寺庙之城--尼泊尔首都加德满都 Kathmandu-A Holly Temple City

寺庙之城--尼泊尔首都加德满都

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尼泊尔首都加德满都 (Kathmandu) 位于加德满都谷地，巴格马提河和比兴马提河的汇口处。该市四周环山。北以喜马拉雅山为屏，南向印度洋暖流，海拔１３７０米。四季如春，气侯宜人，年平均温度２０℃左右，是世界闻名的游览胜地。

加德满都建于公元７２３年，原名康提普尔，意为"光明之城"。十六世纪改称加德满都，尼泊尔语为"独木庙"之意。公元十二世纪李查维王朝国王用一棵树建造了一座塔庙，后以此庙为中心，造屋扩建，建为城市，因而改名。１７６８年始为都城。

城内大小寺庙达２７００多所，素称"寺庙之城"。占地７平方公里的市中心，庙宇、佛堂、经塔有２５０多座，形成庙宇多如住宅，佛像多如居民的景象。故宫哈努曼多卡宫、新宫纳拉扬希蒂宫、中央政府大厦狮宫以及比姆森塔、烈士纪念碑等均为雄伟的有名建筑。巴格马提河左岸有古赫什瓦里庙，祀奉湿婆之妻雪山女神，庙宇形制为三角形，殿脊四条金色蛇簇拥宝顶，十分壮观。哈努曼多卡宫西边不远处，有贾格纳特寺，寺内所存马拉王朝最古老的碑铭及木雕毗湿奴神像是珍贵的文物，寺顶和檐角的飞岛等异形瓦件也是近世少见。

布帕亭德拉?马拉国王之母拉克丝米于１６９０年所建的太后庙构造奇特。它是建于九层台基之上的三层瓦檐的湿婆神庙，但庙顶却是一座尖顶佛塔，在尼泊尔寺庙中为绝无仅有。其它如著名的斯瓦扬布佛塔、塔莱珠女神庙、帕苏帕蒂纳，以及建于五层台基上的三界魔力寺、有五扇雕花木门的湿婆帕尔瓦蒂庙、三重檐的文艺女神庙、八角形的黑天神庙等，有的布局严谨，造型典雅，有的画栋雕梁，金碧辉煌，有的以庙内精美的木刻神像著称，有的以庙前的镏金铜狮驰名，造型各异，各有特色。有一尊用完整的、高约５米的黑石凿成的黑色拜拉布神像，立于路旁，此神为湿婆的化身。雕像足踏怪魔，头戴骷髅饰帽盔，颈挂垂至腹下的一串人头骷髅，６手各握武器，赤眉如火，巨眼圆瞪，令人恐惧。此像已有３００余年，过去，民间犯罪、兴讼或争执，要先到这里，以手触石，誓不诳言，然后审问断案。

１９８０年联合国教科文组织将它列为亚洲重点保护的１８座古城之列。

Kathmandu is really two cities: a fabled capital of convivial pilgrims and carved rose-brick temples, and a frenetic sprawl of modern towers, mobbed by beggars and monkeys and smothered in diesel fumes. It simultaneously reeks of history and the encroaching wear and tear of the modern world.

When To Go
October-November, the start of the dry season, is probably the best time of year to visit Kathmandu: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the countryside is lush and green following the monsoon. February-April, the tail end of the dry season is the second-best time to visit: visibility is not so good because of dust, but the weather is warm and many of Nepal's wonderful wild flowers are in bloom. In December and January, the views are crystal clear, but it can be chilly in the evenings: few of the cheaper hotels in Kathmandu have any heating and most travellers stay out in the warmth of Thamel's bars and restaurants until late and then rush home and dive under the blankets. The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. You'll probably find you spend most of the time indoors with a book while the rain thunders down outside.

Maoist Rebellion at an End
Although the Maoist insurgency has ended, travellers should monitor the situation and keep abreast of warnings.

Fast Facts

Full Name
Kathmandu

Area
230 sq km
89 sq miles

Population
700,000

Time Zone
GMT/UTC +5.75 ()

Currency
Nepali Rupee (Rs)