More Kathmandu Sightseeing

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The weekend before we went to Chitwan we did a bit more sightseeing around Kathmandu. One of our visits was to Swayambhunath, or the monkey temple (so called because lots of small monkeys live nearby the very long stairway up the hill to reach the stupa on top). Using the map and directions in the guide book I managed to lead us to the temple without any difficulty - so we had a nice walk (over a very smelly river!) to the stupa - and saved on a taxi fee! Giant stautes of Buddha greeted us at the base of the hill, and as we climbed the hundreds of stone steps, lined with handicraft stall, more impressive stautes appeared. We did see some monkeys on the way up, but not nearly as many as I was expecting. When we reached the top, the stupa itself was very impressive, as were the numerous other temples and shrines around it. It is strange how close the Hindu and Buddhist religions are here - although the stupa itself is a Buddhist monument some of the temples around it were dedicated to Hindu gods. I loved the peaceful atmosphere pf the area - tibetan monk chants were being played, and it was lovely to walk around the stupa (clockwise of course), admiring the view over Kathmandu and the architecture of the monuments.
The day after visiting Swayambhunath, a group of us took a taxi slightly our of Kathmandu to see Pashputinath, which is Nepal's most important Hindu temple. It stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati River and seems to be the place where most cremations take place. When we first arrived I wasn't prepared for the sight of dead bodies in various stages of cremation on the line of funeral pyres along the river bank, and intially it made me feel quite ill. Luckily, once we'd crossed the river and started walking uphill through pleasant woodland past many shrines, and impressive burial tombs (mainly for more important people and members of the old royal family I think), the deathly mood of the river banks disappeared, and we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the woods, stopping to admire another Hindu temple - as we are not Hindu, we could not enter Pashupatinath, or any other Hindu temple, so we could only look from outside. It was still very much worth the visit though to experience such an important part of the Hindu culture.

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Photos

The street leading down to the river.
There seemed to be some sort of celebration going on.

Comments

[Himal]

Hi Emma, I just started reading your travel blogs and liked them very much. And thanks for keeping it regular. As we are in Nepal Tourism Year 2011, stories like yours will do much to encourage others to come visit Nepal. p.s. if you have not already left Nepal, perhaps you will visit us at Helena's Restaurant in Thamel. Would like to offer you our chocolate cake and coffee as an appreciation for your nice blogs. Thanks. Himal Karmacharya Helena's Restaurant