April
27
/ 2016
The city of Kathmandu is today the capital of Nepal. This status, however, was only conferred on it during the 18th century. 1769 is traditionally regarded as the year that Nepal was unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah, who then chose Kathmandu as the capital of his kingdom. Nevertheless, the history of Kathmandu stretches much further back in time, and many of its sacred sites were established and built centuries before the unification of Nepal. A Legendary Valley Filled with Water The city of Kathmandu is situated within the Kathmandu Valley, which is surrounded by four different mountain ranges. According to local legend, the valley was not always like this, and at some point in the distant past, it was filled
