( CNN ) When the earthquake hit , many of Nepal 's most renowned pagodas in and around Kathmandu crumbled into rubble-covered stumps . Others were smothered under splintered hand-carved wooden beams or multi-level rooftops . But the Kathmandu Valley 's other pagodas , stupas and shrines -- also built mostly of red brick hundreds of years ago -- suffered surprisingly little damage and remained standing next to structures which disappeared . The worst architectural losses have included the majestic Shiva temple pagoda and its twin , the Narayan temple pagoda , which dominated Kathmandu 's main Durbar Square . From the late 1960s onwards , Western hippy backpackers who traveled the legendary overland route to Kathmandu would climb the Shiva pagoda 's wide , nine-step plinth , sit in the shade under the triple-layered roofs , smoke hashish and enjoy the lofty view . But now the two pagodas have been obliterated and the scene comprises pathetic piles of rubble , a bulldozer shoveling a path for vehicles , shocked and miserable witnesses and a sense of irreplaceable visual and spiritual loss -- unless the structures are eventually rebuilt . The Shiva temple pagoda may have been hundreds of years old , but before its destruction impoverished rickshaw drivers , coolies and others would publicly urinate into the gutter surrounding it while waiting for passengers or heavy loads to transport . The slightly shorter , triple-roofed Narayan pagoda allowed vegetable sellers to display their foodstuff on the temple 's broad , five-level base . Both pagodas also served as public platforms . Jostling crowds of Nepalis and foreigners used to gather there because the plinths ' height above street level allowed excellent views of major Hindu processions and other events . Those two landmarks fronted the enclosed dwelling place of Nepal 's Hindu virgin goddess , or Kumari , whose ornate front of bricks , statues and carved wood seem to have survived the initial quakes . It is not immediately known if the inner courtyard and rooms are safe . On the other side of Durbar Square , the brick-and-wood Shiva-Parvati temple house -- where the Hindu gods Shiva and his consort Parvati shelter -- appear to also have survived . On Kathmandu 's outskirts the town of Patan suffered terrible damage when its central Durbar Square lost several pagodas as structures pancaked straight down while others merely shook and cracked . Fortunately others appear to still be standing , including the Sundari Chowk temple and a surviving lucky trio of holy structures : the gray stone , Mogul-influenced Krishna Mandir ; the 17th-century Bishwa Nath Mandir with its large stone elephants at the entrance ; and the nearby smaller 17th-century Bimsen Mandi `` god of the traders '' pagoda . Several miles away from Kathmandu , witnesses have been unable to immediately confirm the levels of destruction which have occurred in the lavish town of Bhaktapur . The locality had undergone years of extensive restoration work thanks to foreign and local artists and funding . The town offset some of that cost by charging tourists a fee to enter its central area , which displayed refined temples , pagodas , shrines and even a restaurant built into a main pagoda , allowing diners to view the best sites while munching their meals . Elsewhere in the Kathmandu Valley , the white-topped dome of the Boudhanath Stupa remains standing , but its smaller neighboring stupa has shown some damage from the quake . The Boudhanath Stupa is prized by Tibetan Buddhist refugees who have fled their Chinese-occupied homeland on foot through the Himalaya mountains . They are often seen reverently walking in a circle around the stupa 's base while twirling `` prayer wheels '' and chanting . There has been no news as yet on damage caused to other famous places of Hindu and Buddhist worship , including the hilltop Swayambhunath temple on the outskirts of Kathmandu . That imposing structure is popularly known as the `` Monkey Temple '' because its often vicious wild monkeys are allowed to scamper among the trees on the temple 's hill , terrifying visitors who have to hike up a lengthy stairway to reach the temples , shrines , shops and monks ' residences.. The fate of the Pashupatinath Temple complex near Kathmandu 's international airport is also not known . Pashupatinath 's multiple pagodas and shrines flank its public funeral pyres which emit smoke whenever human corpses are routinely cremated before the ashes are dumped into a narrow river .
Several of Nepal 's best known landmarks have been destroyed by the earthquake of 17th-century . But outside the capital Kathmandu there is hope that many have survived .