Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, a poverty-stricken, largely agrarian country whose residents hold fast to ancient Hindu religious beliefs and traditions. As the only metropolitan city in the nation, Kathmandu has the most educational and employment opportunities, the most financial institutions, and the best infrastructure. However, poor urban planning has led to severe environmental degradation. Tourism is Kathmandu’s main industry; tourists are attracted to Kathmandu’s multitude of historic religious sites and proximity to the Himalayas.

Landscape

With an area of 50.67 square kilometers (19.56 square miles), Kathmandu is the largest city in Nepal. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 1,360 meters (4,462 feet) in Kathmandu Valley, a basin in the mid-hill region of Nepal that was once a lake. To the north is the Himalaya mountain range and to the south is the Mahabharat mountain range.

Kathmandu's air quality is critically poor, particularly during the winter months. The city's valley topography and frequent winter temperature inversions trap pollutants, preventing their dispersion and leading to dangerously high levels of particulate matter. This phenomenon results in significantly reduced visibility and poses severe health risks to residents.

Three heavily polluted rivers and their tributaries run through the city: the Bishnumati on the west side, the Bagmati on the south side, and the Dhobi Khola on the east side. The Bagmati meets the Bishnumati at a juncture in the southwest and converges with the Dhobi Khola at a juncture in the southeast.

Kathmandu, whose official title is “Kathmandu Metropolitan City,” is the only metropolitan city in Nepal. It contains five sectors and thirty-five wards and is part of the Kathmandu District, a region of 395 square kilometers (152.5 square miles) that includes the city and surrounding villages. On the west side of Kathmandu is the old quarter, with its historic buildings; on the east side, separated from the old quarter by the Tundikhel parade grounds, are the city’s modern developments.

On April 25, 2015, the Gorkha earthquake, also known as the Nepal earthquake, struck near Kathmandu, causing widespread devastation. With a magnitude of 7.8, the earthquake led to approximately 9,000 fatalities, around 16,800 injuries, and displaced about 2.8 million people. The destruction was extensive, with more than 600,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, including significant cultural landmarks such as the Taleju Temple and the Dharahara Tower. This disaster highlighted the vulnerability of Kathmandu and its surrounding areas to seismic activity, emphasizing the need for improved infrastructure and disaster management systems to reduce future risks.

In addition to the earthquake's aftermath, Kathmandu faces increasing challenges due to climate change. The city is experiencing more extreme weather events, including intense rainfall, flash floods, and landslides. These events have been exacerbated by climate change, with studies showing that human activities have increased the likelihood and severity of such weather phenomena. Rapid urbanization and inadequate infrastructure in Kathmandu further amplify the effects of these climate-related disasters, making it more difficult for the city to recover and adapt. The combination of seismic risks and climate change highlights the urgent need for resilient infrastructure and effective disaster preparedness strategies in the region.

People

Kathmandu is the most populous city in Nepal, with an estimated population of 1.571 million as of 2023. according to CIA World Factbook. People relocate to Kathmandu to find better jobs, to receive better education and medical care, and, from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, to escape the Maoist rebellion that killed thousands in rural Nepal. Such large population growth has resulted in expansion and increased density in the city. The explosive growth increased the number of squatter settlements in Kathmandu from seventeen in 1985 to forty in 2008.

According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, approximately 81.3 percent of the Nepalese population were Hindu, 9 percent were Buddhist, 4.4 percent were Muslim, 3.1 percent practiced Kirant (or Kirat) Mundhum, and 1.4 percent were Christian (2021 estimates). The remainder either followed other religions or did not specify a religious affiliation. The influence of Hinduism is particularly prominent in Kathmandu, which is home to hundreds of Hindu temples, shrines, and public artworks. A longstanding tradition of religious tolerance enables Hindus and Buddhists to pray at many of the same temples, celebrate shared festivals, and even venerate overlapping deities.

There are a variety of Tibeto-Burman and Indo-Aryan ethnic groups in Kathmandu. These include the Newars, Limbu, Rai, Magars, Tharus, Sherpas, Tamangs, and Gurungs, as well as the Bahuns and Chhetris, who claim the highest castes (a type of social class division) in the Hindu caste system. Of the numerous languages and dialects in use, Nepali, the official language of Nepal, is most commonly spoken. Literacy rates are indicative of societal gender inequality; as of 2023, about 76.3 percent of Nepal's population was literate. Among them, 83.6 percent of men were literate while 69.4 percent of women were literate. In 2023, Nepal's government, through its draft 16th Five-Year Periodic Plan, set a renewed goal of achieving 100 percent literacy among individuals aged five years and above by the end of the plan period in 2028/29.

Economy

While reliable data on urban poverty in Kathmandu is limited, Nepal's status as one of the world’s least developed countries suggests that poverty remains a significant issue. However, as the commercial and financial hub of Nepal, Kathmandu offers comparatively better job opportunities and higher per capita income. The city also hosts the nation's most educated professional workforce. These factors likely contribute to a lower incidence of poverty in Kathmandu than in many rural areas of the country.

Tourism remains a cornerstone of Kathmandu’s economy, serving as a major source of foreign income and employment. In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Nepal’s tourism sector has demonstrated strong signs of recovery. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, international tourist arrivals increased by 65.1 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, reflecting renewed global interest in the country as a travel destination. As the capital and primary entry point for most visitors, Kathmandu continues to play a vital role in driving tourism and supporting associated economic activities.

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Kathmandu Valley accounts for approximately 30 percent of Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP). This underscores the valley's significant role as the country's primary economic hub, hosting major industries such as handicrafts, carpets, garments, finance, tourism, healthcare, and education. While there has been some diversification, including a growing presence of local technology start-ups, the sector remains dependent on traditional methods of production. The city’s manufacturing firms face challenges in scaling up operations and modernizing equipment, which limits their competitiveness in the global market.

Kathmandu’s economic growth continues to face challenges, particularly in infrastructure and environmental management. The city still struggles with an unreliable power supply, which impacts sectors like information technology, and poor road conditions hinder the smooth flow of goods. However, recent efforts are underway to address these issues. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has completed 43 infrastructure projects, including road asphalting, with an investment of NPR 880 million. Additionally, Nepal has secured international funding to upgrade its power transmission systems, ensuring a more stable electricity supply. Environmental improvements are also being prioritized, with a feasibility study underway to enhance green spaces and implement rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge projects, supported by the Asian Development Bank. These initiatives reflect Kathmandu's ongoing commitment to addressing its infrastructure and environmental challenges.

Landmarks

Kathmandu is filled with beautiful, architecturally interesting religious structures and artwork, many of which are located in Durbar Square. The square is a landmark in its own right, and was designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

Durbar Square is a cluster of three squares in the center of the old quarter that has been used by Nepalese royalty since the construction of the Old Royal Palace in the twelfth century. It houses many of Nepal’s most historic buildings, monuments and temples, including the Kasthamandap (the Pavilion of Wood) and Hanuman Dhoka (the Old Royal Palace).

Kasthamandap is a wooden pavilion after which Kathmandu may have been named. The city was constructed around the structure in the twelfth century. Initially a meeting place for traders, Kasthamandap later became a temple. Inside is a statue of Gorakhnath, the god to whom the temple is dedicated.

Hanuman Dhoka, the residence of the Malla kings, was built shortly after Kasthamandap. Seventeenth-century king Pratap Malla added extensively to it, but much of his work was destroyed in the 1934 earthquake. The palace is protected by a four-hundred-year-old statue of Hanuman, who guards its entrance.

Other sites of interest within Durbar Square are the golden shrine of the elephant-headed god Ashok Binayak, the Shiva temple Maju Deval, the Jagannath Temple (decorated with erotic carvings), and the largest temple in Kathmandu, the Taleju Temple.

History

The Kathmandu Valley was ruled by the Licchavi dynasty for roughly four hundred years before Licchavi king Gunakama Dev founded Kathmandu, originally called Kantipur, on the site of the valley’s main trade route in the early eighth century CE. Little is known about the period between the decline of the Licchavis in the ninth century and the rise of the ruling Malla dynasty in twelfth century.

The Mallas were Newars, or native Nepalese, who believed that they were reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu. Lovers of art and architecture, the Mallas used the wealth they accumulated from trade to build sumptuous temples and palaces throughout the sovereign state of Kathmandu and the rest of Kathmandu Valley.

Kathmandu Valley was briefly united in the late fourteenth century by King Jayasthiti Malla, who incorporated Kathmandu and the city of Patan into his kingdom of Bhaktapur. His descendant, King Jaksha Malla, split Bhaktapur into several kingdoms (including Kathmandu) in the fifteenth century, which he divided among his children.

Centuries of hostility between the kingdoms prevented them from joining forces to defend Kathmandu Valley against the invasion of Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha in 1768. Prithvi Narayan Shah wrested control from the Mallas and united all of Nepal into a single country, with Kathmandu as its capital. The Shah dynasty governed from Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu until 1846, when the slaughter of Kathmandu’s top military and administrative leaders in Durbar Square led to a shake-up of the chain of command.

The Kot Massacre, as it was called, was the impetus for military leader Jang Bahadur to proclaim himself prime minister of Nepal, a position more powerful than that of the Shah king and one he would pass on to his descendents. Kathmandu, declared a sanitation unit in 1919 and then a municipality office in 1931, grew both in size and population under the rule of the xenophobic Jang Bahadur. However, the city had become poorer. In 1934, an earthquake damaged a large portion of the city.

The Shahs, aided by political dissidents, revolted against Bahadur in 1950. A year later, Shah king Tribuvan reasserted his authority over the prime minister. He instituted a new "open borders" policy that benefited Kathmandu immensely. A highway built in 1956 that connected Kathmandu and India permitted trade with other countries. Visiting tourists created jobs and generated income, and foreign aid improved the standard of living in the city. An ensuing population boom, however, caused unregulated urban sprawl.

The Nepalese government, which became a constitutional monarchy in 1990, bestowed on Kathmandu the title of metropolitan city in 1995. During the decade-long civil war between Maoist insurgents and the government, the monarchy dissolved parliament and regained absolute power in 2002. After the conflict ended, a national Constituent Assembly formed and established Nepal as a federal democratic republic and ended monarchical rule.

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