lying between kathmandu and pokhara located on a small hillock at an attitude of about 1,000 m. it offers panoramic view of snow-fed mountains on clear days. it is birthplace of king prithvi narayan shah, the great founder of modern nepal, who unified kingdom of nepal. it is also the place from where the famous gurkha battalion in the british army originated. the annual dashain festival begins here with a procession to kathmandu. as per the legend, saint named gorakhnath appeared for first time in nepal in gorkha. key attractions around here include:

• gorkha palace or gorkha durbar: to reach to palace one has to climb 1700 steps which takes around one and half hours. you can also drive upto car park just below northern gate. this palace used to be the dwelling of king prithvi narayan and his ancestors. the durbar is an impressive complex of a temple, fort, and a palace built in traditional newar style. on clear sunny days one can view manaslu (the 8th highest mountain of the world), dhaulagiri and ganesh mountains from the palace complex. parts of temple got damaged in 2015 earthquake and is under repairs.
• kali temple: on the west side of palace is the temple of goddess gorakhkali dedicated to goddess kali, main deity of gorkha.
• gorakhnath cave: ten meters below the palace’s southern side lies the sacred cave temple of gorkhanath. this cave has been carved out of solid rock and is among the most important religious sites for mainstream brahmins and chhetris of nepal.
• upallokot: it is situated at a 20-minute walking distance from gorkha palace. here there is a viewing platform at an altitude of 1,520 m in upallokot from where the spectacular view of gorkha palace and the sliver shining snow-fed peaks can be enjoyed on clear sunny days.
• manakamana: on a beautiful ridge south-east of the township of gorkha lies the holy temple of manakamana, the holy goddess of aspirations or devi of all wishes. the name manakamana originates from two words, “mana” meaning heart and “kamana” meaning wish. the deity is one of the manifestations of the hindu goddess bhagwati. it is a famous pilgrimage site for hindus. it lies on top of a hill and is a four hour uphill walk from anbu khaireni on kathmandu-pokhara highway. it can also be accessed by cable car from kuringhat at highway between kathmandu and pokhara. this cable car covers the 2.8 kilometers stretch up to the temple in less than 10 minutes. from the top spectacular views include deep valleys, terraced fields and the manaslu-himalchuli and annapurna ranges can be seen on clear sunny days.