The "Monkey Temple" has watched the Valley for some 1,500 years — a gilded stupa whose painted eyes gaze in all four directions over Kathmandu's rooftops.
Climb the 365 stone steps from the east (the monkeys will supervise) and the city unrolls beneath you. The hilltop is a dense little world of shrines, prayer wheels and butter-lamp alcoves shared by Buddhists and Hindus alike.
Age
~1,500 years
Steps
365 from the east
Entry
~$2 (NPR 200)
Insider tip
Sunrise is the moment — soft light on the dome, the valley waking below, and the monkeys still half-asleep.
Look for
1The great vajra (thunderbolt) at the head of the eastern stairway
2The "nose" between the Buddha eyes — the Nepali numeral one, for unity
3Shantipur — the sealed tantric shrine that no one may enter
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