Introduction

Nepal, a country of ancient temples and palaces, is located in south Asia sandwiched   between two giants of Asia, China to the north and India to the east, west and south sides. The length of the kingdom is 885 kilometers east to west, and its breadth varies from 145 to 241 kilometers north to south. The country can be divided into three main geographical regions.

Himalayan Region: This is the high altitude region in the north along the Tibetan border. The altitude in this region varies between 4877 meters and 8848 meters. It includes eight of the highest fourteen summits in the world which exceed an altitude of 8000 meters including Mt. Everest, Mt. Annapurna and others.

Mountain Region: This is the central hilly strip along the length of the country and it accounts for about sixty-four percent of the total land area. The Mahabharat ranges, which soar up to 4877 meters, and the lower Churia range form this region.

Terai Region: This is the plain along the border of India. This lowland, Terai, occupies about seventeen percent of 
the total land area of the country. This is most densely populated part of the country.

The neighboring countries have always heavily influenced Nepal in its social, architectural and economic development. However, it was never ruled or colonized by any foreign country. Since ancient times, people migrated to Nepal from different surrounding countries. These immigrants were already influenced by art and architecture from their country, which they spread all over Nepal. Therefore we can find a vast blend of architecture, religion and culture in Nepal.

During the Licchivi dynasty, Buddhism was most the popular religion in Kathmandu Valley and as a result, many Buddhist religious structures were built during    that time. But later on, when Hindu kings ruled the country, Hinduism  followers dominated the place. They built many Hindu temples and other religious structures.

Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal and lies almost at the center of the country. Its elevation is 4000 to 5000 feet above the sea level and it is a very hilly area surrounded by high green mountains on all sides. The total area of the valley is only about 300 square miles.

Kathmandu is only one of the three cities of the Kathmandu Valley. It was an independent kingdom in ancient times. The two other cities, Patan and Bhaktapur, were also independent kingdoms until 1769, when Prithivi Narayan Shah invaded the Valley and  unified all the small kingdoms. At that time Kathmandu was made the capital of Nepal.