Newari traders from the Kathmandu Valley established Bandipur as a hub on the Indo- Tibet road in the late 18th century, bringing with them the rich architectural heritage which endures in the town to this day. Bypassed by the main Pokhara–Kathmandu highway, its core of brick-and-wood shop-houses and temples, beautifully embellished with traditional metalwork and wood carving, has remained miraculously unsullied by concrete. Moreover, superb views of the distant Himalaya are to be had from hilltop viewpoints around the town, reached via easy trails through the surrounding terraced fields and deciduous forests.