about manakamana temple

A 25 kilometer road off the main highway connecting Pokhara and Kathmandu brings you to an ancient Gorkha - the untouched and captivating town of Nepal! Some 300 years ago, Nepal was divided into 50 tiny states, and Gorkha was one of them. King Prithivi Narayan Shah, the founder of `Shah Dynasty’ which runs Nepal today, unified Nepal into one kingdom. His Gorkha palace resides on top of a hill at an altitude of 3281 feet (about 1000 meter) The King would watch-over his people as far as his eyes could see from the tallest palace in the very center of Nepal! Gorkha is also the home of Gurkhas - the legendary brave warriors who fought with knives against guns.
Gorkha is a picturesque hill- town that has a rich ancient history of its own. The palace is situated on a smallmountain at the height of 3500 feet and offers a magnificent sightseeing of the Himalayan Peaks. King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who unified the Kingdom of Nepal during eighteenth century and got an upper hand over the Ranas, was born here. Actually king Drabya Shah founded this kingdom in the year 1560 and since then, the place has acted as the den for the Shah dynasty. In the war of throne with Ranas, the Gorkhas had the last laugh as the Gorkha soldiers succeeded in conquering the Kathmandu valley. The capital of the Nepal was shifted to Kathmandu since then. But this beautiful township has always remained as the center of attraction for many Nepalese as well as foreign visitors.
Among the sites to visit, Gorkha Durbar tops the list. This historical palace is a one-hour walk from the downtown Gorkha. The palace is strategically located over a fortified hillock. On the southwestern side of palace lies the temple of Goddess Gorakhkali. A cave that claims to shelter the statue of Gorakhnath, the Tantrik sage, adjoins it. The place is picture-perfect to have a view of Mansalu and Himalchuli peaks of Himalayas. Nevertheless, the best place to have a view of the palace and peaks is Upallokot, a viewpoint made on a pedestal over the hill at the height of some 5000 feet.

trekking in nepal

Trekking is by far Nepal’s biggest attraction. Pioneered by Col. Jimmy Roberts in the early 1960s, most tourists embark on some trek or the other and many do multiple treks before heading back home. Some arrive each year to do a different trek each time. A trek is also the best means of seeing the country and to understand its people. Walking through emerald rice fields; through rhododendron forests; crossing streams, camping out on a hilltop in the wilderness with towering mountains in the background, make trekking an unforgettable experience.One can also do pony treks in some remote places, which is equally enthralling for visitors. Pony treks are offered mostly in western region of Pokhara, Dolpo and Lo Manthang (Mustang). The two most popular treks are the Everest Base Camp Trek and the Around Annapurna also known as the Annapurna Circuit as it goes right around the Annapurna range. There are many different treks offered in the Everest and Annapurna regions. Other popular regions are the Langtang valley, Helambu, Makalu, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga and the Arun Valley. Another popular destination in the Everest region is the Gokyo valley.

Politics of Nepal

The politics of Nepal function within a framework of a republic with a multi-party system.
Currently, the positions of President (head of state) and Prime Minister (head of government) are occupied by Ram Baran Yadav and Madhav Kumar Nepal, respectively. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and his cabinet, while legislative power is vested in the Constituent Assembly.
Until May 28, 2008, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy. On that date, the constitution was altered by the Const1990–1996: Parliamentary monarchy
Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy running under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of the government.
Nepal's legislature was bicameral consisting of a House of Representatives and a National Council. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had 60 members, 10 nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of Representatives and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term, but was dissolved by the king before its term could end. All Nepalese citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.
The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991, either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch.
In the first free and fair elections in Nepal in 1991, the Nepali Congress was victorious.
The 1994 election defeat of the Nepali Congress Party by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN(UML)) made Nepal the first communist-led monarchy in Asia, with Man Mohan Adhikary prime minister. In mid-1994, parliament was dissolved due to dissension within the Nepali Congress Party. The subsequent general election, held 15 November 1994, gave no party a majority and led to several years of unstable coalition governments. As of the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again headed a majority government. There have been three Nepali Congress Party Prime Ministers since the 1999 elections: K.P. Bhattarai (31 May 1999–17 March 2000); Girija Prasad Koirala (20 March 2000–19 July 2001); and Sher Bahadur Deuba (23 July 2001–2003). The final distribution of seats in Parliament gave the Nepali Congress 113; the CPN(UML) 69; the RPP 11; the RJM 5; the NSP 5; the Workers and Peasants Party 1; and the United People's Front 1. Nepali Congress Party has divided to Nepali Congress Party led by G. P. Koirala and Nepali Congress (Democratic) led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. Amongst the elected MPs, 39 MPs belong to Nepali Congress (Democratic). Former Prime Minister and Influential Leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has expressed his support for Nepali Congress (Democratic). Both Congress parties regard Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as their main leader.
King Gyanendra discharged Sher Bahadur Deuba and on 4 June 2003 appointed Surya Bahadur Thapa as Prime Minituent Assembly to make the country a r

Fascinating Tibet

Mount Kailash

Forbidden for centuries to travelers, Tibet's ancient civilizations and culture flourished behind a veil of mystery and secrecy, capturing our imagination throughout history. But no longer is this destination for only the most daring explorers with a lot of time on their hands.
Despite years of social and political upheaval, Tibet's grandeur, magic and mystery still remain undiminished—truly an adventurer's paradise. Tibet's breathtaking Himalayan range rising from the Tibetan Plateau; Holy Mount Kailash; the ruins of "lost cities" Tsaprang and Tholing; and Lake Manasarovar, one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, are but a few places to which Karnali Excursions can escort you, either by road or by air.
These tours are based on 2 person participation minimum.
With a limited travel season for this region (April-November), reservations are highly recommended to assure air transport availability.

neture Tours in Nepal

Nature tourism operators can give you a better understanding of Nepal's natural heritage. They provide a variety of unique and interesting trips to some of...

Visa Information

The European Visa Information System (VIS) will be a database of fingerprints and facial scans consisting of all applicants for an entry visa into the Schengen group countries.
The system was established in June 2004 by the Council decision 2004/512/EC. It is currently in the testing and build-out phases, with a set deadline for operation at the end of 2008. Latest information brings the implementation date to December 21 2009.
It is a visa information exchange system used by member states. The visa is issued after an application (stored for max. five years) is entered in the system; VIS functionalities operate on applications or visa decisions attached to applications. The system was planned to have two computer centres connecting 3,500 consular posts worldwide and 12,000 users in 30 participating countries (including non-EU countries). Some of the main objectives of the system are: Facilitate visa application procedure and regulation procedure, contribute to prevention of fraud, threat to internal security of member states etc, facilitate checks at external border crossing points and within territory of member states, assist identification of listed persons. The bodies having access to VIS are: Consulates, police authorities from member states and Europol. Transfer of data to third countries or international organizations may take place only in an exceptional case of urgency, with the consent of the member state that entered the data.