Gorkha is the birthplace of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Great, and the founder of modern Nepal. Situated on the hill overlooking the snowy peaks of the Himalayas is a beautiful old palace known as Gorkha Durbar. There are two attractive temples Gorakhnath and Kali inside the palace precinct. Gorkha can be reached about five hours by road from Kathmandu and four hours from Pokhara. A side trip to Manakamana temple on the way to Gorkha is very enjoyable and interesting. The world- renowned Gorkha soldiers were originally from this place.