Maitighar Mandala

The Maitighar Mandala is a large circular garden near Singha Durbar (the government secretariat) in central Kathmandu. The mandala design incorporates religious symbolism — the circular layout represents the Buddhist cosmos — but it has also become one of Kathmandu's most important sites for political protest, used in the 1990 and 2006 pro-democracy movements.

The site is freely accessible and makes for a quiet rest from sightseeing in this busy government district. The surrounding area includes the Singha Durbar complex (closed to the public), various ministry buildings, and the central bus park. The mandala is pleasant in the early morning when it is uncrowded and the garden's plantings are at their best.

things to do sight
A story
The Maitighar Mandala became one of the key sites of Nepal's democratic movements. Protesters gathered here during the 1990 People's Movement that ended the Panchayat system and again during the 2006 movement that restored democracy after the king's direct rule. The circular design of the mandala — traditional in Buddhist and Hindu cosmology — was repurposed as a space for modern political assertion. It is now seen as both a religious monument and a symbol of democratic aspiration.