In the soft, dusty light of
evening the old city of Bhaktapur,
with its pagoda roofs and its
harmonious blend of wood, mud-brick
and copper, looked extraordinarily
beautiful. It was as though a faded
medieval tapestry were tacked on to
the pale tea-rose sky. In the
foreground a farmhouse was on fire,
and orange flames licked like
liquescent dragon's tongues across
the thatched roof. One thought of
Chaucer's England and Rabelais's
France; of a world of intense,
violent passions and brilliant
colour, where sin was plentiful but
so were grace and forgiveness ?
- Charlie Pye-Smith,
Travels in
Nepal
Kathmandu's field of gravity
weakens somewhere east of the
airport; beyond, you fall into the
rich atmosphere of BHAKTAPUR
(also known as BHADGAUN ). A
medieval world unto itself,
Bhaktapur is Nepal's most perfectly
preserved city. Well clear of the
Ring Road, with no industrial zone,
no diplomatic enclave and few
suburbs, it feels more like a big
village than a small city. Every
turn of a corner brings a new
wonder: a narrow alley, a
neighbourhood shrine, a sudden
vibrant courtyard, a
red-and-gold-skirted pagoda. And
everywhere the warm, salmon hue of
bricks - streets paved with bricks
in herringbone and parquet patterns,
houses and temples built of bricks
and carved wood - brick and wood,
the essential media of Newar
city-builders.
Bhaktapur's streets and alleys
are all the more suited for
wandering thanks to a long-term
German-funded restoration and
sanitation programme and, more
recently, to the sometimes
controversial policies of its
communist municipal council. Say
what you like about the city's
entrance fee, this is one Nepalese
city that's got its act together.
Much of it is pedestrianized or
closed to commercial traffic at most
times of day, temples and public
shelters are being restored (without
foreign aid), and new buildings are
now required to follow traditional
architectural styles. The city's
effort to balance heritage and
economic development appears to be
as successful as any in the world
today.
Bhaktapur is no utopia, but
compared to other cities of the
Kathmandu Valley it's relatively
clean, prosperous and orderly. It's
touristy, but only in spots, and
only for a few hours during the day
- after hours, it becomes utterly,
authentically Nepali again. Although
it's usually regarded as a day trip
from Kathmandu, you really ought to
spend at least one night to do the
place justice. An increasing number
of travellers are heading straight
from Kathmandu airport to Bhaktapur.
