As Explore Himalaya Community Service Project, Nepal gives the first priority to enhance the educational field; it is currently supporting a secondary school at Nuwakot named Bhairabi Madhyamik Vidyalaya. It has around 600 students enrolling with an equal proportion of girls. The school is completely funded by the Government and therefore, the resources are limited to only what the Government provides. It occasionally gets some support from some NGOs and INGOs as well but it is not enough to fulfill & implement the requirement to provide good education to its students. There is the lack of resources and capable manpower. As the result, the school has not been able to do well in terms of its achievement as it has been seen in the past years that less than 50% students passed the final board examination of the high school. Majority of the students failed in subjects like English, Science etc due to the lack of strong base developed to support the students in these subjects. So, EHCSP's plan is to offer essential support to the students to increase the level of the achievements in the area they are weak at and to make them able to compete with other students from different parts of the country. Besides that, EHCSP also targets to maximize the return of the investment made by the nation on them.

Nuwakot reflects the nine forts of the region namely Belkot, Kalikot, Bhairavkot, Malkot, Dhuwankot, Pyaskot, Simalkot, Dhaibunkot and Salynkot. Nuwakot is the centre of all these forts. The history of Nuwakot spans more than two and a half centuries. Besides, Nuwakot bears a special importance in the history of modern Nepal as King Prithivi Narayan Shah the great, the first king of modern Nepal planned and launched several unification campaigns of Nepal from this historic town. Nuwakot remained the capital of Nepal until the King the great moved to the Kathmandu Valley in 1768 A.D. A pagoda style building popularly known as the seven storied palace stands as the landmark of Nuwakot and it was built shortly after Prithivi Narayan Shah's arrival. With its strategic hill top view overlooking the convergence of the Tadi and Trisuli Rivers to the south and serving as a gate keeper to the main trade route north into Tibet via Kerung, Nuwakot served as a powerful fort for the soon to be first king of Nepal. An interesting historical footnote is that Late King Girban Youddha received the letter of credentials of Mr. E Gardner, the first resident representative of Britain to Nepal in 1816 A.D. inside this palace. Although the village is not too far from the capital city - Kathmandu , it remains ‘Off the Beaten Path' by the tourists. People of Nuwakot are inspiringly friendly and welcoming in attitude. Having a historical past, Nuwakot bears remarkable interest for people to spend few days in a Nepali Village lifestyle. The village of Nuwakot is situated at 2970ft. above the sea level. The climate of this region is moderate. The history culture, architecture and the friendly people of Nuwakot makes it a perfect place for relax and educational stay.

Nuwakot Palace Nuwakot a historical town

Access

Regular bus services are available to visit Nuwakot from Katmandu to Trisuli and vice versa. It generally takes two and a half hours bus drive from the capital. During the rainy season, however, the bus would go up to Trisuli Bazaar. It takes up to three hours.

Nuwakot Palace

Built in 1762 A.D. the Nuwakot Palace is of extreme historical importance. The Palace is strategically located and impressively built. With wall five feet thick and towering seven storey high, the palace was built to withstand the strongest of forces. The wooden window frames and the verandah, which allow visitors to walk around the palace have retained the intricate carvings of the past. Late King Prithivi Narayan Shah used this fortress to plan and organize his campaigns of unification. After the unification, the king returned here many times to speak to the citizens from the palace.

Sightseeing around the palace is extremely interesting and breathtaking. Looking from Nuwakot to the east are views of the Himalayan foothills, the Tadi River as it winds through the valley below and on the river's bank are the lush green fields of the agricultural farms. From the same point looking west are the views of the Trisuli Bazaar. The narrow market streets of Trisuli Bazzar views of the Bagh Bagaincha ( tiger Garden ) and the traditional trekking route to Gorkha. From Nuwakot's vantage point beautiful scences of Ganesh and Langtang Himal are seen to the north and the areas of Devighat, Battar and the confluence of the two rivers are seen to the south. It is also possible to view these scenes easily from the recently made Kuwapani Tower or from Kalika Mountain . These are located about two kilometers north of the palace.

Bhairavi Temple

This temple is the centerpiece of the local religious practice. Like the Nuwakot Durbar, this temple also represents an important part of the history of Nepal. Many successes of Nepal’s military campaigns of those days were attributed to the blessings of the goddess Bhairavi.

Taleju Temple

Taleju temple is situated on a small hill in the middle of Nuwakot Bazaar. It is believed to have been built during the reign of Ratna Malla, King of Kathmandu (14th century A.D.). Teleju is famous as a family deity (Kul Devta) of the Mallas, the ruling dynasty of medieval times in Nepal.

Gosainkunda and the Langtang Range

The road following Trisuli River northwards lure many mountain climbing enthusiasts to the Langtang area. Trisuli, which lies to the west of Nuwakot and is just a 40 minutes below the main Trisuli Village serves as a half way point between Kathmandu and Dhunche- the starting point of many mountain treks. Hindu pilgrims and visitors visit Gosainkunda- the holy lake which is believed to be the birth place of lord Shiva.

Trisuli Area

The origin of the Trisuli River is the holy lake Gosainkunda. Tourists also enjoy rafting in this river. It flows from Gosainkunda to the south via Betrabati and Trisuli Bazaar and mixes with the Tadi river in Devighat. On the bank of the Trisuli river is a sloping barrow market called the Trisuli Bazaar. The market is full of traditional customs and cultural values. There are various temples and stupas in Trisuli Bazaar.

Devighat Area

Jalpa Devi of Devighat is a well known religious pilgrimage site in the district. Devighat is linked to the Katmandu Trisuli road. The site is only 1.5 km from the village of Pipaltar which is easily accessible. It is a common belief here that the goddesses Jalpa Devi and Bhairavi are sisters. Every year in April a religious procession is taken out here. Traditional assumption is that on this day the younger sister Bhairavi goes with the procession to see her elder sister Jalpa Devi.

Many people come to observe this festival from different parts of the country. Devighat is also the place where the first King of unified Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah passed away in 1775 A.D. As a memorial to the King, a statue is placed above a large stone in the centre of a park located near Devighat.

Culture and Festival

The people of Nuwakot take great pride in their history and culture. There are many ethnic groups here, Newars being the largest. Tamangs also make a sizeable population. The culture of Nuwakot is highly influenced by the culture of the medieval Kathmandu. The folk songs and the dances of Nuwakot especially Tamangs Selos are famous throughout Nepal.

Many colorful festivals are observed here including great Dashain and Tihar (October/November). Other local festivals include Shivaratri (February), Narayan Jatra (April), Lingo Jatra(April), Shipahi Jatra(August), Janai Poornima(August), Gai Jatra(August), Lakhe Jatra(August), Devi Jatra(September), Bibaha Panchami (November) and others. The dates of these festivals may vary as they are based on the Nepalese (Lunar) calendar.

Accommodation

Modest hotels and lodges are available in Trisuli and Nuwakot Bazaar.