1970 Map of Kathmandu, Nepal

This is an attractive c. 1970 Suresh B. Malla city map of Kathmandu, Nepal, issued by Suresh B. Malla. The map is printed on both sides, recto and verso. The recto details the city of Kathmandu and the verso the Kathmandu Valley. It was designed with the foreign tourist in mind and features a wealth of practical information for the traveler - locations of embassies, banks, grocers, hospitals, police, hotels, trekking companies, and more. On the verso, there are advertisements for Royal Nepal Airlines.

The City Map

The recto features a detailed map of Kathmandu - revealing just how small the city remained in 1970. The map gives evidence of Kathmandu's evolution from a traditional family courtyard or 'Chowk'-based civic design, to the incorporation of large avenues and a loose grid. On the left side of the map, there appears an illustrated guide to the city's many temples. A street index appears along the top and advertisements for hotels, restaurants, and trekking companies line the bottom.

The Kathmandu Valley

The verso features a general map offering a wide topographical overview of the Kathmandu Valley. Loosely centered on Durbar Square, the map covers from Thanaphedi, to Pharping and east as far as Bhaktapur. Along the bottom of the image, there appears a large advertisement for Royal Nepal Airlines.

Publication History and Census

This map was compiled by Suresh B. Malla and printed in Kathmandu c. 1970 by the Jore Ganesh Press. We are aware of editions of this map dating well into the 1980s, but all examples are ephemeral and scarce.