Kirtipur

Kirtipur कीर्तिपुर is the ancient Newari settlement that lies in the southwest of the Kathmandu valley. Uniquely located on the long hilltop ridge, where visitors can see the panoramic view of Kathmandu. Two famous Hindu mandirs(temples) are centered along the long hilltop. Uma Maheshwar sits on the higher hill to the north, while Bagh Bhairav(Photo) stands in the middle of Kirtipur. Despite the earthquake in 2015, fortunately, these two survived intact. As you wander around the town, you will find a number of amazing medieval buildings dotted along its backstreets. Besides, the community of Kirtipur is proud of its abundant historical and cultural heritage. Nonetheless, Kirtipur has been ignored by tourists for a long and is one of the least visited places in the valley. 

Historically, Kirtipur had been considered as an impregnable fortress enjoying a strategic, geographical advantage until the army under Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha kingdom and later the first King of unified Nepal, launched its first attack on this fortress in 1757 and finally captured it, leaving heavy casualties and damage in 1768. The final victory in the battle to capture Kirtipur marked Shah's major turning point in his efforts to take the whole Kathmandu Valley. The photo on the left shows Uma Maheshwar mandir, a distant view from the lower street, and on the right, some Hindu temple on the way to Bagh Bhairav Mandir.

Kirtipur people hung the seized weapons like Kukuri knives and shields on the third-story exterior walls of Bagh Bhairav Mandir and celebrated the victory after beating off Gorkha army at the first battle. The rusty weapons could still be seen there as they used to be. The sketch was done in Jan. 2004.

On this visit, Jaeho was there together with his Nepali friend from Dhanusa district. He drove his motorcycle almost all day to meet Jaeho and got to Thamel safely the day before our visit to Kirtipur. After looking around Bagh Bhairav mandir, we dropped by the tourist information center. The center was ready to answer any questions about the history of Kirtipur. Asked about the spot where Gorkha army launched its final attack to take the besieged fortress. Bahiri Gaon, whose current location is near Kirtipur Bus stop as shown in the photo, was the attacking point.