Kathmandu’s Bahals

This walking tour with a trained engineer and energy planner, who is a friend of Sita in Kathmandu, is a journey back in time. Your guide for this walk credits the preservation of Kathmandu’s art, heritage and culture to the occasional super quakes that rattle the city. As the cities had to be rebuilt every hundred years or so, the skills of the artisans were preserved and passed on during the reconstruction work. Perhaps similar was the history of the 500 years old Chusya Bahal, where contrasting ancient woodworks exist side by side with modern replacements, this is truly a place where the past blends with the present. Almost like a tranquil refuge from the chaos of the raging city. Another interesting stop is Tachhe bahal which is near Ason Chowk, home to the famous Annapurna Temple. Legend has it that the temple dedicated to the Goddess of Plenty was placed there to inspire artists and craftsperson to be more creative. Next is Jana bahal, one of the most amazing examples of medieval Nepali art. This tour is over 2 hours of travel through centuries of history of the old bahals (courtyards) of Kathmandu. On this tour you will see 7 such bahals and each of them has its own unique history and story to tell. To put things into perspective, there are 270 bahals in the Kathmandu Valley with some 150 in Kathmandu City alone.