The most beautiful religious buildings Nepal

Tsamchen Gompa is the onlyTibetan Buddhist monastery to open directly onto the stūpa. It houses superb paintings and a Buddha from the future. But many other gompas surround the stūpa: Tamang Gompa, Kagyupa Gompa, Chinya-Lama Gompa, Nyingmapa Gompa, Tarik Gompa... Most can be visited, except in the middle of the day. Further east, Samtenling Gompa is the oldest. The large Kopan monastery (in the nearby mountains) and Shechen monastery provide accommodation for visitors. The latter is famous for one of its monks: the Frenchman Matthieu Ricard.

The Janaki Temple is a gigantic white marble building, dedicated to Sita and overloaded with arabesques, located in the city centre. Pilgrims flock here in their thousands on the anniversary of Sita and Rama's marriage in November-December or on the full moon of April during Rama's anniversary celebration. There is a small museum associated with the temple, where you can find an evocation of the life of Sita and Rama. Next to the Janaki Mandir is the Ram Sita Bibaha Mandap, a pagoda-shaped temple built on the site of Sita and Rama's wedding.