nuwakot

The festive season, Dashain not only brings a reason to celebrate, to gorge in delicacies and to have a family get together; it also present us with the prospect of travelling. Travelling around the time of Dashain had been a kind of norm in our family. We would go to unexplored places, explore the rustic paradise of our countryside.
This time around, it was a different experience altogether. This time history beckoned us. It was, in fact an impromptu decision. My mom and I, along with my good friend were the only one to play tourists this time. We just decided to take a short trip to the neighbouring district, Nuwakot to disentangle ourselves from the everyday humdrum of our lives. Nuwakot lies 74 km north-west of Kathmandu. We headed to Balaju at the crack of dawn, and then waited for the local vehicle to take us to Nuwakot at Machhapokhari. There, upon finding the jeep we jumped at the chance of finding a comfortable means of transport rather than the local bus with overcrowded passengers. But of course, we had to wait till the driver deemed the vehicle to be full. At last, we were on a ride after having been waited for about half an hour.
Our fellow riders were quiet ones and our conversations were muffled by the deafening sound of some old Nepali songs that the driver decided to play. We made conversations, cracked up at some random jokes while enjoying the serene vistas. The mountain range played peek-a-boo with us. My mom would always have her eyes out the window waiting for the glimpse of the majestic mountains. Oh how my mom loves those mountains!
We had a stopover at 35-km bazaar also known as Jurethum for some refreshments. It lies halfway from both Balaju and Nuwakot. At Jurethum, we saw few tourists relishing the mountain range of Langtang, Machhapuchhre and Gaurishankar. The bellowing sound and the winding road had taken a toll on our heads and therefore had dampened our mood a little, but the spectacular view of the mountains did the trick and we were all reinvigorated. After some few catnaps, irregular talks and view-catching, we finally reached Bidur, headquarter of Nuwakot district; which was our last stop. To our utter dismay, the place wasn't bustling with activity. Upon finding an open restaurant, we decided we fill our famished bellies. After the sumptuous meal, we were eager 'to feast our eyes on the historical gem-Nuwakot Durbar Square.
Nuwakot was the main trade route between Kantipur and Tibet so it was very important from the strategic point of view. lluri uphill from Bidur and one can witness the ensemble of historic buildings perched atop of the hill. It was from this strategic point where Prithvi Narayan Shah directed his conquest campaign on the Kathmandu Valley from 1744 to 1769. Transformed into a museum in April 2011, Saat Tale Durbar (Seven-storeyed temple) depicts the splendor and majesty of the place. An ardent admirer of art and architecture, I was mesmerized by the sheer brilliance and the intact conservation of Newari architecture. However, we were saddened by the fact that we couldn't observe the museum as it turned out to be closed due to the festival.
Apart from the palace complex, there are various temples and shrines; the most prominent being Bhairab Bhairabi Temple, Taleju Temple, and Rangamahal, which portrays the cultural inclination of the people domiciling in the area. The brick-paved alley and cluster of traditional residential buildings add to the traditional feel of the place. Paying reverence to the temples. we than began looking at the lush valley below with meandering river through it, admiring the quaint mountain at the background.
After feasting our eyes with the natural and the historical magnum opus we returned to Bidur and then went straight to Trishuli, visited Ram