Travel Guide Gorkha

Perched at an altitude of 1,300 m, the cradle of the Shah dynasty is nothing more than a Newar village, dominated by a palace proudly clinging to a hill from which the peaks of Himalchuli and Buddha Peak stand out. Few tourists come this far to explore the region, making it a detour off the beaten track. Gorkha's main attraction lies in the eagle's nest formed by Prithvi Narayan Shah's 18th-century palace and the adjoining Gorkhakali temple. A half-hour climb up a wide, paved path leads to a fortress-like monument. Please note that the palace is not a museum. A ritual fire is constantly kept burning to preserve the exceptional destiny of the royal family. Silent guards watch over the sanctuaries, where rigorous priests, invested with dreaded powers, work. Occasionally, you can enter a cave where Goraknath, the great tantric sage patronized by the Gurkha court, is worshipped. From the palace, it's possible to return to the lower part of the town by detouring on foot to Tallokot, a small watchtower located to the west of the ridge line that protects the settlement.