Picturesque Nepal . ^ V \ .1. .^ :^^ ^ ?-^ -c^-^ \-. CHAPTER V THE CITIES OF THE VALLEY Katmandu—Legendary Plan—History—The Durbar—BhimSens Tower—Bhatgaon—The Durbar Square—TheGolden Gate—Nyatpola Deval or the Temple of the FiveStages—The Taumari Tol—Patan—Its Decay—TheDurbar Square—Principal Buildings of Patan—Kirtipur. The three main cities of Nepal are Katmandu,Bhatgaon, and Patan, all situated in thevalley, and eacti within a few miles of oneanother. When the country consisted ofseveral principalities, each of these was acapital in itself, self-governed and self-con-tained, but since the G

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Picturesque Nepal . ^ V \ .1. .^ :^^ ^ ?-^ -c^-^ \-. CHAPTER V THE CITIES OF THE VALLEY Katmandu—Legendary Plan—History—The Durbar—BhimSens Tower—Bhatgaon—The Durbar Square—TheGolden Gate—Nyatpola Deval or the Temple of the FiveStages—The Taumari Tol—Patan—Its Decay—TheDurbar Square—Principal Buildings of Patan—Kirtipur. The three main cities of Nepal are Katmandu,Bhatgaon, and Patan, all situated in thevalley, and eacti within a few miles of oneanother. When the country consisted ofseveral principalities, each of these was acapital in itself, self-governed and self-con-tained, but since the Gurkha conquest in 1767Katmandu has been retained as the seat of thepresent Government of the State. Owing tothis turn of events, the two ancient cities ofBhatgaon and Patan have fallen gradually intopartial decay, but all these capitals, whetherancient or modern, are picturesque in the 62 THE CITIES OF THE VALLEY extreme, and full of artistic relics of a by-gone age. The immediate outskirts of Katmandu aresomewhat dull a

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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidpicturesquen, bookyear1912