the towns of Khatmandu and Bhitgaon are probably the greatest attraction in Nepal, as their architecture is unique. The special interest of these wonderful buildings is that they illustrate the art of the Newars as applied to their religion, which has been described as a coalition of Brahmanism and Buddhism. In the words of Fergusson, Nepal presents a complete microcosm of India as it was in the seventh century when the Buddhist and Brahmanical religions flourished side by side, and as Nepal has remained quite uninfluenced either m its religion or in its art by the Mahommedan conquest of India, its ancient buildings are unique in their strongly marked Chinese character. All this is due to the Newars, the original inhabitants of the valley of Nepal, and from the time when the war¬ like race of Gurkhas coming from the west in 1769 subdued the more peaceful and artistic Newars, their art began to languish. Such beautiful woodwork can be seen nowhere else, and unless steps are taken to protect some of the best of it from the influence of the weather, it is to be feared that its decay is only a question of time.
