Swayambhunath stupa is roughly 2,000 years old. It is located on a small, but steep hill, and used to be outside Kathmandu City. It is home of the Adibuddha, the infinite Buddha without beginning and end.
According to the legend Manjushri, a Chinese saint had come to Nepal to pay his respect to Adibuddha. He found a blue flame on lotus in the middle of a huge lake that filled the Kathmandu valley in former times. Manjushri drained the lake with his sword and transferred the blue flame with the lotus on top of Swayambhunath hill.
The Terai are the southern lowlands of Nepal. Tourists either never come to this part of Nepal, or to visit Chitwan National Park.
Bodnath. located to the east of Kathmandu city, is dominated by its large stupa. It has been a center for Nepal's Buddhists for a long time. And after 1959 Bodnath has become the home for many Tibetan refugees.
Of the three cities in Kathmandu valley Bhaktapur is in my view the only one that could keep its original character and its charm for tourists.
Nepal is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Although the Kathmandu valley has lost a lot of its attraction and charm due to environmental pollution and the rapid population growth, you can still find the original beauty and the friendliness of its people outside in the countryside.
Patan in Nepal is one of the three old Royal Towns in the Kathmandu valley. Among Kathmandu City and Bhaktapur, Patan is the oldest of the three towns. It was presumably founded around 250 years BC.
