Nepal's World Heritage Sites

7/29/2019 Nepal's World Heritage Sites

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NEPAL

Our Heritage:Our Pride, Our ResponsibilityExplore Nepals World HeritageSites with Fulmaya and Pasang


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World HeritageNamaste. I am Fulmaya andhe is Pasang.

We are part of one familyand live in one village. Andthis village is very big.

We have to cross manyforests, mountains, lakes

and deserts to get from ourhouses to yours. That is whywe have not played togetherbefore. Animals and plants ofall shapes, sizes and colourslive with us. Some of themlike the tigers and the one-horned rhinos live near usin Chitwan National Park. It

makes us very sad that theseneighbours are losing their

jungle homes.

Our village also has manyold palaces, statues andcities built by our ancestors.You may have heard about

beautiful places like thePyramids of Egypt and theTaj Mahal of India. But did

you know that Nepal also hasmany incredible places?

All these places includingcities and forests are ourheritage.

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Our parents and their parents and their parents parentshave looked after our heritage for hundreds of years.They took care of it so that today we can enjoy the

beautiful nature and the great monuments. Now our wholevillage must work together to watch over our heritage forour children and grandchildren.

Many of these sites and monuments are so special thatpeople all over the world are trying to protect them. Whata great loss it would be if they were destroyed!

Luckily, UNESCO helps us.It has written an importanttext with a complicatedname: Convention concerningthe Protection of the WorldCultural and Natural Heritage.We can call it the WorldHeritage Convention. Thereis also the World Heritage

List with almost one thousandof the most important sitesand monuments. The WorldHeritage Convention and theWorld Heritage List are thereto protect our heritage.

The World Heritage Committeewith its members from 21countries watch over the sites.But they cannot do this withoutus. We want to help UNESCOpreserve our heritage. And wewant you to help too. Lets rstsee these heritage sites, thenwe can talk more. Were goingto have so much fun!

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Yes, Karma, Lord Buddha was bornhere in Lumbini. This is why it is oneof the most holy places in the world.Pilgrims from everywhere have beencoming here to worship him forcenturies. And every year, there aremore pilgrims.

Incredible! Have themonuments linkedto Lord Buddhas

birth always beenso nicely kept atLumbini?

I am so happy that you see how important it is topreserve, cherish and treasure our inheritance.

Venerable Tsewang, is it truethat the Buddha was bornaround 2600 years ago in thisbeautiful garden?

Lumbini,the

Birthplaceof the Lord

Buddha

Sadly, no. The area was not looked after for many years. A lot ofwork has been done in the last 100 years to improve it. That is whywe can see today what the place looked like during ancient times. Doyou see the viharas and stupas? And look over there, the inscriptionon the Ashoka Pillar. It is written in a very old language.The inscription says that the Buddha was born here. You must alsogo into the Maya Devi temple and see the marker stone. It showsthe exact spot where Maya Devi gave birth to Lord Buddha.

Lumbini,the Birthplace

of theLord Buddha

Being here feelslike having travelledback in time to theBuddhas life. Imso glad that ourforefathers havepreserved it for us.I think we shoulddo the same for ourchildren.

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I have heardthat ourChitwanNational Parkis Nepals rstnational park.

Yes, it was established in1973. See the forests and

the grasslands they are allpart of the park. It became aWorld Heritage site in 1984.We really have to protect it.

Does thismean thatmy friendscannot comehere to visitme?

No, not at all. You must invitethem to come. Tell them thereare only a few other placesin the world where they stillcan see one-horned rhinos andRoyal Bengal tigers.

What about ourvillage, right nextto the park?

We, the Tharus, havebeen living here for a verylong time. The Tharushave always workedtogether to protect thepark and help the animalsand plants survive. Manytourists come here todayto see the park and thewildlife. They also visitour villages to enjoy oursongs and dances.

Do you remember the hugefestival at Bikram Babastemple inside the parklast year? There wereso many pilgrims! I willdenitely bring my friendshere. I want to show themeverything and explain whywe have to protect thispiece of paradise.

Wonderful! But dont forget totell them that this park doesntonly belong to us, but to allhumanity, now and in the future.

ChitwanNational

Park

You must also take them to

see the Gharial crocodiles.And dont forget all the birds.People say that this park is oneof the last surviving homes forall these creatures. They havebeen living here for hundredsof years.

Wonderful Wilderness...

Chitwan NationalPark

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Very old. But not as old as the MountEverest, which is million years old andthe highest mountain in the world.

Wow! What about theSherpas, our people?Have we always beenliving here?

Our ancestors have beenliving here for more than fourhundred years. Today there areabout six thousand of us in morethan 20 villages.

Grandpa, will you liveforever? What about ourvillage and the snoweldnear the glacier lake?

Well, Pasang, Ill not live forever.But Im certain that nature here

will, if we take good care of it. Ourpeople have preserved this place eversince we rst settled here. That iswhy we can still see so many animalsand enjoy the beauty of some of thehighest mountains on earth.

SagarmathaNationalPark

We also have

preserved ourpeoples oldtraditions.Youll not nd sucha place anywhereelse in the world.We all need toprotect SagarmathaNational Park, sothat nature will alsotake care of us.

Our Paradise in the Skies...Grandpa, father saysyou are 100 years old.How old is that?

SagarmathaNational Park

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KathmanduValley

Fulmaya, did you know that Kathmandu Valley became aWorld Heritage site in 1979 because it is so special?

But I feel that the seven sites are somehow linked.Maybe, is it because they have such a special spiritual andhistorical atmosphere?

The architecture is so beautiful. Lets go visiteach of the places. Im sure that the peoplethere have interesting stories to tell us.

Yes, it is really very unique. It has seven culturally veryrich places. The three durbar squares at Hanuman Dhoka,Patan and Bhaktapur, the two Buddhist holy places,

Swayambhu and Bauddhanath, and the two Hindu temples,Pashupati and Changu Narayan.

Yes, certainly. But also because we can see in all of themthe same amazing work of the carpenters, masons andmetal craft makers. There are not many people elsewherein the world, who are as good at this job as they were.Their skills are also part of our heritage.

KathmanduValley

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When I show visitors around in my rickshaw,they are surprised to see so many beautiful old

buildings in Hanuman Dhoka.

Look at the statue of Hanuman next to thepalace gate, it is wonderful! For me, the Talejutemple is the most gorgeous. It is over 35meters high and the tallest building here.

You should tell your guests that thesemonuments are all important links to our past.We, the Nepalis, and our guests from othercountries, must protect them together.

Hanuman Dhoka:The door to Kathmandus glorious history

Oh Baje, I bringmany visitors hereto Hanuman Dhoka.

This is the heartof old Kathmandu,where kings usedto live and werecrowned. Visitorsnd it a wonderfulplace to get a feelfor the city. Manyof them are amazedby the buildingsaround, particularlythis beautiful

wood pavilion, theKasthamandap. Isit true that it wasbuilt from the woodof one single tree?

Yes, brother,according tothe legend, it

was built fromthe wood of thekalpa vriksha, adivine tree. TheKasthamandapis one of theoldest buildingsin Kathmandu.People say itwas built morethan 800 yearsago. At that

time, it was arest house fortravellers andtraders passingthrough thecity.

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Yes, have you seen how it is full ofold buildings? The Chyasing Deval,the Taleju Bell, the three-tieredHari Shankar temple, the Yognarendrapillar and the Malla Palace? Look atthe beautiful carvings of theChar Narayan temple, the oldest

building in the square.

Look at the Bhimsen templeand the water spout justopposite of it. I have neverseen anything like this!

Denitely. There aremany other things tobe preserved in Patan.There is the Kwa BahaGolden Temple and theKumbheshwar temple.They are all expressionsof Patans rich history.We really need to

protect them.

You must also visit the Malla Palace. It has three

courtyards. The southern Sundari Chowk used to be aroyal bath made of carved stone. Lets also go to see theKrishna Mandir. It has beautiful stone carvings which tellstories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The basin is called Manga

Hiti. Look at its three stonespouts and the crocodilescarved on the spouts.This is said to be theoldest part of the square.The water system iscenturies old and yet, itis still functioning. This issomething worth preserving,dont you agree, Radha?

Patan Durbar Square:The centre of Kathmandussister city

Wow, Fulmaya!Your city isbeautiful!The durbarsquare is so wellpreserved.

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Welcome toBhaktapur, Gyankaji.

You look like thefamous wrestlerJaimal!

And you look like Pattha,my friend! Even thoughBhaktapur is the smallestof the three valley cities,it was the capital of theMalla Kingdom until the 15thcentury. It feels like time hasstopped on its squares: thedurbar square, the Taumadi

with its two main temples,the Nyatapola and the KasiBiswanath. There is also theDattatreya Square on theother end. In Bhaktapur, youcan still see how the Newarslived hundreds of years ago.

Its really great! You also dont see muchof the damages from the big earthquakein 1934 (1990 BS). They have restoredalmost everything, even the 55-windowspalace. The carvings on the woodenwindows are amazing. Look how the goldengate sparkles in the sun. This must be theentrance to the palace.

Yes it is. But you should also

visit the Naytapola temple,the ve-storied building overthere. It was built by KingBhupatindra Malla. The kinghimself carried bricks for itsconstruction. Have you takenphotos of the DattatreyaSquare, with the famousDattatreya temple and thepeacock window at the easternwing of the Pujari Math?It is the largest and most

famous religious institution inBhaktapur. A masterpiece inwood!

Yes, of course I have.Bhaktapur really hasgreat wood and metalwork. More importantly,you can really see thehistory of its people. Itis so much better than a

museum with the temples,the streets and thesquares full of life.

BhaktapurDurbar Square:A Living Museum

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Why do so many peoplecome to Pashupati?

It is one of the most important Shiva templesin Asia. Many devotees and wandering holymen, the Sadhus, come here from India andother parts of the world. But it is also a placethat is venerated by Buddhists. There is quitea beautiful Buddha statue on the bank of theBagmati River. It is a great example of harmonyamong the religions.

Inside the temple,there is a very oldJyotirlingam of Shiva.The architectureof the temple isunique, just look at

the four silver andgolden side doors,the wooden windowsand the magnicentwooden and metalcarvings. Around themain temple, thereare many smallershrines, shikharas andthe burning ghats.They are used forritual bathing and forcremations.And there are manymore temples, statuesand other objectsin the Pashupatiarea that you shouldreally visit. The holyBagmati River is nowvery dirty. But thisriver, along with theSlesmantak forest

as a whole is veryimportant for theworshippers.

Do only pilgrims come here?

Tell me more about what we can see here.

You see the temple with the two-storiedgilded roof and the carved struts in themiddle of the courtyard? This is the maintemple. Only Hindus can go into the temple.Others can get a glimpses of the backsideof the mighty golden Nandi, Shivas bull.

Not only pilgrims, but also visitors come tosee the many architectural, archaeological,historical and natural sights in and aroundthe temple.

Pashupati:A Sacred Place by the River

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Hello sir, may I helpyou? I can tell yousomething about myhome village. Youknow, I live justnear the entranceof the ChanguNarayan temple.Have you seen theincredible view

that we have of theValley?

Im Peter Smith fromAustralia, Im here todo research on livingheritage. Youre so right!When I went up toChangu Narayan, I wasstruck by the beautifulsurroundings. The view of

Langtang, Dorjay Lakpaand other snow-cappedmountains is wonderful.Please do tell me moreabout this site.

The site is very old. Itis believed to be oneof the valleys earliestsettlements. It is oneof the most visitedpilgrimage sites for theworship of Lord Vishnu.

Is it true that there is no better place to visit thanChangu Narayan if you want to see the beautifularts of the valley?

Yes, Peter-ji, Changu Narayan is really thebest place to see beautiful examples of

indigenous architecture. Most wonderfulare the stone carvings in the idols in themain temple courtyard, such as the GarudNarayan, the Sridhara Vishnu, the VishnuVaikuntha, the Vishvarupa, the VishnuVikranta and the Narasingha.

Changu Narayan:Vibrant and LivingMonuments ofArt in the Valley

It tells us much about the temple.But it also tells us about thehistory and the culture of theentire Kathmandu Valley. Thetemple as we can see it today wasbuilt in the 16th century.

And what does the inscriptionsay, the one on the pillar ofManadeva, to the left of themain entrance?

What is really beautiful about these temples is that they areliving places where many people, both Hindus and Buddhists,still gather for pujas. Im glad that your community looks afterthem and understands how important it is to maintainthem to preserve Nepals art, heritage and religions.Let me take few photos to show my son in Australia.

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Guruju, I am Kul Bahadurfrom Lumbini. Can you pleasetell me what is so specialabout a stupa?

Nice to meet you, Kul. Shapes inreligious architecture have variousmeanings. The stupa, for example,symbolises the universe. Whileshapes of buildings change over time,the stupa has remained the same formore than two thousand years.

Swayambhu is the oldestBuddhist monumentin the valley. But ithas been renovatedmany times since itscreation. Legends saythat Swayambhu wasbuilt over an eternalame. The whitewasheddome has a diameterof 20 meters. Look atthe watchful eyes of

Buddha. You have theimpression that theyfollow you when youwalk around Swayambhu.They give the stupa alife of its own. And lookat the metal toranaabove the eyes. Theycarry metal images ofthe Pancha Buddhas andthe Panchakula. Dontmiss the spire withthirteen gilded bronzerings, representingthe thirteen levels ofperfection.

Thank you so much,

Guruju. It is great tostand among all thesetemples and shrines.

I didnt know that stupashave existed for so long.

What is so special aboutSwayambhu?

Swayambhu:The All-Seeing

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I dont know why, but I feelso calm here.

Its because the stupa of Bauddhanath has so muchsacred energy. Some people believe that it houses apiece of the Buddhas bone.

I understand now why

there are so manylamas circling thestupa and why theyare paying respect bylaying down. It mustreally be an importantplace for Buddhists.

Yes, it is one of the largest stupas in

the world. Its base is covered by asixteen-sided low wall made of stoneand lled with 735 metal prayerwheels. Do you see the steps thereon the northern side? They lead tothe rst level of the three-tieredmandala. From the mandala on thetop, you can see the giantwhitewashed hemisphere rising.

It really is an important part of theKathmandu Valley. We must take goodcare of all these sacred places.

With all its parts, the stupa reects

the enlightened mind of the Buddhaand all the ve cosmic elements: thesquare base is the earth, the rounddome symbolizes water, the coneshaped top is re, the canopy is airand the volume as a whole is space.

It is so beautifullydone! All these partsin the stupa must be a

symbol?

Bauddhanath:The Stupa of Serenity

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World HeritageSites in Nepal

Hurray! Lets do our best to preserve ourheritage, our pride. And teach ourselvesand others about its value. Come and enjoy,

appreciate and guard these pricelesstreasures for the future!

Dear friends, wasnt our journeyworth it? Doesnt our heritagemake us feel proud?

Where else on earth can yound a place like Lumbini, thebirthplace of the Lord Buddha?And the Chitwan National Parkin the Terai plains with itsanimals and forests!And my home in the skies,Sagarmatha, what a beauty,what a purity!And the wonderful places in theKathmandu Valley!If we dont take care of all

these places, who will? Letsmake a solemn promise, Fulmaya.

Cultural propertiesDepartment of Archaeology

Tel: +977-1-4250683; 4250685

Fax: +977-1-4262856

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: http://www.doa.gov.np

Natural properties

Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation

P. O. Box 860

Tel: +977-1-4227926; 4220850; 4220912

Fax: +977-1-4227675

Email: [email protected]

Web site: http://www.dnpwc.gov.np

For more information

UNESCO Ofce in Kathmandu

Sanepa-2, Lalitpur

P. O. Box 14391

Tel: +977-1-5554396

Fax: +977-1-5554450

Email: [email protected] site: http://www.unesco.org/kathmandu

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Nepal's World Heritage Sites

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