A small, neat and
historic village that lies on a shelf below
a steep hill, about midway between Kathmandu
and Pokhara, it is the ancestral home of the
Nepalese royal family and people today come
to see the main palace buildings on the hill
top and sacrifice an animal at the nearby
temple. Along the hill ridges and down into
the valleys are several trails and villages
that make for interesting day (or longer)
walks. Note : Many areas around Gorkha are
strongholds of the Maoist insurgents. Small
army camps are dotted about the villages. A
7.30 p.m. curfew is being enforced.
Visit the Tallo Durbar (lower palace) and
then climb up the stairway to Gorkha Durbar
(main palace) at 1420 metres / Then walk
east to the microwave tower at 1530 metres /
Sit in one of the small restaurants eating "singaras"
(samosas) and listen to a "gaine" (a member
of the caste of musicians) / Wander down to
the Tribhuvan University campus of Education
and talk about politics and life to the
students / Buy some jewellery from one of
the many gold shops in the village centre /
Exit the village at its eastern end and walk
through a succession of small villages and
their friendly inhabitants.
