The quiet pulse of Sankhu: Unearthing an ancient royal city

Most people today know Sankhu for its Salinadi Mela. Every winter, the month-long festival draws hundreds of devotees who walk barefoot along the Shalinadi riverbanks, braving the cold for spiritual purification and the story of Swasthani. The rest of the year, though, Sankhu returns to its stillness, its old stone alleys echoing only the footsteps of daily life. From the outside, it appears to be just another old Newar town. But I’ve always felt differently.