Pharping, Kathmandu Valley: story, things to do and when to go

The air at Pharping

Altitude1,450 m16.4% of the way to 8,849 m

BeltPahadपहाड · The middle hills: terraces, towns, rhododendron

Each breath84%of the oxygen at sea level

Water boils95.1 °Cso dal takes longer here

vs Kathmandu-0.3 °Ctypical difference by height

Oxygen, boiling point and temperature are worked out from the standard atmosphere for 1,450 m; real days vary with weather.

The road south from Kathmandu past Chobhar and Taudaha climbs out of the valley through forest and rice terraces to Pharping, perched on a hillside at the southern edge. It looks like an ordinary Newar market town, but for Tibetan Buddhists it is one of the most sacred places in the Himalaya: Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, is said to have reached enlightenment in its caves.

Around the town, a ring of Tibetan monasteries has grown over the last decades, and prayer flags cross the hillside above the Asura Cave. Below, at Shesh Narayan, the Yanglesho cave sits beside ponds and Licchavi carvings sacred to Vishnu. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims share the same paths, sometimes the same shrines.

A kilometre south, in a forested gorge, stands the temple of Dakshinkali, where devotees offer animal sacrifices to the goddess Kali on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It is intense, crowded and not for everyone, but it is one of the most important Hindu sites in the valley. Pharping is also home to Nepal's first hydropower plant, built in 1911.

Why go

Asura Cave

A small cave on the hillside above the town, now enclosed in a shrine and surrounded by prayer flags, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated. Pilgrims touch a handprint in the rock. Remove shoes and enter quietly.

Yanglesho and Shesh Narayan

Below the town, a cliff with the Yanglesho cave, ponds and Licchavi carvings of Vishnu, sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. A calm, shaded spot with fish in the pools.

Dakshinkali

The temple of Kali in a forested gorge a kilometre south, where animal sacrifices are made on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Busy, loud and intense. Visit with a guide and watch from the edge.

The monastery hillside

A cluster of Tibetan monasteries and retreat centres on the hill around the caves, with prayer flags, stupas and chanting halls. Walk a kora with Tibetan pilgrims in the morning.

Champadevi hike

A day hike up to Champadevi, a summit on the valley's southern rim, through forest with views of the Himalaya on clear days. A quieter alternative to Nagarkot.

१The story of Pharping

Where Guru Rinpoche meditated on the valley rim

Pharping is an old Newar settlement on the trade route from the valley south towards the plains. Its Vajrayogini temple and Licchavi-era sculptures at Shesh Narayan show it has been sacred for well over a thousand years. Long before Tibetan monasteries arrived, Newar Buddhists and Hindus worshipped here.

Tibetan tradition holds that in the 8th century Padmasambhava, the great teacher known as Guru Rinpoche, meditated in the caves of Pharping and attained realisation here before going on to Tibet. That made the town a major pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists. After 1959, and especially from the 1970s, monasteries and retreat centres of several Tibetan schools were built on the hillside.

In 1911 the Rana prime minister Chandra Shumsher built a small hydroelectric plant at Pharping, the first in Nepal, to light the palaces of Kathmandu. Its old powerhouse still stands. Today Pharping lives on pilgrims: Tibetans circling the caves, Hindu families heading to Dakshinkali with goats and chickens, and visitors walking up to Champadevi for views of the mountains.

२The legend

As it is told · फर्पिङ

Tibetan tradition says that while Guru Rinpoche meditated at Yanglesho, powerful spirits caused drought, famine and disease across the land, blocking his practice. He sent to India for the teachings of Vajrakilaya. As soon as the texts arrived, the rains returned, the sickness ended and the obstacles cleared. Pilgrims point to a handprint in the rock of the Asura Cave above, said to be his.

३The people

Who lives here

Pharping's town is Newar, with merchants, farmers and families who serve the temples. Tibetan monks, nuns and lay families live around the monasteries and retreat centres on the hill, and Tamang and Brahmin-Chhetri villages farm the surrounding slopes. Pilgrims from Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh and Tibetan communities around the world come and go, so you hear many languages in its lanes.

४Words you will hear

Tibetan

གུ་རུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ

Guru Rinpoche

Precious teacher, the Tibetan name for Padmasambhava

Nepali

बलि

Bali

Sacrifice or offering to a deity

Nepali

गुफा

Gupha

Cave

Every word on this site

५What to eat

Goat curry at Dakshinkali

After a sacrifice, Nepali families often cook the goat on the spot, in picnic shelters and fields round Dakshinkali, as khasi ko masu, a rich curry with rice and pickles. Visitors are not invited by default, but small eateries in Pharping serve the same curry, plus Tibetan thukpa near the monasteries.

६Few people know

Things most guides leave out

The Pharping hydropower station, built in 1911 under Rana prime minister Chandra Shumsher, was the first hydroelectric plant in Nepal. It supplied electricity to Kathmandu's palaces, and its old building still stands near the town.

Wikipedia: Pharping Hydropower Station

Tibetan Buddhists hold that Padmasambhava attained realisation in the caves at Pharping, especially Yanglesho, beside the Shesh Narayan temple, making the town one of the most important pilgrimage sites linked to him outside Tibet.

Wikipedia: Pharping

At Dakshinkali, south of Pharping, devotees sacrifice male animals, usually goats and roosters, to the goddess Kali, especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The crowds are biggest during Dashain, in September or October.

Wikipedia: Dakshinkali Temple

Untold Nepal, region by region

Experiences

Four ways to spend a day in Pharping

Spiritual

Pharping3 hours

Guru Rinpoche's caves with Tibetan pilgrims

A morning visiting the caves where Padmasambhava is said to have meditated: the Asura Cave on the hillside above Pharping …

Spiritual

Pharping1.5 hours

Dakshinkali, the Kali temple in the gorge

Walk down into the forested gorge where the goddess Kali is worshipped at Dakshinkali. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, families bring …

Heritage

Pharping2 hours

Shesh Narayan's ponds and Nepal's first power plant

Explore the lower slopes of Pharping: the cliff-side Shesh Narayan temple with its ponds and Licchavi carvings, and the old …

Trekking

Pharping6 hours

Champadevi hike on the valley's southern rim

A day hike from the Pharping road up through forest to the summit of Champadevi, one of the high points …

Getting there

How to reach Pharping

Road

Pharping is about 20 km south of central Kathmandu. A car or taxi takes about an hour via Balkhu, Chobhar and Taudaha on a winding road that climbs out of the valley. Local buses run from Ratnapark to Pharping and Dakshinkali, taking 1.5 to 2 hours. A private car makes it easier to combine stops.

On foot

From the Pharping area, trails climb to Champadevi in about 3 hours. Shesh Narayan, the town and the caves are linked by short walks, and Dakshinkali is a 20-minute walk downhill from the town.

Where to stay

Most visitors come from Kathmandu or Patan for a day; Patan's old town, about 50 minutes away, is a convenient base. Pharping has a few simple guesthouses, and some monasteries offer basic rooms to pilgrims and retreat students, usually by arrangement. A small resort on the forested ridge at Hattiban, above the road, offers a quieter stay with valley views.

Local tips

Visit Dakshinkali on a Tuesday or Saturday only if you are prepared to see animal sacrifices; other days are calmer.
Walk clockwise round all caves, stupas and monasteries, and remove shoes at shrines.
Combine Pharping with Chobhar gorge and Taudaha lake on the way back to Kathmandu.
Carry water and a warm layer; Pharping is cooler than the valley floor.
Do not photograph sacrifices closely or without permission from the families involved.

On the map

Pharping and what is near it

Drawn by Book Nepal Trip from Natural Earth outlines (public domain). International borders as depicted by Nepal. Rivers: Karnali, Gandaki and Koshi systems. Not for navigation.

Trips

Trips that stop in Pharping

Kathmandu Valleymax 1,750 m

5 nightsEasypilgrimage

Buddhist Kathmandu: Boudha to Namobuddha

Five nights following the Buddhist thread of the Kathmandu Valley: three at Boudhanath for dawn koras and monastery visits, Swayambhu and the …

fromUSD 750See the days

Nearby

Pair Pharping with

Kathmandu Valley1,400 m

hill townPahadकीर्तिपुर

Kirtipur

Kipu, the ridge town that held off the Gorkha army three times

Oct – Apr

Kathmandu Valley1,350 m

villagePahadबुङ्गमती

Bungamati

Home village of the red rain god, and of the valley's woodcarvers

Oct – Apr

Kathmandu Valley1,350 m

old townPahadपाटन

Patan

Yala, the city of metalworkers, courtyards and Buddhist bahals

Mar – May · Oct – Nov

Questions

Pharping: what travellers ask

How far is Pharping from Kathmandu?

About 20 km south of central Kathmandu, roughly 1 hour by car via Chobhar and Taudaha. Local buses from Ratnapark take 1.5 to 2 hours. Dakshinkali is a further 1 km south. Many visitors combine Pharping with Chobhar gorge and Kirtipur.

Why is Pharping important to Buddhists?

Tibetan tradition holds that Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, attained realisation in caves at Pharping in the 8th century before going to Tibet. The Asura Cave and Yanglesho are major pilgrimage sites, and many Tibetan monasteries and retreat centres have been built around the town.

Is Pharping worth visiting?

Yes, if you are interested in Buddhism, Hinduism or quiet hill towns. Pharping combines Guru Rinpoche's caves, Tibetan monasteries, Shesh Narayan's ponds, Dakshinkali and Nepal's first power station within a short distance. It sees far fewer visitors than the city stupas.

Is there an entry fee for Pharping?

At the time of writing there is no general entry fee for Pharping town, and caves and monasteries accept donations. Small fees for parking or specific sites may apply. Check current status before you travel, and carry small notes for offerings.

What is Dakshinkali?

Dakshinkali is a temple to the goddess Kali in a forested gorge just south of Pharping. It is one of the main Hindu temples in the valley, known for animal sacrifices on Tuesdays and Saturdays and during Dashain. Non-Hindus can watch from outside the inner enclosure.

Can I stay overnight in Pharping?

Yes. There are a few simple guesthouses, and some monasteries and retreat centres host visitors by arrangement. Staying lets you join morning prayers and walk the caves before day-trippers arrive. Most visitors, though, come for a day from Kathmandu or Patan.

When is the best time to visit Pharping?

October to April is best, with dry weather and clear views from the hills. Visit Dakshinkali on a Tuesday or Saturday for the main rituals, or other days for calm. During Dashain the temple is extremely crowded. Monsoon months make roads and trails slippery.

What should I wear to Pharping?

Modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees, shoes you can slip off easily at shrines, and a warm layer, as Pharping is cooler than Kathmandu. Comfortable walking shoes help on stairways to the caves and for the Champadevi hike.

Can I combine Pharping with other sites?

Yes. A good day plan is Kirtipur in the morning, Chobhar gorge and Taudaha lake, then Pharping's caves, Shesh Narayan and Dakshinkali in the afternoon. Or pair Pharping with Bungamati and Khokana for a southern valley day. Start by 8 am to fit it all in.