Cultural Highlights of Nepal

You will be welcomed with the utmost warmth and hospitality by our official representative when you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. We treat our guests like gods in accordance with Nepalese custom and treat them with respect. Before escorting you to your chosen hotel, our staff will greet you, place a garland of marigolds around your neck, make introductions, and offer you a bottle of water. You can readily identify our authorized representative since they will be holding a placard with your name on it. After navigating the busy streets of Kathmandu packed with local activity and settling into your hotel, we'll work hard to make sure that every part of your vacation is customized for you based on your unique tastes. In the mean while putting comfort first so that there won't be any tension or concern during this thrilling spiritual journey of Nepal ahead! We are now solely responsible for ensuring your pleasure, so you can relax knowing that everything has been handled just for YOU!

Today we will be visiting 2 UNESCO world heritage sites and 4 Sakti Peetha. After breakfast, we will start our tour around at 8 am beginning from Patan Durbar Square.  All the sites to be visited today are historically and traditionally valuable assets of Hinduism in Nepal and have been praised by locals for the blessings we get from each site we visit. Patan Durbar Square is located in the center of Lalitpur district which used to be the Royal Palace of Malla Kings of Lalitpur. This palace also resembles Newar Culture, architecture which has nice square floors paved with red brick. The palace appears to be a melting point of Hindu religion and Buddhist religion. Pradhanas who lived here before the Malla could have built this palace since the exact date when it was built is not available. The Krishna temple built all with stones is the only of its kind throughout the world which is a local variety of Sikhara Style. Patan Durbar Square and Kathmandu Durbar Square are UNESCO world heritage sites with multiple things to see around them. Kathmandu Durbar Square used to be a Royal Palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom built back between the 12th to 18th centuries by Malla Kings. The palace houses and is surrounded by Newar culture and architecture which is guided by Hindu religious values. Before the durbar square got this massive structure it is believed to have come into existence at around the 3rd century when there was the Licchavi dynasty ruling the Kingdom. Kathmandu Durbar Square still has huge significance and importance in the modern age as the coronation and major festivals of the city are celebrated around it.

Likewise, the Maitidevi temple is another important site we are about to visit. This temple is considered the parental home of all the goddesses available in Hinduism. The structure of the temple is different from the pagoda style and is believed to be one of the most powerful temples in Hinduism. The legendary story backing the establishment of this temple goes like this; a divine peacock appeared and turned everything it touched into gold, which later on dissolved into Mayur Kunda which is still available in temple premises. Offering jal(holy water) from that Kunda to all other goddesses is considered auspicious. Also along the way, we will be observing local lifestyles and culture too. We will be taking blessings and performing short pooja(rituals) at each temple and site.

Bagalamukhi temple is one of the most important temples of Hindu religion as the deity represents 10 Mahavidhya(Greatest Education). Goddess in Bagalamukhi Temple is believed to bless her worshipers with power to resilient enemies and provide powerful knowledge. The ambiance in the surrounding area can be felt powerful. Shovabhagawati temple is the holiest temple dedicated to the goddess Bhagawati. This temple is built back in the 10th century. The goddess is considered powerful in fulfilling the wishes of devotees. Bhadrakali temple and goddess is one of the most renowned Kali temples in Nepal. The name Bhadrakali in Sanskrit means blessed, auspicious, beautiful, and prosperous. This temple was built back in 1817 and discovered by a priest who had a dream of a goddess telling him to dig the hill where he discovered the statue. Since then the temple is there in existence and proudly protected by Nepalese Army.

After breakfast, we will begin our scenic countryside drive to reach Pokhara. On our way to Pokhara, we will visit the famous Sakti Peeth, Manakamana Temple. We will park our Jeep at the Cable car station and take a cable car ride to Manakamana Temple. After walking a few minutes from the station we will reach the yard of Mata Manakamana.

As history explains, Goddess Manakamana is a reincarnation of the then queen of Gorkha who ruled in the 17th century. The queen possessed divine powers-a fact unknown to her king and one day when the king discovered that the queen was a Goddess, he died of an unknown illness. At that time there used to be Sati Pratha meaning that if anyone’s husband dies, the wife has to end her life together with her husband’s burning body. For this reason, the queen with divine power with her promise to reappear as Manakamana Mata ended that life and came into existence as a goddess we could visit now. The goddess is said to fulfill any wishes of devotees coming and praying in her foreground.

The daily prayers and rituals behind closed doors are performed before allowing the public to enter. The cable car ride to the temple is another fascinating experience as it crosses many hills to reach the place. The cable car rides over a distance of 2.8 kilometers for about 10 minutes. The cable car operates during the daytime from 9 am to 5 pm. Installed by an Austrian company, the Manakamana Cable Car has been operating since November 1998.

Reach Pokhara and explore the surrounding area with peace and a vibrant night near the lakeside.

We will reach Jomsom after around 20 minutes of flight from Pokhara. Once settled in the hotel, we will proceed toward the Muktinath Temple by hiring a local jeep. It is around 1.5-hour drive to Muktinath from Jomsom. We will then perform a special pooja at Muktinath Temple which is at an elevation of 3762 meters from sea level and explore the surrounding area, which also comes in the world-renowned Annapurna Circuit Trail. Muktinath is one of the world's oldest Vishnu temples. This temple is structured in the pagoda style with black and white exterior color and it is considered as a symbol of the religious harmony between Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal. For the people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa is a sacred place of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers, and is one of the 24 Tantric places. The Buddhists also call it Chumig Gyatsa, which in Tibetan means ‘Hundred Waters’. Although the temple has a Vaishnava origin, it is also revered in Buddhism. Within Hinduism, Muktinath Temple is called the sacred place or Mukti Kshetra, which literally refers to the “place of liberation or moksha”. Sri Vaishnava sect of Hinduism reflects this temple as the most sacred which is considered to be the 105th among the available 108 Divya Desam. Even before the Buddhist religion came into existence, the name of this place in Sri Vaishnava literature is "Thiru Saligramam". The temple and the premises house the Saligrama shila considered to be the naturally available form of Sriman Narayana the Hindu Godhead. There are two holy water ponds in front of Muktinath Mandir “Laxmi Kunda and Saraswati Kunda”. It is believed that by taking a bath in these ponds the ‘negative karma and deeds’ gets washed away. There are also 108 cow's mouth-like water spouts which are believed to represent 108 holy places of Hinduism considered sacred for taking a holy shower. After the visit we will get back to Jomsom for overnight stay.

 Once the adventure-filled flight lands in Pokhara, we will take a rest and begin today's Pokhara tour. We will be visiting Davis Falls, Bat Cave, Talbarahi Temple, Phewa Lake, Mahendra Cave, and Begnas Tal. The attractions mentioned above are widely popular among travelers who are into exploring Pokhara. The Bat Cave and Mahendra Cave are natural caves with wet, dark, and mysterious paths to walk inside.  Phewa Lake and Begnas Tal are lakes with an option to go boating and feel the ambiance of the lake surrounded by big green hills. Davis Falls offers its visitors unique and natural waterfalls with its own history and unique natural structure. Once the tour is over, we will then relax in our hotel with ample options for quality foods, culture, and vibrant streets around the lakeside in Pokhara.

The driveway of today's trail is filled with nature, adventure, and religious values. The first 70% of the trail is a hilly road with extreme turns and twists. Before reaching the queen of the hill; Palpa and after passing the hill's queen we will get to admire the immense beauty of tall green hills with some of the highest pedestrian suspension bridges and the natural beauties aligned with it. On the way to Butwal in between Palpa and Lumbini we will get to receive graces from Siddha Baba Dham, a temple dedicated to lord Shiva. Once we reach Lumbini after the long drive hour, we will get fresh and head towards the birthplace of Gautam Buddha to observe the evening experiences. In the morning also we will visit Gautam Buddha's birthplace and the surrounding area with multiple iconic monuments built by various Buddhist countries in memory of Gautam Buddha. Then drive towards Chitwan for an auspicious Devghat Dham visit, if time permits we will visit in the evening if not the following morning. We will rejoice near the Narayani River and be ready for the next day tour.

In the morning after breakfast we will begin today’s drive to Chitwan where we will explore Devghat Dham. After around 135 Km drive journey we will reach Chitwan after about 5-6 hpurs. Once we reach Bharatpur we will get refreshed at our hotel and head towards Devghat Dham for the pooja and excursion. Devghat dham is an auspicious and important spiritual site situated at the junction of Kali Gandaki river and Trishuli river which then becomes Narayani River. This is the river which in India becomes Gange. Devghat dham has it’s mythological significances mentioned in Puranas from the ancient ages like Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and the Himavatkhanda Purana. The holi site is surrounded by greenery and the ambience feels real divine. There are gurukul, gausewa and many maaths and temples.  The most significant place inside the Devghat premises among many others is Chakreshwar Temple which is believed to be residence of King Mukunda Sen of Palpa(A used to be state of Nepal in 16^th century) who have meditated and attained Nirvana state of life. Taking holy bath in Devghat dham is believed to wash our sins and free us from Karmic Dosha. The remains of the human body after being burnt are brought from around the country to this river as ‘Aastu’ so the soul can be freed of any sins. People who believes in Hinduism consider this place as their old age home because taking the last breath around this divine space is said to save space in god’s place. With the final aarati at Devghat and some vajans we will get back to our hotel and get ready for next day adventure.

Early in the morning we will begin our drive to Nagarkot which will take us around 6-7 hours of total time. Nagarkot is the best rated place for Himalayan views including the sunset and sunrise view. Today we will get to see the sunset view from the infamous hilltop station at Nagarkot. We will enjoy the night in cozy hotel at chilling Nagarkot. The next morning we will have to get up early to see the magical sunrise view from the place. The view will inspire our further journey.

Once we get to see the sunrise view, then we will have our breakfast before heading towards the remaining sites for the tour. At first we will visit Bhaktapur area which is an ancient town civilized by Newar community. Bhaktapur also called Bhadgaon is an ancient city well known differently as City of Culture, Living Heritage, Nepal's Cultural Gem, An open museum and a City of Devotees. Bhaktapur is famous for its elegant art, fabulous culture, colorful festivals, traditional dances and indigenous lifestyle of Newari community. This magnificent city resembles the feeling of prehistoric times given the ambiance of traditional homes, lifestyles of locals and the surrounding environment. The city was founded in 12th century by King Anand Dev Malla. Bhaktapur was the capital city of the Greater Malla Kingdom in the Kathmandu Valley till the 15th century AD. The many of Bhaktapur's greatest monuments were built by the then Malla rulers. This ancient city is also famous for traditional style pottery and iconic woodcarving displayed on the durbar squares and wooden structures of the local houses and temples.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is an elegant and open space facing south surrounded by buildings dating from the 13th century to the 18th century. The 15th century Palace of 55 Carved Windows called Pachpanna Jhyale Durbar and the palace entrance, the Golden Gate - a masterpiece in repoussé art, have added splendor to this palace square. The extraordinary Durbar Square with its extraordinary monuments reflects the glory days of the Malla dynasty when art and architecture thrived in the three cities (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur) of the valley. That’s why it is also enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage site (1979 A.D) along with the Changu Narayan temple, one of the oldest temples that exist in Bhaktapur. With other small ponds and beautiful shrines around the Bhaktapur area we will end the tour and head towards Dakshinkali Temple.

Dakshinkali Temple is dedicated to goddess Kali which represents ferocious and feared. Dakshinakali Devi is considered to be an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. Natural forests and hills surround the Dakshinakali temple area with small natural stream flowing alongside the temple. After visiting and worshiping Dakshinkli temple we will return back to our hotel for over night stay in Kathmandu.

Right after the breakfast we will begin today’s journey by visiting Budhanilkantha temple or also called Jal Narayan or statue of sleeping Vishnu. The place can be reached by driving towards the north of Kathmandu for just about 8 Km. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu who appears to be sleeping over Sesh Naag originating from his Naavi. The regular dun and dusk pooja at this temple is said to awake him when visitors are believed to receive grace of Vishnu. Then we will visit Swyambhunath Stupa or commonly called monkey temple which is enlisted in UNESCO world heritage site. The existence of the Swyambhunath dates back to 5^th century. The entire Kathmandu valley used to be a big lake filled with snakes. In the middle a lotus appeared on itself which is defined as Swyambhu. A Buddha devotee of that time named Manjushree managed to cut a drain in Chovar to let the people worship that Divine lotus. After the water started to get drained, the lotus settled on the hill on which Swyambhunath is located now. From the temple entire Kathmandu valley can be seen and considered as the center point of existence of Kathmandu valley. Likewise Boudhanath is another UNESCO world heritage site on the north east side of Kathmandu which is sacred site for Tibetan Buddhist community residing near around the monastery from the time when China invaded Tibet. This has become famous tourist destination in Kathmandu for non-Buddhist visitors as well. This is one of the world’s largest stupa and the most important Tibetan Buddhist monument outside Tibet. The fragrance of incense and the sound of murmuring chants of Om Mane Padme Hum elevates our experience during the visit to this place.  Later in the evening we will head towards Godawari Kunda which is at the base of highest hill around Kathmandu valley rim called Phulchoki Hill. Taking bath in this kunda is believed to wash away all our sins and there is special festival observed in every 12 years.

Today we will be doing special pooja at Pashupatinath temple with VIP line access managed by Pashupati Development Trust in association with Himalayan Adventure Therapy. The temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and those who performs puja here will never have to go through pashu yoni in their next life. Lord shiva here is believed to fulfill all the wishes of devotees while elevating the energy of worshippers. This is one of the major temples of Shiva worshipped by Hindus. For the special pooja and Bhooga for Pashupatinath there are class of tickets and different prices for each. If the departure is early in the morning this pooja can be done on day 10^th of the itinerary.