Nuwakot, an authentic taste of rural Nepal without the tourist herds
Nuwakot is the ideal destination for those hankering after an authentic taste of rural Nepal without the tourist hordes, writes Bibek Bhandari
Nepalese sunrises are part of many a tourist itinerary. The popular hilltops of Pokhara and Nagarkot, just outside Kathmandu, are often crammed with early-morning sun seekers.
Nuwakot is different; the dawn breaks in silence above Malika Hill, the shades in the sky changing from reds to oranges as if someone were adjusting the contrast in photo editing software, while mountains are seemingly afloat in a thick blanket of cloud. The snow-capped Himalayas form a fitting backdrop.
Formerly a royal base, Nuwakot village - which gives its name to the wider district - about 75 kilometres north of Kathmandu along a serpentine highway, is far from Nepal's tourism hotspots and chronicles the country's past.
It was in Nuwakot that Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king who unified Nepal, began devising his strategy to conquer Kathmandu, in 1744. Having captured the now metropolis in 1768, he moved his capital from the hill town of Gorkha and founded the Shah dynasty, which would rule the country for 240 years, until 2008, when the monarchy was abolished and Nepal transformed into a republic.
The monarchy's legacy, and those of earlier dynasties, can be seen in the monumental squares of the Kathmandu Valley and fortresses such as the Nuwakot Durbar - the seven-storey palace that is the area's piece de resistance.
It was in the palace garden that the king delivered the legendary Dibya Upadesh, his guiding principles of governance. The temples of Hindu gods Vishnu and Narayan stand side by side in the courtyard in front of the Garad Ghar, formerly an armoury, and the Ranga Mahal, which housed the king's entertainment hall.