Kirtipur, A glorious town

Many places within the valley and indeed the close ones from the main city have remained isolated and unexplored. One such place is Kirtipur, a town that is very close from Kathmandu City but still far from the reach of tourism activities. Spread in 14 hectares of land, Kirtipur is located 5 km from the center of Kathmandu. In Nepali dialect Kirtipur means "a glorious town". Looking down from its natural order it has been the scen of many historic battels and many important moments in Nepal's history. History says that the ancient city Kirtipur was founded by Shiva Deva between 1099 AD and 1126 AD and during the reign of the Malla Kingdom in the 15th century the city was developed for human settlement.

The town is an ancient town, which consists of remarkable historical values and ethics. It is still an open museum of religion, culture and tradition and glorious work of Newari crafts and architecture. With majority of Newari community, the city house about 43.000 people approximately according to the data of year 2003. Kirtipur town is harmonical convergence of Buddhist and Hindus.

The town is not only of historic importance but is also important from the artistic point of view. Some of the finest temples, Chaityas and Stupas of valley are scattered through this typically built Newari City. Surrounded by stone sculptures, masterpieces of Nepalese art, these shrines are the hub of festivals and religious ceremonies (Jatras).