BUTWAL

Ashok Bhusal:

Butwal is fairly typical Terai town - hot, flat, dusty and crowded - but it sits at a very important junction. From here, the Mahendra Hwy runs east to Kakarbhitta and west to Mahendranagar and the Siddhartha Hwy runs north to Pokhara and south to Bhairawa/Sunauli. Even if you don't stop here, it's quite likely that you'll pass through town on your way across the plains.

There isn't a great deal to see, but the old town on the west bank of the Tinau River is worth exploring. A small pedestrian suspension bridge leads across the river from just west of Traffic Chowk. If you follow the Siddhartha Hwy north into the spooky looking Tinau Gorge, you'll come to a series of dramaticwaterfalls, reached by another mini-suspension bridge.

Archaeologists have recently identified a village just east of Butwal as the site of the kingdom of Devdaha, home to the mother of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. So far, only limited excavations have been carried out, but there's a small memorial park on the site, signposted off the Mahendra Hwy towards Narayangarh.

POKHARA

Pokhara is a remarkable place of natural beauty. Situated at an altitude of 827m from the sea level and 200km west of Kathmandu valley, the city is known as a center of adventure. The enchanting city with a population of around 95,000 has several beautiful lakes and offers stunning panoramic views of Himalayan peaks. The serenity of lakes and the magnificence of the Himalayas rising behind them create an ambience of peace and magic. So today the city has not only become the starting point for most popular trekking and rafting destinations but also a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Pokhara is part of a once vibrant trade route extending between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalaya. This is the land of Magars and Gurungs, hardworking farmers and valorous warriors who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are known for their entrepreneurship.

Based on the administrative division on hierarchical order Pokhara lies in Western Development Region, Gandaki Zone and Kaski District. The valley includes Pokhara Sub Metropolitan City', Lekhnath Municipality, and some other Village Development Committees. The city is located in the central part of the valley.

KATHMANDU

Kathmandu is the capital and largest urban agglomerate of Nepal. The agglomerate consists of Kathmandu Metropolitan City at its core, and its sister cities Patan, Kirtipur, Thimi, and Bhaktapur. It also includes the recently recognized urban areas of Shankhapur, Karyabinayak, and Champapur.^[4] Banepa, Dhulikhel, and Panauti are satellite urban areas of Kathmandu located just outside the Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu is also known informally as "KTM" or the "tri-city".^[5]According to a census conducted in 2011, Kathmandu metropolis alone has 975,453 inhabitants; and the agglomerate has a population of more than 2.5 million inhabitants.^[6] The metropolitan city area is (50.67 square kilometres (19.56 sq mi))^[7] and has a population density of 19,250 per km².

The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal. It is surrounded by four major mountains: Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri. Kathmandu Valley is part of three districts (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur), has the highest population density in the country, and is home to about a twelfth of Nepal's population.

During Rana and Shah eras, the name "Nepal" referred only to the Kathmandu Valley; it was what people who lived outside the valley called it. During this period, British historians called the valley itself "Nepal Proper". Today, Kathmandu is not only the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, but also the headquarters of the Central Development Region of Nepal. The Central Region comprises three zones: Bagmati, Narayani, and Janakpur. Kathmandu is located in the Bagmati Zone.^[8]

Kathmandu is the gateway to tourism in Nepal. It is also the nerve center of the country's economy. It has the most advanced infrastructure of any urban area in Nepal, and its economy is focused on tourism, which accounted for 3.8% of Nepal's GDP in 1995–96. (Tourism in Kathmandu declined thereafter during a period of political unrest, but since then has improved.)

The city has a rich history, spanning nearly 2000 years, as inferred from inscriptions found in the valley. Religious and cultural festivities form a major part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu. Most of Kathmandu's people follow Hinduism and many others followBuddhism. There are people of other religious beliefs as well, giving Kathmandu a cosmopolitan culture. Nepali is the most commonly spoken language in the city. Nepal Bhasa is the indigenous language spoken by the Newar people. Hindi is widely understood andEnglish is understood by Kathmandu's educated residents. The city's literacy rate is 98%.^[9]

Kathmandu's sister cities (Lalitpur Patan) and Bhaktapur are integral to Kathmandu's cultural heritage, tourism industry, and economy; therefore UNESCO's World Heritage Site lists all three cities' monuments and attractions together under one heading, "Kathmandu Valley-UNESCO World Heritage Site".^[10][11]