Newari architecture. The monuments of the valley date, for the oldest, back to the 17th century. Nepalese architecture varied little in time, except for decorations.
Newari architecture is represented by a brick temple with a roof with superimposed and retracted levels built on a base with a more or less big number of stairs. The number of levels of the roof, generally of two can be up to five.

Kathmandu. The city is structured around its Dubar Square. I walked around more than two days to discover not only the past vestiges but also the daily life in the many lanes, a true treasure hunting. The architecture is remarkable by its composition, wood and brick association and its sculptures.

Swayambhu. The stupa is said to date back to before the Christian era, it dominates the valley. Its name means, the who was born from himself. I visited it at the end of the afternoon to have the sunset by taking the staircase populated by monkeys. The circumambulation clockwise made it possible to discover chaitya where the monkeys played.

Pashupatinath. The Hindu temple, built in 1694 on the bank of Bagmati, is one of the most sacred in the valley. From the terraces on the opposite riverside it is possible to attend the morning cremations. The temple is prohibited to non-hinduist. In a grove, the temple of Gujeswari with a skihara is dedicated to Goraknath.

Bodnath. I went from Pashupatinath to Bodnath on foot by crossing the Bagmati river. The stupa is the most venerated in the valley, it is enclosed in a set of houses inhabited by Tibetans forming a colourful village. The chaku, the pinnacle base, is painted with Buddha's eyes, with a fascinating glance, and between the eyes the figure 1 in devanagari writing symbolizing Buddha's unicity.

Hindu temple. Its origin is Indian, it appeared in Nepal in the 17th century. It was built with bricks and stones. Its geometrical shape is square or rectangular. On a base with a more or less big number of stairs, the arcades with columns on several levels complete with an elevation in curved bell-tower form, shikhara. Mahabaudha in Patan is a famous example.

Patan. The second capital in the valley is also a museum city, but it is somewhat difficult to find temples, pagodas, sanctuaries, basins and other works of art. Dubar Square is located at the heart of the city at the intersection of two streets forming Mangal Bazar. From Dubar Square two very beautiful walks made it possible to find other sights.

Changu Narayan.  This site was visited by taking a taxi from Bhaktapur. It is the oldest Hindu religious site in the valley. The architecture of the temple resembles that of the other sites in the valley. But the interest lies in the many statues in the vast square. Out of the way of package tours, it was a peaceful haven.

Bhaktapur. The third capital in the valley is a museum city which has preserved its ancestral character by its handicraft activity. Dubar Square is not downtown, located at Taumadhi Tol. The access to most royal palace squares was prohibited. The visit to the city was made walking along small lanes with shops where tourists are welcome.

Buddhic temple. Two monuments characterize the Buddhist religion. The Stupa contains a relic of Buddha and is dedicated to him, built in half hemispherical shape with a pinnacle of thirteen levels. The square base of the pinnacle, chaku,  is decorated with a pair of eyes, Buddha's glance. Vihara is a monastery built on two stages set up around a interior square. The sanctuary is opposite the entrance on the other side of the square.

Budhanilkantha. This pilgrimage place dedicated to Vishnu consists of a square basin with, in its center, a statue of the God reclining on a bed of naga. It is honoured everyday by people who put on its face the red powder of sindur and flower petals.

Gokarna Mahadev. The Hindu religious centre was founded in the 14th century on the eastern bank of Bagmati. Of newari style, the temple with three stages is dedicated to Shiva. A long time ago the site was Buddhist, each year an important newari festival takes place.

Kirtipur. Unlike the other cities in the valley, it is built on two hills and vehicles are prohibited. The interest of the visit consists of a city remained typically newar in particular the houses with their roofs reinforced by oblique struts.

Dakshinkali.  The sanctuary is dedicated to Goddess Kali who requires as offering the blood of sacrifices to remove harmful influences and to deliver human existence from the five fundamental defects, to each one corresponds a determined male animal.

The road:
The trip from Kathmandu to Lhassa followed the road built from 1955 and finished by the Friendship bridge about 1966. After the Tibet invasion by the Chinese in 1950, the Tibetans declared that there remained approximately 13 temples including three on the road Kathmandu-Lhassa. The road, a dirt track suitable for motor vehicles, crosses a majestic landscape with splendid sights on Himalaya summits. In the direction from Nepal to Tibet, the contrast is vivid between the green, cultivated Kathmandu valley and the dreary, arid Tibet plateau.
In 1991 it was impossible to obtain an individual visa to China, it was thus necessary to buy a package tour. The way to Lhassa took five days in amazing landscapes +4,000 m high in a dry and windy cold.
The border crossing was one moment of bravery. From the Friendship Bridge, it was necessary for us to climb a slope of fallen rocks for approximately 1 hour 30 by carrying our luggage, the road was cut by landslides. The customs formalities were dispatched promptly, but at the hotel the passports were given and we paid one dollar.

Zhangmu. The vision was dreadful, a village clung on a vertiginous gorge, a muddy road curving among houses clinging to the slope in the fog.

Xegar Dzong. The road, 250 km, was made in 9 hours with stops, in Tingri, for lunch. It was a dirty road but O.K. The pass of Lalung-La, 5,050 m high, was slow to go up. The village, the white crystal castle, is dominated by the fortress ruins and the monastery of the Sakyapa school containing a statue of Padmasambhava.

Sakya. Before arriving at Xigaste, the large temple, Lhakahng chenmo, contains true artistic and historical treasures. It is said to date back to the 13th century and covers an area of 15,000 m2 surrounded by a wall with eight crenelled towers. Some manuscripts may date from the Song era, from 960 to 1279 and Yuan era, from 1280 to 1368.

Tashilhumpo. In Xigaste, this large monastery was built in 1447 by 1st Dalaï Lama. It was the residence of Panchen Lama, Amitabha reincarnation, one of the five Dhyani-Buddha. The monastery is very vast and very complex to visit, 17 buildings. Moreover it was prohibited to take photos inside the rooms.

Shalu. A few kilometres away from Xigaste, founded in 1040, it was extended by the great Butön, a scholar in 1333. It is the only example of Sino-Tibetan style with recognizable newar influences with multiple plant decorations, with geometrical compositions.

The road, 90 km to Gyangste was made in 2 hours crossing over Lhakapa-La 5,220 m high.

Gyangste. A city at the intersection of the roads going either to India, or to Nepal and Bhutan, has a fort built in 1365 and a monastery in 1418. From Cultural Revolution remain the extraordinary stupa, Kumbum and the large temple, Palkhorchöde.

Potala. The building is majestic and imposing by its dimensions, it has approximately thousand rooms. It covers the hill top and dominates all the city. The walls slightly tilted towards the interior, the windows contracting towards the top accentuate the perspective effect of this building. The whiteness of the lower part, the ochre-red of the central part, the gilding of the roofs in pagoda give it a unique majesty in Asia. It was built from 1645 to 1648 for the white palace and from 1690 to 1694 for the red palace.
The visit was long and required a good acclimatization regarding to altitude.

 Jokhang. The temple, the blessed residence, was surrounded by a non-paved street, barkhor, which is the circumambulation way by prostration at each step of the faithful. The construction began in 642 under the reign of Songtsen Gampo.
After crossing the large enamelled red gate and going through a narrow corridor, the square and the large temple at the opposite of the entrance was offered to the visitor, Tsuglagkhang which has two stages and a terrace.
The visit requires a descriptive book of the vaults, paintings and statues.
 

Drepung. The large Gelugpa monastery surrounded by mountains on its three sides was the residence of Dalai Lama before the Potala construction. It is a city which lodged over 9,000 monks. The site is composed of eight main buildings.

Sera. The Gelugpa monastery located a few kilometres away from Lhassa was often a rival of the Drepung monastery. Five buildings on site are worth a visit as well as the square of philosophical debates where students debate with ritual gestures, hand slappings and whirlings.