EXPLORE HIMALAYA COMMUNITY

SERVICE PROJECT
Introduction to Nuwakot
At the moment, the project is targeted for the village of Nuwakot, situated at 2790 ft. above
sea level and is 75kms North West of Kathmandu, 5 kilometers from Trisuli Bazaar which is
the last little town on the way to the Langtang area. Nuwakot used to be the capital of Nepal
before 200 years when Kathmandu Valley was not unified into present Nepal.The village is
inhabited by the mixed community of Brahmins, Chettries, Newars, Gurungs, Magars,
Tamangs, Thakuries and many other scheduled people. The main core forms a population of
around 2000 people. It is also surrounded by other villages and settlements in all sides. The
place consists of some historical monuments and is rich in cultural heritages.

As Explore Himalaya Community Service Project, Nepal gives the first priority to enhance
the educational field; it is currently supporting a secondary school at Nuwakot named
Bhairabi Madhyamik Vidyalaya. It has around 600 students enrolling with an equal
proportion of girls. The school is completely funded by the Government and therefore, the
resources are limited to only what the Government provides. It occasionally gets some
support from some NGOs and INGOs as well but it is not enough to fulfill & implement the
requirement to provide good education to its students. There is the lack of resources and
capable manpower. As the result, the school has not been able to do well in terms of its
achievement as it has been seen in the past years that less than 50% students passed the final
board examination of the high school. Majority of the students failed in subjects like English,
Science etc due to the lack of strong base developed to support the students in these subjects.
So, EHCSP's plan is to offer essential support to the students to increase the level of the
achievements in the area they are weak at and to make them able to compete with other
students from different parts of the country. Besides that, EHCSP also targets to maximize the
return of the investment made by the nation on them.

Nuwakot reflects the nine forts of the region namely Belkot, Kalikot, Bhairavkot, Malkot,
Dhuwankot, Pyaskot, Simalkot, Dhaibunkot and Salynkot. Nuwakot is the centre of all these
forts. The history of Nuwakot spans more than two and a half centuries. Besides, Nuwakot
bears a special importance in the history of modern Nepal as King Prithivi Narayan Shah the
great, the first king of modern Nepal planned and launched several unification campaigns of
Nepal from this historic town. Nuwakot remained the capital of Nepal until the King the great
moved to the Kathmandu Valley in 1768 A.D.

A pagoda style building popularly known as the seven storied palace stands as the landmark
of Nuwakot and it was built shortly after Prithivi Narayan Shah's arrival. With its strategic hill
top view overlooking the convergence of the Tadi and Trisuli Rivers to the south and serving
as a gate keeper to the main trade route north into Tibet via Kerung, Nuwakot served as a
powerful fort for the soon to be first king of Nepal. An interesting historical footnote is that
Late King Girban Youddha received the letter of credentials of Mr. E Gardner, the first
resident representative of Britain to Nepal in 1816 A.D. inside this palace. Although the
village is not too far from the capital city - Kathmandu , it remains ‘Off the Beaten Path' by
the tourists. People of Nuwakot are inspiringly friendly and welcoming in attitude. Having a
historical past, Nuwakot bears remarkable interest for people to spend few days in a Nepali
Village lifestyle.

The village of Nuwakot is situated at 2970ft. above the sea level. The climate of this region is
moderate. The history culture, architecture and the friendly people of Nuwakot makes it a
perfect place for relax and educational stay.

Access

Regular bus services are available to visit Nuwakot from Katmandu to Trisuli and vice versa.
It generally takes two and a half hours bus drive from the capital. During the rainy season,
however, the bus would go up to Trisuli Bazaar. It takes up to three hours.

Nuwakot Palace

Built in 1762 A.D. the Nuwakot Palace is of extreme historical importance. The Palace is
strategically located and impressively built. With wall five feet thick and towering seven
storey high, the palace was built to withstand the strongest of forces. The wooden window
frames and the verandah, which allow visitors to walk around the palace have retained the
intricate carvings of the past. Late King Prithivi Narayan Shah used this fortress to plan and
organize his campaigns of unification. After the unification, the king returned here many
times to speak to the citizens from the palace.

Sightseeing around the palace is extremely interesting and breathtaking. Looking from
Nuwakot to the east are views of the Himalayan foothills, the Tadi River as it winds through
the valley below and on the river's bank are the lush green fields of the agricultural farms.
From the same point looking west are the views of the Trisuli Bazaar. The narrow market
streets of Trisuli Bazzar views of the Bagh Bagaincha ( tiger Garden ) and the traditional
trekking route to Gorkha. From Nuwakot's vantage point beautiful scences of Ganesh and
Langtang Himal are seen to the north and the areas of Devighat, Battar and the confluence of
the two rivers are seen to the south. It is also possible to view these scenes easily from the
recently made Kuwapani Tower or from Kalika Mountain . These are located about two
kilometers north of the palace.

Bhairavi Temple

This temple is the centerpiece of the local religious practice. Like the Nuwakot Durbar, this
temple also represents an important part of the history of Nepal. Many successes of Nepal’s
military campaigns of those days were attributed to the blessings of the goddess Bhairavi.

Taleju Temple

Taleju temple is situated on a small hill in the middle of Nuwakot Bazaar. It is believed to
have been built during the reign of Ratna Malla, King of Kathmandu (14th century A.D.).
Teleju is famous as a family deity (Kul Devta) of the Mallas, the ruling dynasty of medieval
times in Nepal.
Gosainkunda and the Langtang Range

The road following Trisuli River northwards lure many mountain climbing enthusiasts to the
Langtang area. Trisuli, which lies to the west of Nuwakot and is just a 40 minutes below the
main Trisuli Village serves as a half way point between Kathmandu and Dhunche- the starting
point of many mountain treks. Hindu pilgrims and visitors visit Gosainkunda- the holy lake
which is believed to be the birth place of lord Shiva.

Trisuli Area

The origin of the Trisuli River is the holy lake Gosainkunda. Tourists also enjoy rafting in this
river. It flows from Gosainkunda to the south via Betrabati and Trisuli Bazaar and mixes with
the Tadi river in Devighat. On the bank of the Trisuli river is a sloping barrow market called
the Trisuli Bazaar. The market is full of traditional customs and cultural values. There are
various temples and stupas in Trisuli Bazaar.

Devighat Area

Jalpa Devi of Devighat is a well known religious pilgrimage site in the district. Devighat is
linked to the Katmandu Trisuli road. The site is only 1.5 km from the village of Pipaltar which
is easily accessible. It is a common belief here that the goddesses Jalpa Devi and Bhairavi are
sisters. Every year in April a religious procession is taken out here. Traditional assumption is
that on this day the younger sister Bhairavi goes with the procession to see her elder sister
Jalpa Devi.

Many people come to observe this festival from different parts of the country. Devighat is
also the place where the first King of unified Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah passed away in
1775 A.D. As a memorial to the King, a statue is placed above a large stone in the centre of a
park located near Devighat.

Culture and Festival

The people of Nuwakot take great pride in their history and culture. There are many ethnic
groups here, Newars being the largest. Tamangs also make a sizeable population. The culture
of Nuwakot is highly influenced by the culture of the medieval Kathmandu. The folk songs
and the dances of Nuwakot especially Tamangs Selos are famous throughout Nepal.

Many colorful festivals are observed here including great Dashain and Tihar
(October/November). Other local festivals include Shivaratri (February), Narayan Jatra
(April), Lingo Jatra(April), Shipahi Jatra(August), Janai Poornima(August), Gai
Jatra(August), Lakhe Jatra(August), Devi Jatra(September), Bibaha Panchami (November)
and others. The dates of these festivals may vary as they are based on the Nepalese (Lunar)
calendar.

Accommodation

Modest hotels and lodges are available in Trisuli and Nuwakot Bazaar.

For more information plese visit our official website: www.explorehimalaya.com or