The Kingdom of Nepal has become theRepublic of Nepal, yet its capitalKathmandu seems unchanged sincethe time of the Malla kings.

In the 1960's, the French writerBarjavel made famous the "road toKatmandu", a blind pursuit or the roadto ruin of young people for whom theterminus was often the Nepalesecapital. The 1980's saw the younghippies supplanted by troops oftrekkers who only passed throughKatmandu before heading off to sweaton the slopes of Mount Everest orAnnapurna. Since then, UNESCO hasclassed the whole of the KatmanduValley as a World Heritage site.

Katmandu : in the shade of the pagodas.Photos and text ©Bruno Morandi/LigthMediation

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

1862-12: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, The kumari, the live goddess

1862-01: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Bhaktapur. Durbar Square. 1862-02: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu. Durbar Square. Basantapur tower.

1862-03: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu. Durbar Square. 1862-04: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, copper shop

1862-05: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Kathmandu city, Asan Tole street 1862-06: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Kathmandu city, Asan Tole street

1862-07: Nepal. Kathmandu. Morning offering at the bouddhist temple of Sweta Macchendranath. 1862-08: Nepal. Kathmandu. Morning offering at the bouddhist temple of Sweta Macchendranath.

1862-36: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Thimi village, Balkumari jatra festival

1862-09: Nepal. Kathmandu. Morning offering at the bouddhist temple of Sweta Macchendranath. 1862-10: Nepal. Kathmandu. Morning offering at the bouddhist temple of Sweta Macchendranath.

1862-11: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, young newari girl 1862-12: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, The kumari, the live goddess

1862-13: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, poster shop. 1862-14: Nepal - Vallée de Kathmandu - Kathmandu - Vendeur d'affiches // Nepal, Kathmandu valley,poster shop.

1862-15: Nepal. Vallee de Katmandou. Katmandou. Offrandes matinales au temple bouddhiste de SwetaMachhendranath sur Asan Tole, Offrande - Lampe à beurre // Nepal. Kathmandu. Morning offering at the

1862-16: Nepal - Vallée de Kathmandu - Kathmandu - Epices au marché d'Asan Tol // Nepal, Kathmanduvalley, Kathmandu, Spices on Asan Tole market.

1862-31: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Shangu Narayan Temple.

1862-17: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu. Durbar Square. 1862-18: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Patan. Durbar Square. Drying rice.

1862-19: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Patan. Local window. 1862-20: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Patan, Statue in the bouddhist temple

1862-21: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Patan. Public fountain 1862-22: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Patan. Craftman at work doing praying roll.

1862-23: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Kirtipur with Himalayan moutain in the back. 1862-24: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Bhaktapur. Nyatapola temple, Taumadhi square

1862-41: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath. Once a month at the full moon the stupa is painted

1862-25: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Bhaktapur. Durbar Square. 1862-26: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Bhaktapur. Nyatapola temple, Taumadhi square

1862-27: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, city of Bakthapur, Bisket Jatra festival 1862-28: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, city of Bakthapur, Bisket Jatra festival

1862-29: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Bhaktapur. Potter square 1862-30: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Bhaktapur.

1862-31: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Shangu Narayan Temple. 1862-32: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Sankhu village. Ganesh statue

1862-11: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, young newari girl 1862-21: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Newar city of Patan. Public fountain

1862-33: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Bungamati village. bouddhist stupa. 1862-34: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Thimi village, Balkumari jatra festival

1862-35: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Thimi village, Balkumari jatra festival 1862-36: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Thimi village, Balkumari jatra festival

1862-37: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Children festival at Dhulikel city. 1862-38: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Bouddhist temple of Adinath Lokeshwar at Chobar. Prayer wheels.

1862-39: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath. Prayer flag. 1862-40: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath. Prayer flag.

1862-56: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. Stairs to the stupa

1862-41: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath. Once a month at the full moon the stupais painted

1862-42: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath.

1862-43: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath. Prayer flag. 1862-44: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Buddhist stupa of Bodnath.

1862-45: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. 1862-46: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath.

1862-47: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. Brahmin priest. 1862-48: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. Brahmin priest.

1862-51: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. seesaw for dasain festival

1862-49: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. 1862-50: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. Offering color powders.

1862-51: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath. seesaw for dasain festival 1862-52: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa.

1862-53: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. 1862-54: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. The stupa is regularly paint with saffron waterin order to purify it.

1862-55: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. Prayer wheels. 1862-56: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. Stairs to the stupa

1862-49: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath.

1862-57: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. Monkey 1862-58: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa.

1862-59: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. Prayer flag. 1862-60: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa.

1862-61: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa. 1862-62: Nepal. Kathmandu. Morning offering at the bouddhist temple of Sweta Macchendranath.

1862-63: Nepal. Kathmandu. Offering in a temple of Durbar Square.

1862-34: Nepal, Kathmandu valley, Thimi village, Balkumari jatra festival

1862-52: Nepal. Kathmandu valley. Swayambunath stupa.

Katmandu : inthe shade ofthe pagodas.

"There exists nowhere else in the worldsuch a concentration of monuments, eachmore splendid than the other, in such aconfined space," wrote a British traveler inthe 19th century. Indeed, in this valley witha surface area of 600km2 sit the threeroyal capitals, which from the 15th to the18th century rivaled each other in beauty,in terms of architecture, sculpture, andalso literature and music. Katmandu,Patan and Bhaktapur can each count amajestic royal square, as well as hundredsof temples, pagodas, and Buddhist andHindu monasteries with magnificentlyworked wooden doors and windowframes. Early in the morning, one should haulone's self up the steep stairway of theSwayambunath hill, the cradle ofNepalese civilization, to join the pilgrims,who hover around the stupa crowned byBuddha's gaze, and watch the sun riseabove the light mist still envelopingKatmandu as it awakens. Next to thisstupa, a Buddhist monastery and a Hindutemple stand side by side as a sign oftolerance. Hinduism, the majority religionin Nepal, represents approximately 80% ofthe faithful, against 20% for the Buddhists.

The morning stroller can then go backdown to the city already buzzing withactivity, to the Durbar Square where, nextto the former royal palace, rise up twentyor so pagodas devoted to Shiva and toVishnu. The pagoda, a five-storey edifice,is distinctive of Nepalese civilization and

only afterwards spread widely throughoutAsia. The residence of the Kumari is alsofound on this square. This little, livinggoddess is chosen from amongst thenewars (ethnic group originating in thevalley) and incarnates Taleju, the goddessprotecting the royal dynasties of Nepal.And just steps from there, on Freak Street,the hippies illuminated their lives with thehelp of the curls of smoke from theirchillums and some sacred mantras. Let's leave Katmandu to go to Patan. Thisold city is in more than one way the mostoriginal and best preserved in the valley. First of all, it is the oldest capital. A vastmandala in the form of a sacred shell,bounded by four stupas, it is without doubtan entirely Buddhist city if we can judge bythe 163 monasteries rising up in thedifferent quarters. There, as in Katmandu,the royal palace faces majestic pagodas.A centre of artistic and religious influence,Patan is the city of bronze smiths, silverand goldsmiths and monks. A large part ofthe population still devotes itself tosculpture; they have made Patan thepremier artistic center in the valley, itswork spreading in times past all the way toTibet and China. 15 km away, Bhaktapur remains resolutelyHindu. Political capital in the 14th century,it was from the 12th century on atheological centre welcoming priests,philosophers and doctors to its manymonasteries of exceptional sculpturalrichness. The Taumadhi square is theheart of the city, dominated by the fivestories of the pagoda of Nyatapola towhich the sacred temple of Shiva-Kasi isthe counterpart. The very rich royal squareof Bhaktapur dominated by the palacewith its fifty-five wood-framed windows hasbeen brilliantly renovated. If Patan workedmetals, Bhaktapur specialized in wood.Palace, monasteries, merchants' andfarmers' homes are adorned with windows

and doors magnificently sculpted withdivinities and fabulous animals. But you must without doubt end your dayat the stupa of Bodnath, to the east ofKatmandu. The biggest pilgrimage site inthe Buddhist Himalayas, and the one withthe most feeling comes to life in the lateafternoon when a colourful crowd ofpilgrims coming from all over theHimalayas circles around the sacredMandala.