Streets squares and districts to visit Kathmandu

Indra Chowk Square is dedicated to the god of heaven and rain. Upstairs, the shrine dedicated to Akash Bhairav, another form of Shiva, blue in colour, is forbidden to non-Hindus. On the steps of another temple on the other side of the square, blankets, cotton carpets and shawls are spread out and hung. All around, most of the shops are run by Muslims, descendants of the Kashmiris who settled in the valley three centuries ago. In the background, a small bead market invites to make interlaced necklaces.

Thahity's square is marked in its center by a large white stūpa decorated with prayer banners. In the street that goes from Thahity to Indra Chowk, on the right, a square courtyard opens, housing the stūpa of Katesimbhu, a contraction of Kathmandu-Swayambu. The licchavi sculptures that surround it bear witness to its antiquity. This stūpa offers a substitute for those who cannot make the pilgrimage to the hill every morning. Next to the stupa, a school dedicated to thangkas, Healing Mandala Thangka Painting School, will be happy to introduce you to this art.

Opened in 1950 to open up the city centre, New Road is the work of Prime Minister Shamsher Rana, whose statue adorns the main square. New Road starts from Freak Street and ends under a large arch facing Tundikhel, a green space surrounded by jacarandas that serves as a manoeuvring area. This is where the tourist office, Kathmandu's oldest cheese factory and the city's first supermarket with an escalator are located. This is the avenue of jewellers, good ice cream and ready-to-wear shops for the locals.