It lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of the Indian subcontinent and the broader Asian continent, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists.

[2] The Kathmandu Valley is the most developed and the largest urban agglomeration in Nepal with a population of about 5 million people.

It is popular with tourists for its unique architecture, and rich culture which includes the highest number of jatras (festivals) in Nepal.

As per the World Bank, the Kathmandu Valley was one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in South Asia with 2.5 million population by 2010 and an annual growth rate of 4%.

[5] The earthquake caused thousands of deaths and the destruction of many infrastructure across the Kathmandu Valley, which included the towns of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, Changunarayan, and Bhaktapur.

Four stupas around the city of Patan that are said to have been erected by Charumati, a purported daughter of the Maurya emperor Ashoka, in the third century BCE, attest to the ancient history present within the valley.

The Licchavis, whose earliest inscriptions date to 464, were the next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the Gupta Empire of India.

[16] They are understood to be the descendants of the various ethnic and racial groups that have inhabited and ruled the valley in the two-millennium history of the place.

[18] The valley's trademark is the multiple-roofed pagoda which may have originated in this area and spread to India, China, Indochina and Japan.

[19][20] The most famous artisan who influenced stylistic developments in China and Tibet was Araniko, a Newar who traveled to the court of Kublai Khan in the 13th century AD.

At present, people from other parts of Nepal tend to migrate to the valley for a better life due to its high level of cultural and economic development.

[2] This valley hosts a UNESCO World Heritage Site with seven preserved locations: the centers of the three primary cities, Kathmandu Hanuman Dhoka, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the two most important Buddhist stupas, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath and two famous Hindu shrines, Pashupatinath temple and Changu Narayan.

[23] In 2003, UNESCO listed the sites as being "endangered" out of concern for the ongoing loss of authenticity and the outstanding universal value of the cultural property.

[27] In 2015, the Government of Nepal proposed to develop Kathmandu valley as a separate national capital territory and not a part of Bagmati Province.