A Study Trip to Nepal: A Visit to the Old Cities of Kathmandu Valley
Saturday, 1 – Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Leader: Khun Euayporn Kerdchouay, Senior Consultant, the Siam Society
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Nepal is a landlocked country, rectangular shaped, mountainous country of 145,391 square kilometers on the northern end of the South Asian subcontinent; it is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China on the north and India on the east, west and south. Geographically the country consists of three zones: the flat southern strip of alluvial plain and jungle called the Terai, the hilly midlands belt at altitude ranging between 600 and 2,500 meters above sea level, and the mountainous north. Eight of the world’s ten tallest peaks majestically guard Nepal’s northern borders. They include the world’s tallest, Mt. Everest, which soars 8,848 meters.
Kathmandu Valley: Spread across an area of 360 square km, the valley is an exotic and fascinating showcase of a very rich culture, art and tradition. Nowhere else in the world can one find a blend of so many monuments and shrines dedicated to both Hindu and Buddhist religions within the same area. In mediaeval times, there were four independent city kingdoms of Patan, Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, and Kitipur within the Kathmandu Valley. Although rapid urbanization has integrated these four ancient cities almost into a single metropolis, their old quarters still retain their individuality, each boasting the palaces of their former rulers with courtyards surrounded by temples and monuments. The cities have somehow managed to survive the ravages of invasion and natural calamities over time.
The whole Kathmandu Valley is really one enormous art gallery and museum, and the arts and architecture in Nepal are inextricably intermingled. The finest woodcarving and the best sculpture are often part of a building – a temple is simply not a temple without its finely carved roof supports. The crafts also reflect the uniquely Nepalese melting pot where Hindu art has Tantric Buddhist overtones and the dividing line between one religion and another is hard to discern. The Licchavi period from the 4th-9th centuries was a golden age for Nepal. Many temples around the valley have beautiful pieces of stone Licchavi sculpture in their courtyards. The earliest woodcarving in the valley dates from the 12th - 13th centuries.
The earliest Newari paintings were illuminated manuscripts dating from the 11th century. These were followed by miniature paintings, influenced by the miniatures of Northern India. From the 14th to 16th centuries, the Newaris also had a great influence on Tibetan art.
During the first week of May 2010, the Siam Society is organizing a short study trip to visit the major temples, palaces, museums, historical sites, etc. of the old cities of Kathmandu Valley from Saturday, 1 to Tuesday, 4 May 2010.
The tentative programme will be as follows:
Day 1: Saturday, 1 May 2010 |
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| 8:30 | Meet at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport check-in counter for Thai Airways International, Row D. |
| 10:35 | Depart Suvarnabhumi Airport for Kathmandu by Thai Airways Intl. flight TG319. |
| 12:45 | Arrive at Kathmandu Airport, transfer to local restaurant for lunch and check-in at Radisson Hotel or similar category. |
| Afternoon: | Visit monuments of Kathmandu Durbar Square and Hanuman Dhoka and Museum. The Hanuman Dhoka palace and the temple-filled square beside it occupy an area of almost 10 acres in the centre of old Kathmandu. The oldest buildings date from the late 11th century. Nowadays the Hanuman Dhoka area contains buildings that were commissioned between the mid-16th and early 20th centuries. |
| Evening: | Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at the hotel. |
Day 2: Sunday, 2 May 2010 |
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| - | Breakfast at the hotel. |
| Morning: | Visit the Swayambhu Stupa, the largest and best-preserved Buddhist monuments in the Kathmandu Valley. The stupa of Swayambhu is one of Nepal’s most distinctive and memorable landmarks. It stands on the summit of a hill which rises some 300 feet from the valley floor and is the kingdom’s most venerated Buddhist shrine. |
| Noon: | Lunch at a local restaurant |
| Afternoon: | Visit the temple of Pashupati (Pashupatinath); this is located in Deopatan, a little town 3 km. north-west of Kathmandu. The temple attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and has become well known far beyond the Kathmandu Valley. It is the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal. |
| Evening: | Visit Bodnath Stupa, the central shine of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. The first foundations of this stupa are twenty centuries old, but the monument itself dates from the 6th century, and its present form from the 11th century. Around the stupa are Tibetan and Newar houses and shops. Numerous Tibetans live around this stupa, which is greatly venerated and visited in winter by many Bhotia and Sherpa pilgrims |
| - | Dinner and overnight at the hotel. |
Day 3: Monday, 3 May 2010 |
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| - | Breakfast at the hotel. |
| Morning: | Visit monuments and the town of Bhaktapur, which is more purely Hindu than the other Valley towns: it contains only half a dozen intact Viharas, but there are more than a dozen Hindu priests’ houses and over 100 temples and shrines. Several of Bhaktapur’s finest buildings have been restored by an ongoing project supported by the government of Germany. Bhaktapur is an ancient royal Malla town which remarkably has retained its mediaeval originality; it is a fascinating town to stroll through. |
| Noon: | Lunch by one’s own arrangement in Bhaktapur. |
| Afternoon: | Proceed to the Temple of Changu Narayan. Visit monuments and stone sculptures at Changu Narayan Temple compound. The temple of Narayan (Vishnu) at Changu is the most ancient and venerated shrine to Vaishna in Nepal. It is located on top of a hill. The original temple was probably founded in the 4th century. The two-tiered pagoda stands in a square courtyard surrounded by two-storeyed Dharmashala, and is one of the finest examples of Newar temple architecture. Several examples of stone sculptures at Changu Narayan count among the masterpieces of Nepali art from the 7th-17th centuries. |
| Late afternoon: | Proceed to Nagakot, a hill resort at 2,175 m. with a magnificent view of the Himalayas, a perfect place to watch sunrise and sunset. |
| Evening: | Dinner and overnight at Nagakot. |
Day 4: Tuesday, 4 May 2010 |
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| - | Breakfast at the hotel. |
| Morning: | After breakfast, transfer to Kathmandu Airport for check-in at 11:30 a.m. |
| 13:50 | Fly out from Kathmandu to Bangkok by Thai Airways Intl. flight TG320. |
| 18:35 | Arrive at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. |
Booking
B 47,500 or B 49,500 for non-members. Single room surcharge B 6,000. There is a 3% surcharge for credit/debit card payment to cover bank charges. A non-refundable deposit of B 5,000 must accompany the booking. Payment in full is required 15 days before the start of the trip (i.e. by Friday, 16 April). Please pay by cash or cheque payable to ‘The Siam Society’. Alternatively you can deposit/transfer the money to the Siam Society travel account at the Thai Military Bank, Asoke Branch saving account no. 053-2-18000-7. Please fax or e-mail the deposit or transfer docket to us.
In case the tour has to be cancelled due to insufficient participants, a full refund of the deposit will be made.
Includes/Excludes:
The contribution includes airfare, airport transfers, 3 breakfasts 3 lunches, and 3 dinners, accommodation for two persons per room, entrance fees to museums and other costs incurred to make this trip possible. It excludes visa fee (if any), 1 lunch, personal expenses, tips to driver and porter, etc.
Cancellation charge:
Cancellation after booking: Deposit forfeited
14 days before the start of the trip: 30% of the tour cost
13-10 days before the start of the trip: 50% of the tour cost
Less than 10 days or cancellation without notice: No refund
The Siam Society reserves the right to change the programme as necessary. Seats are limited. Please book your place as soon as possible.
For further information and bookings please contact Khun Prasert (ext. 504) or Khun Ekkarin (ext. 506) on 0 2661 6470-7, fax 0 2258 3491 or e-mail: info@siam-society.org. Office hours: 9:00am.–5:00pm. Tuesday–Saturday (except holidays).