Kirtipur (Nepali: कीर्तिपुर, Nepal Bhasa: किपू Kipoo) is an ancient city of Nepal. It is located in the Kathmandu Valley 5 km south-west of the city of Kathmandu. It is one of the five municipalities in the valley, the others being Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi. It is one of the most famous and religious places to visit. Many people visit this place to not only to see the beauty of nature but also to visit temples. The city was listed as a UNESCO tentative site in 2008.
The name Kirtipur comes from “Kirti” (Glory) and “pur” (city). It is also said that once a queen named ‘Kirti‘ ruled over this place so, it might have been named after same queen since ‘pur’ means city, and it states Kirtipur means city of ‘Kirti’. In its native language, it is called as “Kipu” or “Kapyu” carrying meaning of “famed town”.
This city of glory is inhabited and also dominated by Newars which are the earliest settlers in the Valley with their own language and cultural norms and values. Originally a Newar foundation, it is no doubt that Kirtipur is still a centre of Newar culture. However now a days people of different casts and religion stay in this place.
It was established in the 12th century as an outpost of Patan, which later became an independent kingdom for short time period. This historical town has many cultural, natural, historical and religious things to see such as old shrines and temples and people dressed in traditional costumes while working on ancient looms.The city is rich in cultural and religious heritages, being an oldest settlement in the valley. The majority of these sites are concentrated in the old core areas like Kirtipur, Panga and Chovar area, with some scattered around Salyanthan, Kauniachaur, and GodamChaur. The most significant cultural and religious sites are the Bagh Bhairab Complex, Chilancho Vihar, Uma Maheswor temple, Nagara Mandapa Kirti Bihar, Adinath temple, Jal Vinayak temple, Macchenarayan temple, Gumbas, and many more Buddhist monasteries, Sattals (Pilgrim’s houses), pagodas and temples, Patis (raised platforms for pilgrims) and Chaityas (small stupas) are found in each settlement. These sites have great cultural, religious and historical consequences and provide one of the potentials for tourism development of the city.
