Once you have landed in Kathmandu, there are several beautiful places you might encounter, some are naturally beautiful, while some are a historical monument and some blend of both. Kirtipur is one of such places which holds the history with many ancient heritages while offering you the beautiful views of mountains, and most importantly, it is very near to the Kathmandu which makes it very accessible.

The word “Kirtipur” comes from Sanskrit terms meaning Kritias glory and puras a city. Kritipuris also cited as “Kipoo” in the colloquial term.

Kirtipur is an ancient city with the historical essence, rich culture and hospitality, stunning landscape views and several monuments.  It is visited by many people to witness its beauty as well as for paying a visit to the religious shrines. Kirtipur is also popular because of the presence of the oldest university of Nepal, Tribhuvan University in there. In 2008, Kirtipur was also listed as a UNESCO tentative site. Kirtipur was originally a Newar foundation, and it still is a center of Newar culture.

Kirtipur is situated on a hill which offers the landscape view of the city and the mountain peaks. It is at the distance of 5km south-west from the Kathmandu.

Why is Kirtipur a historic place?

The history of Kirtipur dates back to 1099 AD. In the process of unification of smaller states by Gorkhali king Prithvi Narayan Shah, Kirtipur was defeated by him during his third attempt. Prithvi Narayan Shah annexed Kirtipur to his Gorkha kingdom in 1767. The battle of Kirtipur is said to be the very cruel and vicious one by the eyewitnesses. As per the eyewitnesses of the battle, after Shah got the victory over Kirtipur, he cut the noses of all the people of Kirtipur who were over 13 years old. Shah lost one of his brave and prominent fighter Kalu Pande who was also his minister. The death of Kalu Pande was devastating to Shah.

Also, there was a mass uprising of inspirational peaceful demonstration of people in 2006 that overthrew the king of Nepal from the throne. Due to the bitter history with the Shah dynasty, Kirtipur is said to be an anti-monarchy city. During the time of Shah dynasty, the modern founder of the city conquered Kirtipur insultingly, and there was negligence of the administration and development by the subsequent rulers.

Places to visit in Kirtipur

Bagh Bhairab temple

The temple of Bagh Bhairab is one of the popular places in Kiratpur and is one of the most important temples dedicated to the God Bhairab in the form of an angry tiger. Bhairab is the most terrifying and awful form of Shiva and is believed to be the destroyer on hand and the guardian on other.

Munsi Newar of Newar community mainly worships Bagh Bhairab. In Kirtipur, on a yearly basis, a male family member is supposed to take the chest of Bagh Bhairab turn by turn and worship it keeping it in a secret place. If any methods went wrong during the worship, then it might curse the individual. And, any denial of taking the chest home will cause the fine of USD 2,000.

Along with the strong religious belief of this temple, this temple is also built with the beautiful architectural design. The temple is believed to be built in the 16th century and has three storey. It stands in the brick-paved rectangular courtyard with rest houses around. There are small shrines and stone idols spread over the courtyard. There are three gates in the temple, one main gate on the south side and two other in eastern and western sides. In its three storey, the two roofs are made of tiles, and the third is covered with gilt copper. The wooden post that supports the roof of temples is carved with Hindu god and goddesses. The temple also has 18 pinnacles, eleven on top, six on middle and one of the first roof.

There are several other attractions of temples like an old mural depicting the stories of Ramayan, Mahabharat and the various manifestation of Goddess Durga and there are also idols of other deities as well in the periphery of the temple.

Bagh Bhairab temple

Shri Kirti Bihar

Shri Kriti Bihatis built in a traditional Thai architectural style. Located near the entrance of Kirtipur, Shri Kirti Bihar is a Theravada Buddhist monastery. It is a small yet attractive and clean monastery. Characterized by the small windows, slanted roof and several of tiny stupas, this monastery is a beautiful piece of art.

Uma Maheshwar temple

It is one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Kirtipur. Uma Maheshwaram constructed in 1655 AD by the son of King Siddhi Narsingh Malla, Rautra Vishwanath Nanu. The temple suffered damages from the earthquake in 1832 AD and again after its restoration. After the contribution will local people and government the temple was restored in 1982 AD.

The temple is a pagoda-style three-storied temple and has a very artistic stone gate at the entrance. While the main deities of the temple are Lord Shiva and Parvati, there are images of other deities as well as of Goddess Saraswati and Mahismardini. The architectural design of the temple is impressive too. The wooden doors, pillars, and beams of the temple are carted with the artistic figure of various gods and goddess.

As the temple is located at the elevation of 1,414 meters, you can see the beautiful view of the whole valley of Kathmandu and the mountains peaks like Langtang, Gaurishankar, Dorje Lakpa, and Chobhu Bhamure.

Chilancho Stupa

Chilancho stupa was established in the medieval period and is located on the southern hill of Kirtipur. The stupa is one of the most important historical stupas of Kirtipur as an inscription of Nepal Samvat 635, which is the reign of Licchavi Period was found here.

Newa Lahana

Newa Lahana is a Newar restaurant, which is popular not only in Kirtipur but Kathmandu as well. This restaurant is run by a people of Thambhaltole of Kirtipur. They joined together to preserve and promote the Newar culture of this place. This place is visited by many people to taste its authentic cuisine if not for sightseeing. Everything that is served in Newa Lahana from the sitting mat to the serving plate, they all are purely traditional and in totally Nepali style. The food served is no wonder the best. Also, the wine of Newa Lahana is very popular.

Newa Lahana

Taudaha Lake

Taudaha Lake is another popular spot of Kirtipur. The meaning of Taudha is Snake Lake. The lake is named as per the myth around the place. When Manjushree cut the hill off, so the water in Kathmandu valley drains out, many lakes and pond were formed, Taudaha is one of them. After the lake water was drained, many nagas (half human and half serpent as per Hindu mythology) became homeless making the king of nagas angry. To avoid the wrath of nagas King, the locals built an underwater palace in Taudaha with precious stones and riches. The king became very happy with this and ruled his serpents underwater promising to protect the locals around the lake. People do not swim in the lake because of this belief.