Nuwakot: A Seven-Storey Fortress Above the Trishuli

Before he could take the Kathmandu Valley, the Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah needed to control the routes into it. The most important ran north to Tibet along the Trishuli River, and the fortress town commanding it was Nuwakot. He captured it in the 1740s, made it his forward base, and built a palace that still dominates the ridge.

The setting

Nuwakot sits on a narrow spur about 900 metres above sea level, overlooking the confluence of the Trishuli and Tadi rivers. The name means "nine forts", after a chain of hilltop strongholds that once guarded the area. Today it is a village of a few hundred people, a single main lane, terraced fields dropping away on both sides, and a line of snow peaks to the north when the air is clear.

Saat Tale Durbar

The centrepiece is a tall, sturdy tower of brick and timber known as the seven-storey palace. Built in the 1760s, it combines the look of a Newar townhouse with the function of a military keep, with thick walls, narrow lower windows and carved balconies near the top. From here the king directed the final campaigns against the valley cities, and for a time it served as his capital.

The building was badly shaken in 2015 and spent years under scaffolding. Restoration has been carried out with foreign assistance, and access to the interior depends on the state of the work. Even from outside it is an imposing sight, especially in morning light.

Around the palace are several smaller historic buildings: a barracks, a hall once used for dance and entertainment, and guard houses.

The Bhairab temple

At the far end of the main lane, a two-tiered pagoda temple is dedicated to Bhairab, a fierce form of Shiva and the village's protector. Each spring, around the full moon of the Nepali new year period, Nuwakot holds a festival in which a shaman-priest enters a trance, vermilion powder is thrown, and a procession moves through the village. It is one of the more dramatic local festivals near the capital.

A little further on, the Taleju temple stands on the highest point of the ridge, with a view straight down to the rivers.

Devighat

At the confluence below the village is Devighat, where Prithvi Narayan Shah died in 1775. A memorial marks the spot beside a small temple. You can walk down through the fields in about an hour, or drive. The riverbank is a tranquil place, and rafting trips on the Trishuli sometimes start nearby.

What to do

Nuwakot is for slowing down. Walk the village lane and greet the shopkeepers. Follow footpaths out along the ridge through farmland and sal forest. Watch the mist rise from the valley at dawn. Several places in the area have organic gardens and can arrange visits to small coffee plots on the surrounding slopes.

There are no museums with opening hours to race around, and that is the appeal.

Staying

A handful of small guesthouses and homestays operate in and around the village. The best known is a restored farmhouse a short walk from the palace, with rooms in old brick buildings and meals made from its own garden. Whichever you choose, book ahead; capacity is limited, and weekends attract visitors from Kathmandu.

Getting there

The drive from Kathmandu takes about three hours. The road climbs out of the valley to the north-west, passes the viewpoint village of Kakani, descends in long loops to the Trishuli at the market town of Bidur, and then climbs seven kilometres to the ridge. Public buses run to Bidur, from where local jeeps go up to Nuwakot.

The road is winding and in places rough. A private vehicle is more comfortable and lets you stop at Kakani for strawberries in season and a look at the Ganesh Himal range.

When to go

October to March brings clear, cool days. The valley floor is hot from April, though the ridge catches a breeze. In the monsoon the hills are intensely green and the roads are prone to slides.

Linking it up

Nuwakot lies near the route to the Langtang region, so trekkers returning from Syabrubesi can break the drive here for a restful last night. It can also be combined with a day of rafting on the Trishuli.

The verdict

For anyone curious about how Nepal was assembled, Nuwakot is the missing chapter between Gorkha and Kathmandu. For everyone else, it is a rare thing so close to the capital: a historic village on a hilltop where the evenings are silent and the main traffic is goats.