📰 Kathmandu · page 3

Kathmandu is the most important industrial and commercial centre in Nepal.210 The Nepal Stock Exchange, the head office of the national bank, the chamber of commerce, as well as head offices of national and international banks, telecommunication companies, the electricity authority, and various other national and international organizations are in Kathmandu.211 The major economic hubs are the New Road, Durbar Marg, Ason and Putalisadak.[67]212

The economic output of the metropolitan area of around Rs.213 550 billion approximately per year alone is worth more than one third of national GDP (nominal), while the per capita income of $2200 is approximately three times the national average.[68]214 Kathmandu exports handicrafts, artworks, garments, carpets, pashmina, paper; trade accounts for 21% of its revenues.[67][68]215 Manufacturing is also important and accounts for 19% of the revenue that Kathmandu generates.216 Garments and woolen carpets are the most notable manufactured products.[68]217 Other economic sectors in Kathmandu include agriculture (9%), education (6%), transport (6%), and hotels and restaurants (5%).[68]218 Kathmandu is famous for lokta paper and pashmina shawls.219

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Kathmandu

Tourism in Nepal is considered an important industry.220 In 1956, air transportation was established and the construction of Tribhuvan Highway, between Kathmandu and Raxaul, was started.221 Separate organizations were created in Kathmandu to promote the tourism industry, including the Tourism Development Board, the Department of Tourism, and the Civil Aviation Department.222 Furthermore, Nepal became a member of several international tourist associations.223 Establishing diplomatic relations with other nations further accentuated this activity.224 The hotel industry, travel agencies, the training of tourist guides, and targeted publicity campaigns are the chief reasons for the significant growth of this industry in Nepal and in Kathmandu in particular.[69]225

Tourism is a major source of income for most of the people in the city, with several hundred thousand visitors annually.226 Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world visit Kathmandu's religious sites such as Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, [[Kailashnath Mahadev Statue ]], Changu Narayan Temple, and Budhanilkantha Temple.227 From a mere 6,179 tourists in 1961/62, the number increased to 491,504 in 1999/2000.228 In economic terms, the foreign exchange registered 3.8 percent of the GDP in 1995/96 but then started declining.229 Following the end of Nepalese Civil War, there was a significant rise in the number of tourist arrivals, with 509,956 tourists recorded in 2009.230 Since then, tourism has improved as the country transitioned into a republic.231 The high level of tourism is attributed to the natural grandeur of the Himalayas and the cultural heritage of the country which is continuously preserved and restored at great cost.[69]232

The neighbourhood of Thamel is Kathmandu's primary go-to place for tourists and is widely regarded as the center of Kathmandu's nightlife, packed with guest houses, restaurants, shops, and bookstores, catering to tourists.233 Another neighbourhood of growing popularity is Jhamel, a name for Jhamsikhel that was coined to rhyme with Thamel.[70]234 Jhochhen Tol, also known as Freak Street remains a traveler haunt.235 This original meeting place for international guests in Kathmandu became known in the 1960s and 1970s through folklore told by hippies in Europe and North America.[71]236

With the opening of the tourist industry after the change in the political scenario of Nepal in 1950, the hotel industry drastically improved.[72]237 Now Kathmandu boasts several luxury hotels with some including casinos.238 Ason is a bazaar and ceremonial square on the old trade route to Tibet.[71]239

Government and public services

Civic administration

Kathmandu Municipal Corporation (KMC) is the chief nodal agency for the administration of Kathmandu.240 The Municipality of Kathmandu was upgraded to a metropolitan city in 1995.241

Metropolitan Kathmandu is divided into five sectors: the Central Sector, the East Sector, the North Sector, the City Core and the West Sector.242 For civic administration, the city is further divided into 32 administrative wards.243 The Council administers the Metropolitan area of Kathmandu city through its 177 elected representatives and 20 nominated members.244 It holds biannual meetings to review, process and approve the annual budget and make major policy decisions.[38][73]245 The ward's profile documents for the 32 wards prepared by the Kathmandu Metropolitan Council is detailed and provides information for each ward on population, the structure and condition of houses, the type of roads, educational, health and financial institutions, entertainment facilities, parking space, security provisions, etc. It also includes lists of development projects completed, on-going and planned, along with informative data about the cultural heritage, festivals, historical sites and the local inhabitants.246 Ward 16 is the largest, with an area of 437.4 ha; ward 26 is the smallest, with an area of 4 ha.[74]247

Kathmandu is the headquarters of the surrounding Kathmandu District.248

Law and order

The Metropolitan Police is the main law enforcement agency in the city.249 It is headed by a commissioner of police.250 The Metropolitan Police is a division of the Nepal Police, and the administrative control lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs.251

Fire service

The fire service, known as the Barun Yantra Karyalaya (वारुण यन्त्र कार्यालय), opened its first station in Kathmandu in 1937 with a single vehicle.[75]252 An iron tower was erected to monitor the city and watch for a fire.253 As a precautionary measure, firemen were sent to the areas which were designated as accident-prone areas.[75]254 In 1944, the fire service was extended to the neighbouring cities of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.255 In 1966, a fire service was established in Kathmandu central airport.[75]256 In 1975, a West German government donation added seven fire engines to Kathmandu's fire service.[75]257 The fire service in the city is also overlooked by an international non-governmental organization, the Firefighters Volunteer Association of Nepal (FAN), which was established in 2000 with the purpose of raising public awareness about fire and improving safety.[75]258

Electricity and water supply

Electricity in Kathmandu is regulated and distributed by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).259 Water supply and sanitation facilities are provided by the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL).260 There is a severe shortage of water for household purposes such as drinking, bathing, cooking and washing and irrigation.261 People have been using bottled mineral water, water from tank trucks and from the ancient dhunge dharas (ढुङ्गे धारा) for all the purposes related to water.262 The city water shortage should be solved by the completion of the much plagued Melamchi Water Supply Project by the end of 2019.263 Despite continued efforts by governmental bodies, Kathmandu is one of the most polluted cities in Nepal, largely due to overpopulation.[76][77]264

Waste management

Waste management may be through composting in municipal waste management units, and at houses with home composting units.265 Both systems are common and established in India and neighbouring countries.[78]266

Architecture and cityscape

Main article: Architecture of Kathmandu

The ancient trade route between India and Tibet that passed through Kathmandu enabled a fusion of artistic and architectural traditions from other cultures to be amalgamated with local art and architecture.[79]267 The monuments of Kathmandu City have been influenced over the centuries by Hindu and Buddhist religious practices.268 The architectural treasure of the Kathmandu valley has been categorized under the well-known seven groups of heritage monuments and buildings.269 In 2006 UNESCO declared these seven groups of monuments as a World Heritage Site (WHS).270 The seven monuments zones cover an area of 189 ha, with the buffer zone extending to 2394 ha.271 The Seven Monument Zones inscribed originally in 1979 and with a minor modification in 2006 are the Durbar squares of Hanuman Dhoka, Patan and Bhaktapur, the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changunarayan, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath.[80][81]272

Durbar Squares

Main article: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Hanuman Dhoka

The literal meaning of Durbar Square is a "place of palaces".273 There are three preserved Durbar Squares in Kathmandu valley and one unpreserved in Kirtipur.274 The Durbar Square of Kathmandu is in the old city and has heritage buildings representing four kingdoms (Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur); the earliest being the Licchavi dynasty.275 The complex has 50 temples and is distributed in two quadrangles of the Durbar Square.276 The outer quadrangle has the Kasthamandap, Kumari Ghar, and Shiva-Parvati Temple; the inner quadrangle has the Hanuman Dhoka palace.277 The squares were severely damaged in the April 2015 earthquake.278

Hanuman Dhoka is a complex of structures with the royal palace of the Malla kings and of the Shah dynasty.279 It is spread over five acres.280 The eastern wing (with ten courtyards) is the oldest part, dating to the mid-16th century.281 It was expanded by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century with many temples.282 The royal family lived in this palace until 1886 when they moved to Narayanhiti Palace.283 The stone inscription outside is in fifteen languages.284

Kumari Ghar is a palace in the centre of the Kathmandu city, next to the Durbar square where a royal Kumari selected from several Kumaris resides.285 Kumari (or Kumari Devi), is the tradition of worshipping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy (or devi) in South Asian countries.286 In Nepal, the selection process is very rigorous.287 Previously, during the time of the monarchy, the queen and the priests used to appoint the proposed Kumari with delicate process of astrological examination and physical examination of 32 'gunas'.288 The china (चिना), an ancient Hindu astrological report of the Kumari and the reigning king, has been said to be similar.289 The Kumari is believed to be a bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju (the Nepali name for Durga) until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body.290 Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury also causes her to revert to common status.291 The current Kumari, Trishna Shakya, age three at the time of appointment, was installed in September 2017 succeeding Matina Shakya who was the first Kumari of Kathmandu after the end of the monarchy.[82]292

Kasthamandap is a three-storeyed temple enshrining an image of Gorakhnath.293 It was built in the 16th century in the pagoda style.294 The name of Kathmandu is a derivative of the word Kasthamandap.295 It was built under the reign of King Laxmi Narsingha Malla.296 Kasthamandap stands at the intersection of two ancient trade routes linking India and Tibet at Maru square.297 It was originally built as a rest house for travellers.298

Pashupatinath temple

Main article: Pashupatinath Temple

The Pashupatinath Temple (पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a famous 5th century Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.299 Located on the banks of the Bagmati River, the Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu.[83]300 It served as the seat of national deity, Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized.301 However, a significant part of the temple was destroyed by Mughal invaders in the 14th century and little or nothing remains of the original 5th-century temple exterior.302 The temple as it stands today was built in the 19th century, although the image of the bull and the black four-headed image of Pashupati are at least 300 years old.[84]303 The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[84][85]304 Shivaratri, or the night of Shiva, is the most important festival that takes place here, attracting thousands of devotees and sadhus.[86]305

Believers in Pashupatinath (mainly Hindus) are allowed to enter the temple premises, but non-Hindu visitors are allowed to view the temple only from the across the Bagmati River.[84]306 The priests who perform the services at this temple have been Brahmins from Karnataka in southern India since the time of Malla king Yaksha Malla.[87]307 This tradition is believed to have been started at the request of Adi Shankara who sought to unify the states of Bhāratam, a region in south Asia believed to be ruled by a mythological king Bharata, by encouraging cultural exchange.308 This procedure is followed in other temples around India, which were sanctified by Adi Shankara.309

The temple is built in the pagoda style of architecture, with cubic constructions and carved wooden rafters (tundal) on which they rest, and two-level roofs made of copper and gold.310

Boudhanath

Main article: Boudhanath

Boudhanath (बौद्ध स्तुप; also written as Bouddhanath, Bodhnath, Baudhanath or the Khāsa Chaitya), is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal, along with the Swayambhunath.311 It is a very popular tourist site.312 Boudhanath is known as Khāsti by Newars and as Bauddha or Bodhnāth by speakers of Nepali.[88]313 About 11 km from the centre and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.[89]314 Boudhanath became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.315

The base of the stupa has 108 small depictions of the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha.316 It is surrounded with a brick wall with 147 niches, each with four or five prayer wheels engraved with the mantra, Om mani padme hum.[90]317 At the northern entrance where visitors must pass is a shrine dedicated to Ajima, the goddess of smallpox.[90]318 Every year the stupa attracts many Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims who perform full body prostrations in the inner lower enclosure, walk around the stupa with prayer wheels, chant, and pray.[90]319 Thousands of prayer flags are hoisted up from the top of the stupa downwards and dot the perimeter of the complex.320 The influx of many Tibetan refugees from China has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan gompas (monasteries) around Boudhanath.321