Ghanta Ghar is Kathmandu's oldest clock tower, built in 1894 during the Rana regime that ruled Nepal under British influence. It stands in the busy junction near Rani Pokhari, its ornate Victorian design somewhat incongruous amid the surrounding chaos of modern Kathmandu. The tower is not open to climb but is a recognisable landmark worth noting as you navigate the city.
The surrounding area — New Road, Rani Pokhari, and the lanes leading toward Indra Chowk — is one of the more active commercial districts of the old city. The Ghanta Ghar acts as an informal meeting point and local reference, and it marks a useful boundary between the tourist-oriented Thamel area to the northwest and the more workaday streets of the old Newar city to the south and east.