Bandipur

A wonderful blending of Nature and Culture
Bandipur Bandipur is an ancient trading town of quaint streets and
charming atmosphere. Situated on a ridgetop south of Dumre, it lies 135
km out on the Kathmandu -Pokhara highway. It is very accessible with
only a 20-minutes climb up a new asphalt road from Dumre. While the
other trading posts of the Nepali hills have modernised, Bandipur
retains its age-old cultural attributes. It still has its temples,
shrines, holy caves, innumerable festivals, and a Newari architecture
that harks back to the Kathmandu Valley for what it is today.

Bandipur used to be a Magar kingdom long before Prithvi Narayan Shah,
the great embarked on his conquest to unify Nepal. Bandipur fell fairly
quickly as it is in close proximity with Gorkha and in later centuries
was settled by Newari traders from Kathmandu Valley who brought art,
culture and architecture that have remained intact in the bazar. On a
wide saddle at a height of 1005 m (3500 ft.) overlooking the Marsyangdi
river valley, Bandipur provides an unrivalled view of the Himalayan
panorama (including the range of Gorkha Himal). The surrounding hills
are ideal for hiking, along trails that drive one through tribal
villages, verdant forests, ‘power places’, and hilltop shrines which
once doubled as fortresses.

The hillocks that surround Bandipur provide an unparallel panoramic view
of the Himalayan to the north. The observer is able to take in a 300 km
march of the Himalayan chain, and it is actually possible to see the
curvature of the earth on the snowline of this parabola. Far to the
east, the range known as Jugal actually stands directly to the north of
Bhaktapur in Kathmandu Valley. Westwards, the main ranges that are on
view include Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Gorkha Himal (which is the closest,
and include Manasulu, Himalchuli and Baudha peaks), the Annapurnas,
Dhaulagiri and Kanjiroba.