Banepa Attractions
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Banepa
Banepa, east of the Kathmandu Valley, was capital of the ancient kingdom of Banepa, the territory of which extended along both banks of the Sun Kosi. The kings of Banepa reached the zenith of their power in the 14th c., even coming to rule over Bhaktapur. The kingdom derived its wealth from the trade route to Tibet which passed through the Banepa Valley. Chinese emissaries, sent to establish contact with the rulers of Nepal, were taken captive by the Banepans who, pretending to be the legitimate rulers of the Valley, profited for years from lavish gifts from the Chinese.
Many fragments of old sculpture testify to the area's having already been settled in the Licchavi period, but the dusty modern highway, built after a fire in 1961, gives little sense of the history of the place. Some 500 m (1650 ft) north of the statue of King Mahendra which stands at the road junction to Panauti there is an interesting bazaar with traditional houses and temples (well worth seeing).
Banepa, east of the Kathmandu Valley, was capital of the ancient kingdom of Banepa, the territory of which extended along both banks of the Sun Kosi. The kings of Banepa reached the zenith of their power in the 14th c., even coming to rule over Bhaktapur. The kingdom derived its wealth from the trade route to Tibet which passed through the Banepa Valley. Chinese emissaries, sent to establish contact with the rulers of Nepal, were taken captive by the Banepans who, pretending to be the legitimate rulers of the Valley, profited for years from lavish gifts from the Chinese.
Many fragments of old sculpture testify to the area's having already been settled in the Licchavi period, but the dusty modern highway, built after a fire in 1961, gives little sense of the history of the place. Some 500 m (1650 ft) north of the statue of King Mahendra which stands at the road junction to Panauti there is an interesting bazaar with traditional houses and temples (well worth seeing).
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