Strung out along a ridge Skin southwest of Kathmandu, the small town of Kirtipur retains an unhurried, timeless air despite its proximity to the capital. Its mpressive but little-visited temples point to a golden age that has long passed. During the 1768/9 conquest of the valley by Prithvi Narayan Shah it was clear that kirtipur,with its superbly defensible hilltop positions would be the key to defeat- mug the Malla kingdoms, so it was here the Gorkha king struck first and hardest.Kirtipur’s resistance was strong, but eventua lly, after a bitter sieges the town was taken and the inhabitants paid a terrible price for their courageous resistance. The kings by the long struggle his forces had endured, ordered that the forces and lips be cut off every male inhabitant in the town. At one tune there were 12 gates into the city; traces of the old city wall can still be seen. Kirtipur’s hilltop position offers fine views over Kathmandu, with the Himalaya rising behind. The campus of Nepal’s Tribhuvan Univ ersity stands at the base of Kirtipur’s hill and has the best library facilities to be found in Nepal.