Nepali police fought running battles with thousands of pro-democracy protesters around the ancient temples and through the narrow streets of the capital today, and hundreds of people were rounded up.
Riot police fired teargas rounds and launched baton charges at protesters in Kathmandu, as political parties stepped up a campaign to force King Gyanendra to cede power, which he seized nearly a year ago.
Protesters threw torrents of bricks and stones at police holding plastic shields, a day after authorities scuttled a planned rally by imposing a curfew in the capital.
Human rights activists said several hundred people had been rounded up and taken away in trucks as clashes continued for more than two hours in the streets around the historic Durbar Square and in front of its ancient temples.
The detentions come after the government detained more than 100 politicians and human rights activists earlier in the week.
The leaders of the country's main political parties have all been placed under house arrest for up to three months.
The United Nations, United States, India, Europe and Japan have all condemned the arrests.
Groups of demonstrators, sometimes up to 200 strong, played cat and mouse with police in the narrow alleys, burning tyres, throwing stones and chanting slogans.
Although a curfew was relaxed today, the protests still contravened a ban on them in central Kathmandu, imposed after King Gyanendra sacked the government and seized absolute power last February.
"This simply cannot last," said party activist Man Mohan Bhattarai, speaking as a tear gas shell burst nearby and a dozen helmeted riot police ran past wielding batons. "We will have multi-party democracy soon."