as per belief kathmandu valley was once a huge lake which was drained by bodhisattva (buddha to be) manjushree with a slice of his sword of a portion of the hills in chovar or chobhar and the area was inhabited by his followers. this resulted in creation of fertile kathmandu valley. this valley over the years have been rules by many dynasties and empires and each leaving its own imprint. there are seven unesco world heritage sites in this valley, highest concentration as compared to other parts of world:

• kathmandu durbar square
• bhaktapur durbar square
• patan durbar square
• swayambhunath
• pashupatinath
• boudhanath
• changu narayan.

under the reign of yaksha malla, grandson of jayasthiti malla, kathmandu valley was divided into three kingdoms, bhadgaon (bhaktapur), lalitpur (patan) and kantipur (kathmandu). today there are other two smaller cities in the valley viz. kirtipur and thimi.

located at an altitude of 1,400 m, kathmandu is capital city of nepal and its oldest metropolitan city in nepal. in-spite of being a metropolitan city, locals here have retained the age-old culture, rituals, festivals, food, and of course the architecture. it is a fine example of how old blends with new. the city flourished during the malla era when maximum of its superb temples, buildings and other monuments were built. kathmandu is known all over the world for its wonderful cultural and architectural beauty which is a true example of newari culture. kathmandu today is one of the most preferred destination for tourists. it is the home only international airport in nepal. the city boasts of luxury hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and casinos. transportation is cheap and convenient. easy getaways from kathmandu includes dhulikhel and nagarkot from where one can have breathtaking views of mountains and get a feel of village life.