. Since the 1980's, the city has been spreading out on the surrounding farmland in an unprecedented building frenzy. And fringing form the traditional city core, the capital consists of new settlements of high-rise business, wide boulevards and posh residential suburbs.