Pokhara City Nepal

Pokhara City Nepal

Pokhara is a city in central Nepal, approx. 200 km west of Kathmandu. In the south the city borders on Phewa Tal (a lake, 4,4 km2, about 800 m above sea level), in the north at around 1000 m it touches the base of the Annapurna mountain range. From the southern fringes of the city one has an exceptional view of the Himalaya with 3 eight-thousanders (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu) and, in the middle of the Annapurna range the wonderful Machapuchare ('Fishtail') with close to 7000 m. This beautiful mountain dominates the northern horizon of the city and it's name derives from its twin peaks, not visible from the south.
The Pokhara Valley is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley and Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner. The valley floor is quite even and very fertile. The Seti River and its tributaries have dug impressive canyons into the valley floor, only visible from higher viewpoints or from the air. To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of Lekhnath, another town in the valley. It's more like a suburb of Pokhara and has no distinct town centre.


In no other place the mountains rise so quickly, within 30 km, from 1000 m to 8000 m. Due to this sharp rise the area of Pokhara has one of the highest precipitation rates of the country (over 4000 mm/year). Even within the city there is a noticable difference in the amount of rain between the south of the city by the lake and the north at the foot of the mountains. The climate is sub-tropical but because of the elevation the temperatures are moderate: the summers usually have a bearable 30 - 35°C; the winters average around 15°C and have no frost.
Its 190,000 inhabitants (2005) make Pokhara the third largest city in Nepal. It is capital of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and the Western Development Region. The city hosts a number of faculties of Kathmandu Tribhuvan University: Engineering Campus, Forestry Campus, Institute of Medical Science and Prithwi Narayan Campus. Further educational facilities are the Pokhara Multiple Campus, Kanya Campus, Manipal Medical College, Urban Training Development Centre und Tourism Training Centre. Medical facilities are the Gandaki Western Regional Hospital, the Himalayan Eye Hospital, the Leprosy Hospital, the Tuberculosis Hospital and, quite new, the Manipal Teaching Hospital. There are three military facilities in the city: British Gurkha Barracks in the north, Nepali Army Barracks quite in the centre and a large Indian Army Pension Camp in the east.
There are many Tibetan refugees already living in their third generation in Pokhara. The initial tent encampments of the 1950s have long made way to orderly planned quarters with schools and monasteries. In Pokhara there are three such quarters: Tashiling in the south, Tashipalkhel in the north and Paljorling in the centre.
Before the Chinese invaded Tibet, Pokhara was an important trading post on the route between Tibet and India. Until the end of the 1960s the little town could only be reached by foot and it was even more a mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was finished in 1968 after which tourism boomed and the city grew rapidly. A tourist area developed along the lake and the area between the old city and the lake filled up. Today the city expands 8 km from north to south and 6 km from east to west but, unlike Kathmandu, it is quite loosely built up and still has much green space. About half of all Nepal tourists visit Pokhara which is starting and ending point for the Annapurna round trek, for the trek to the Annapurna Base Camp and to Mustang. Also for Nepalis Pokhara has become the most favourite place to live in the country.
Phewa Tal was slightly enlarged by damming. It is in danger of silting up because of the inflow during monsoon. The outflowing water is partially used for hydro power. Late 1970s the dam collapsed and it was rebuilt by Chinese. The power plant is located about 100 m below at the bottom of the Phusre Khola gorge. Water is also diverted for irrigation in the southern Pokhara valley. The eastern Pokhara Valley receives irrigation water through a canal running from a reservoir by the Seti in the north of the city. Phewa Tal is also used for commercial fishery. The tourist area is along the north shore of the lake (Lake Side and Dam Side). It is mainly made up of little shops, little hotels, restaurants and bars. The larger hotels can be found on the southern and south-eastern fringes of the city, from where the view of the mountains is best. To the east of the Pokhara Valley there are a few more smaller and bigger lakes, the largest being Begnas Tal and Rupakot Tal. Begnas Tal is also known for it fishery projects. None of the lakes are fit for swimming. There are no beaches, but boats can be rented.
Pokhara is quite a modern city with only few touristic attractions in the town itself. Most interesting is the old centre in the north of the city (purano bazar) where still many old shops and warehouses in the Newari style can be found. Mule caravans still arrive there from Mustang. On a mountain overlooking Phewa Tal from the south is the World Peace Stupa (at 1,113 m) built in 1996/97 with a nice view of the lake, accross the city and of the snow peaked mountain range. Temples worth visiting in the older part of town are Bindhyabasini Mandir der Bhimsen Mandir, the latter with erotic carvings; another temple, Varahi Mandir, is located on a tiny island on Phewa Tal. Not accessible and only visible from the lake is the royal summer residence (called palace) at the lake in Lakeside. The best viewpoint of all is Sarangkot Mountain (1600 m) to the west of the city. Paths and a road lead to the top from where one can enjoy a spectacular view of the Annapurna range as well as Manaslu, Daulagiri and, of course, the city. There are a few little hotels and a stay over night is recommendable.
The modern city centre at Chiple Dhunga and Mahendrapul is halfway between the lake and purano bazar, the old centre. These two joining streets offer all the kinds of shops and services one expects of a town centre. Apart from this busy centre there are several subcentres in other parts of town: in the north in Bagar, in the south between Pritvi Chok and Srijana Chok (mainly hardware stores), and in the east, on the other side of the Seti, in Ram Bazar.
The shortage of touristic sites in the city Pokhara is made up by its fantastic scenic views in and around town. Most of them are not mentioned in any guide or map. The Seti Gandaki (White Gandaki) and its tributaries created spectacular gorges in and around the whole city. The Seti gorge runs through the whole city from north to south. At places it is only a few metres wide, but 100 m deep with a water depth of 20 m! Then, in the middle of the city, the gorge widens to a canyon looking like a crater. In the north and south, just outside town, there are awesome canyons, in some places 100 m deep. These canyons extend through the whole Pokhara Valley. Impressive views are possible from the Pritvi Narayan Campus and from the other side at the foot of Kahu Danda (conjunction of several rivers and canyons). Behind the INF-Compound one can sie the Seti River disappear into a slit in a almost 100 m wall, especially impressive in monsoon.
Another place worth visiting ist the Patale Chhango (Hells Falls), more commonly called "Devi's or David's Falls" for the tourist with some melodramatic story behind it. The water from this falls comes from the lake flowing to the Seti. The water plunges into a hole and disappears! In monsoon this sight is most spectacular. Nearby, accross the street is a little cave (Gupteshwor Cave). A more exciting cave is at the opposite end of the city in Betulechaur (Mahendra Cave). Betulechaur is known for the musicians caste of the Gains.
The regional airport is in the middle of town. It offers regular connections to Kathmandu and Jomsom and seasonal connctions to Manang.

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