Gorkha
Regarded by many as the crowning glory of Newari architecture, the 16th-century Gorkha Durbar is a fort, palace and temple all in one. Miraculously, the…
©Deborah Tonks/Lonely Planet
About 15 miles (24km) north of Abu Khaireni, Gorkha is famous for four things. It is the birthplace of Prithvi Narayan Shah, who unified the rival kingdoms of Nepal in 1769, commencing a dynasty that endured until 2008; it is the location of the Gorkha Durbar, the former palace of the Shahs, which looks over Gorkha from a lofty ridge; it is where the famous Gurkha Battalion in the British Army originated; and it is where the annual Dasain festival officially begins, with a procession to Kathmandu. The town remains an important pilgrimage destination for Newars, who regard the Shahs as living incarnations of Vishnu.
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Regarded by many as the crowning glory of Newari architecture, the 16th-century Gorkha Durbar is a fort, palace and temple all in one. Miraculously, the…
Gorkha
Housed inside the grand Tallo Durbar, a Newari-style palace built in 1835, this museum's collection is outshone by the building itself, which has a…
Gorkha
Located in a small square, this miniature pagoda temple is dedicated to Bhimsen, the Newari god of Commerce. If you throw a coin inside, he will…
Gorkha
This squat white temple has an interesting statue of a bull. This is Nandi, the steed of Shiva, who guards Kailashagiri, Shiva's abode atop Mt Kailash in…
Gorkha
This small, white shikhara (an Indian-style temple with a tall corn-cob spire) is dedicated to Ganesh. You'll find it next to a ceremonial tank.
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