Pokhara is a city in central Nepal located at 28.24 N, 83.99 E,, approximately 200 km west of Kathmandu. It is the capital of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and the Western Development Region.

Geography

Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley, which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley The Seti River and its tributaries have dug impressive canyons into the valley floor, which are only visible from higher viewpoints or from the air. To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of Lekhnath, another town in the valley.

In no other place the mountains rise so quickly, within 30 km, from 1000 m to over 8000 m. The Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu ranges, each with peaks over 8000 m, can be seen from Pokhara and there is a lake named Phewa Lake, two caves (Mahendra and Gupteswar) and an impressive falls(Patale Chhango or Devi /David's Falls) where the water from the Phewa Lake thunders into a hole and disappears. Due to this sharp rise in altitude 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 noticeable 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 due to 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.

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 its name derives from its twin peaks, not visible from the south.

Demographics

Its 190,000 inhabitants (2005) make Pokhara the third largest city in Nepal.

Ethnic groups native to the region include Newar, Magar and Gurung. Smaller groups of Chettri and Thakali also live in the area. Natives in Pokhara are adherents of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism.

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.

History

Prior to the Chinese invasion of 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. Men are recruited at the British Gurkha camp in Pokhara. About 370 are selected annually in December out of a pool of over 20,000 applications, with about 140 eventually joining the Gurkha Contingent while the rest will go to the British Army.

Structure

Pokhara spans 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. The Seti Gandaki flowing through the city from north to south divides the city roughly in two halves with the down-town area of Chipledunga in the middle, the old town centre of Bagar in the north and the tourist district of Lakeside (Baidam) in the south all lying on the western side of the river. The gorge through which the river flows is crossed at five points, the major ones are (from north to south): K.I.Singh Pul, Mahendra Pul and Prithvi Highway Pul. The eastern side of town is mainly residential.

About half of all tourists visiting Pokhara are there for the start or end of a trek to the Annapurna Base Camp and Mustang. 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 the monsoon. The outflowing water is partially used for hydro power. The dam collapsed in the late 1970s and it was rebuilt by the Chinese. The power plant is located about 100 m below at the bottom of the Phusre Khola gorge. Water is also diverted for irrigation into 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 fishing. 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 its fishery projects. There are no beaches, but boats can be rented in Phewa and Begnas Tal.

Tourism

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 hill overlooking Phewa Tal from the south is the World Peace Stupa (at 1,113 m) built in 1996 with a nice view of the lake, across the city and of the snow peaked mountain range consisting of namely, Fishtail, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Himals (mountains).

Temples worth visiting in the older part of town are Bindhyabasini Mandir and Bhimsen Mandir, the latter with erotic carvings; another temple, Barahi Mandir, is located on a tiny island on Phewa Tal. Not accessible and only visible from the lake is the royal summer residence (called Ratna Mandir) at the lake in Lakeside.

The best viewpoint of all is Sarangkot (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, Dhaulagiri and, of course, the city. There are a few little hotels and an overnight stay is recommended.

The modern city centre at Chiple Dhunga and Mahendrapul (now called Bhimsen Chowk, named after a Shahid(Martyr) in Jana-aandolan II, April, 2006) 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 Prithvi Chowk and Srijana Chowk (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 of 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 have 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.

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 Prithvi 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 see the Seti River disappear into a slit in an almost 100 m wall, especially impressive in monsoon.

Another place worth visiting is the Patale Chhango (Hell's 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, across the street is a little cave (Gupteshwor Cave). A more exciting cave is at the opposite end of the city in Batulechaur (Mahendra Cave). Betulechaur is known for the musicians caste of the Gaine.

Pokhara Airport is situated in the middle of town which serves flights to Kathmandu, Jomsom, Bhairahawa and *Bharatpur. Helicopters to Manang and Jomsom are available for charter.