SeeCentral

Asa Archives

Specialising in medieval history and religious traditions of the Kathmandu Valley. The archives have a collection of some 6,000 loose-leaf handwritten books and 1,000 palm-leaf manuscripts (mostly in Sanskrit or Nepal Bhasa) and a manuscript dated to 1464.

history

Getting there: located in Kulambhulu

Suggest a nearby place

Listing from Wikivoyage: Kathmandu/Central, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

No exact location on record.

More in Kathmandu

SeeEast
Boudha Stupa
Boudha Chorten
According to legend, Boudhanath Stupa was built in the 5th century AD by an elderly poultry woman who sought land from the king to construct a shrine to the Buddha. The king agreed, offering her as much land as she could cover with the skin of a water buffalo. Cleverly, she cut the hide into thin strips and laid them end to end, creating a vast circumference. Though the king realized he had been outwitted, he honored his promise, and the stupa was built according to these dimensions. It is believed to enshrine various relics, including those of Kashyapa, a Buddha from a previous aeon. Today, Boudhanath Stupa stands as Nepal’s most revered Buddhist site, drawing pilgrims who circumambulate the structure throughout the day, chanting mantras. It is especially spectacular at night when bathed in the glow of warm floodlights. Visitors should remember to walk around the stupa in a clockwise direction and spin the prayer wheels the same way. Information on Buddhism and the points of etiquette at Buddhist sites: Buddhism
Foreigners pay Rs400, but this can be waived for guests of hotels at the other side of the stupa
SeeWest
Dhansā Degah
धन्सा देग, alternative name: Dhunsar
A 17th-century pagoda-shaped building. Its carved wood windows provide an example of the art of woodworking which has been highly developed in the Kathmandu Valley since antiquity. The upper part was destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1934, and its height was shortened when it was repaired. It was built as a courthouse. A shrine to Nāsa Dya, the god of music, exists on the ground floor.
SeeWest
Freak Street
Historic street where western hippies seeking enlightenment would stay in the 1970s and 80s. Now just a few restaurants and hotels but the iconic Snowman Cafe is tucked away here. Opened in 1965 as a full functioning restaurant, Snowman is now a cafe shop with new Nescafe machine and paper cups, but still run by the same family. Since the family owns the property, this cafe shop survived from the pressure of rent. However, it's mostly a one-man shop, and that man is 50 years old. His father is too old to work and the next generation of the family are studying in Australia and seemingly won't take over. No one knows how long this final bastion of Freak Street will last.
SeeWest
Gakuti
गकुति
This building is a three-sided courtyard. There is a temple dedicated to Mahadev at the centre.