Other sights in Kathmandu
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Freak Street
Kathmandu's most famous street from the hippy overland days of the 1960s and '70s runs south from Basantapur Square. Its real name is Jochne but since the early '70s it has been better known as Freak Street. In its prime, the street's squalor and beauty was irresistible.
The smell of sweet incense, children fluttering prayer wheels, cheap hotels, ad hoc restaurants and shops selling enlightenment, were standard sights on Freak Street. Not surprisingly, it made an instant rapport with the dusty-haired 'freaks' who gave the street its name. Love-ins are a thing of the past, but Freak Street's history and plum position in the heart of old Kathmandu still make it a popular de…
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Seto Bhairab
Seto (White) Bhairab's horrible face is hidden away behind a grille opposite King Pratap Malla's column. The huge mask dates from 1794, during the reign of Rana Bahadur Shah, the third Shah dynasty king. Each September during the Indra Jatra festival the gates open to reveal the mask for a few days. At that time the face is covered in flowers and rice and at the start of the festivities beer is poured through the horrific mouth, as crowds of men fight to get a drink of the blessed brew.
At other times of the year you can peek through the lattice to see the mask, which is used as the symbol of Royal Nepal Airlines.
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B
Natural History Museum
Below Swayambhunath, on the road to the tourist bus park, the Natural History Museum offers a faded but quirky collection of exhibits, including varnished crocodiles, model dinosaurs and mounted animal heads that look suspiciously like hunting trophies. The museum provides a valuable service to local school children and it could use more support.
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C
Great Bell
On your left as you leave the main square along Makhan Tole is the Great Bell, elevated atop a white building erected by Rana Bahadur Shah (son of Prithvi Narayan Shah) in 1797. The bell's ring drives off evil spirits, but it is only rung during puja (worship) at the Degutaleju Temple.
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D
Great Drums
Just beyond the Krishna Temple are the Great Drums, to which a goat and a buffalo must be sacrificed twice a year. In front of these is the police headquarters building (currently sandbagged against possible Maoist attacks). Beyond here is the closed-off Kot Sq.
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Maru Tole
This tole leads you away from Durbar Sq down to the Vishnumati River, where a footbridge continues the pathway to Swayambhunath. This was a busy street in the hippy era, but the famous pastry shops that gave it the nickname 'Pie Alley' have long gone.
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Snake Charmers
The Indian Snake Charmers who set up shop in front of the New Tibet Book Store on Tridevi Marg always raise a smile, as does the crazy sadhu, dressed as the god Hanuman in a very unrealistic monkey suit, who occasionally haunts Durbar Sq.
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E
Phaba Chengreshi Thangka Art School
You can see thangkas being painted on the spot at this school in Thamel.
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