Kirtipur: A Beautiful and Historical City of Kathmandu

Visiting Nepal is on the list of many people around the world as it is a complete package where you can experience everything.

It is perfect for adventurous activities like bungee jumping, rafting, mountain climbing, skydiving, and many others. Nepal is also rich in biodiversity where you will explore the rare flora and fauna of the whole world.

Also, Nepal is a culturally rich pool, where you can dive into to know the unique and distinctive group of people, their lifestyles and cultures and tradition.

There is so much to see and experience in Nepal from its natural beauty to the magnificent heritage and monuments that visiting Nepal is never enough. However, Kirtipur is one such place in Nepal that comprise a little bit of everything.

About Kirtipur

Kirtipur is a beautiful town that lies on a rocky hill that offers a splendid view of the mountains in its background. The name Kirtipur is derived from Sanskrit words, Kirti meaning glory and pur meaning city.

Located at a distance of 5 km in the southwest of Kathmandu, Kirtipur is also an important city from the historical point of view of Nepal. It is also a city rich with architectural beauty and an ancient atmosphere.

Kirtipur was originally a Newar foundation, and it still is a center of Newar culture. Kirtipur is also famous for its temples, monasteries, and churches. Kirtipur is also very popular because of the presence of the Tribhuvan University of Nepal, which is the oldest university.

Kirtipur is a city itself, but it has still kept its charm. The houses built in traditional style with unique windows, the religious sites, and the overall beauty and history dating back hundreds of year, makes Kirtipur one of the most remarkable cities in the whole country.

Historical Essence of Kirtipur

Kirtipur is one the important historical city of Nepal during the unification process of Nepal by King Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Prithvi Narayan Shah annexed Kritipur in 1767 during his third attempt in his quest of unifying all the small states in one.

The battle of Kirtipur is described to be a very vicious one and full of cruelty as Prithivi Narayan Shah cut the noses of the people of Kirtipur over 13 years after the victory.

He lost his minister Kalu Pande in the fight, which was a great loss for him.

In 2006, there was a mass uprising of inspirational peaceful demonstrations of people that overthrew the powers of the King.

Kirtipur is considered as an anti-monarchy city because of the bitter history against the Shah dynasty whose modern founder conquered the city insultingly and the negligence of the administration and development by subsequent rulers followed this.

Attractions of Kirtipur

Bagh Bhairb Temple

Located in Kirtipur, BaghBhairab temple is one of the most popular temples dedicated to Bhairb, the terrifying form of Lord Shiva. The god Bhairab is also believed to be the guardian of Kirtipur and the local calls it Ajudeu, meaning a grandfather.

The temple the mainly worshipped by Munsi Newars. There is a custom that each male of the family members takes the chest of BaghBhairab turn by turn yearly and worships it twice a day in a secret room.

There is also the belief that any wrong method while worshipping will curse the individual. And the most shocking part is, the denial of taking the chest home will cause a fine of USD 2,000.

The architectural design of this temple is also very interesting. It was built in the 16th century and is three stories. The top two stories are made of tiles while the third one is covered with gilt copper.

The temple stands in the brick-paved rectangular courtyard with rest houses around it. The courtyard is covered with small shrines and stone idols.

The main gates lie on the southern side of the courtyard, and the other are on the eastern and western sides. There are beautiful carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses on the wooden post supporting the roof.

There are a total of eighteen pinnacles on the temple, one on the first roof, six on the middle one, and eleven on the top.

You can also see the old and faded murals beneath the eaves depicting the stories of Ramayan, Maha Bharat, and various manifestations of Goddess Durga. There are several deities around including HifaDyo, NasaDyo, and others.

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