Bhaktapur

Immediately to the east of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur sits sandwiched in a valley of rising Himalayan hills; a mass of pointy temple tops, devotional pagodas and carved and terraced religious structures. Centred on the magnificent plaza of Durbar Square, this UNESCO-attested city of the ancient Newars is home to arguably the most photogenic and fascinating monuments in the nation – or at least it was until the devastation of the 2015 quake all but flattened the town. There’s the Nyatapola Temple, rising high in overhanging gables and adorned with mysterious effigies of Phatta and Jaimal; Bhairav Nath, an artistic conglomeration of elaborate windows and rooftop filigrees, and the Dattatraya Temple, built – as legend has it – from the trunk of a single tree. And around this serene conglomeration of enthralling and mystical Buddhist buildings swirls modern Bhaktapur, tour guides weaving between the tight-knit streets, overhung with washing lines and roadside eateries and punctuated with booming cauldrons of Nepali curd, while festivals erupt ad hoc in every corner and during most months of the year (something Bhaktapur is famed for). What’s more, a little further away, the peaceful UNESCO site of Changu Narayan sits perched on a hilltop, commanding picturesque views of the Kathmandu valley. Today, reconstruction is taking place at a slow and steady pace all around Durbar Square and its adjoining streets, attending to the crumbling temples, houses and gabled terraces that were affected after 2015’s shockwaves.