41) Kathmandu - testimony of Nepal's cultural wealth


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June 3rd 2005
Published: June 17th 2005
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Bodhnath StupaBodhnath StupaBodhnath Stupa

It is the largest stupa in Nepal and is revered by both Tibetan and Nepali Buddhists
We left Pokhara in the morning, all buses to Kathmandu leave from the same place at 7:30 a.m., very practical. We had the choice of different companies and chose any bus, rather convinced that they were all the same. The bus was better than most we had experienced in India, but this time we had opted for a so-called 2x2 (only two seats per row on each side of the aisle) tourist bus. The drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu took only five hours, but it was the most scenic we have had in almost four months! First of all, Nepal is a very green country, soothing to your eyes, then we followed the course of a river all the way to Kathmandu. Actually, we were on one of Nepal's highways, the road was either in excellent state or being repaired, and the villages we drove through appeared rather rich. From what we had seen of Nepal so far, it is hard to imagine that it is among the ten poorest countries in the world. We had quite many breath-taking views down the wild river gushing over huge boulders or flowing quietly and broadly in an unperturbed riverbed lined by sandy beaches
Bodhnath Stupa and the prayer flagsBodhnath Stupa and the prayer flagsBodhnath Stupa and the prayer flags

The hemi-spherical dome is topped by a square harmika painted on each side with the eyes of the Buddha
occasionally. We stopped around 9 a.m. for breakfast at a small restaurant which offered nice views on the river and a long suspension bridge. Of these we saw a large number, there was no other way to reach the opposite riverside. Well, that's not completely true, we also noticed several thick ropes stretched across the river, onto them metal baskets were attached and people moved by pulling them so that they glided over the rope. Klaudia was reminded of an Indiana Jones movie! Our trip was interrupted several times by military checkpoints. The bus had to stop, the ticket controller jumped out and registered the bus and all the passengers had to get out with their hand luggage to be searched. Not everybody, to be exact, foreign tourists, elder women and small children were unperturbed. We did not feel comfortable, not because of the military presence, but because we thought ourselves unduly privileged.

We arrived in Kathmandu around 1 p.m. somewhere in the city, definitely not at the bus stand. Still, this seemed to be a place for buses to stop, some taxis were already waiting for passengers. We negotiated a price that seemed correct to us (which was
Greeting from KathmanduGreeting from KathmanduGreeting from Kathmandu

After many months travelling only the two of us, we were happy to be joined by Stephan's father Peter for the next 6 weeks
somehow tricky since we had no clue where we actually were) and the taxi brought us to a hotel that we had been recommended. The hotel ACME is situated in a region called Thamel, which has become the undisputed focal point for tourists. This hotel was special because of its small garden and its relative quietness in an area otherwise characterised by frenzied activity. The room was quite nice, of a bit higher standard than the previous one in Pokhara, but also considerably more expensive (10$ compared to 3$; funnily, hotel prices in Kathmandu were calculated in USD, which caused us some problems). We were later on looking around in other hotels, but this seemed to be the standard price for a mid-range hotel, low-season reduction already included. Thamel consists of a maize of narrow lanes and there are practically only tourist facilities: guesthouses, restaurants offering food from the four corners of the world (it was rather difficult to find traditional Nepali dishes), genuine supermarkets, bookstores, travel agencies, internet cafes cheaper than in Pokhara and a myriad of shops selling Nepalese, Tibetan or Bhutanese handicrafts as well as trekking equipment. Quite logically, the first thing for us to do was
Buddha is looking at youBuddha is looking at youBuddha is looking at you

The eyes of the Buddha are a symbol of awareness
to explore the farther surroundings, getting lost in unbelievably narrow lanes which looked almost medieval with their sloping houses and beautifully carved windows, a Nepalese speciality. We were fascinated and decided we liked Kathmandu very much, not as laid-back as Pokhara but offering so many treasures on the cultural plan, and inhabited by very friendly people. The other activity we sported until Stephan's father's arrival on the 4th of June, was to search for a way to continue our travel in Tibet. We soon found out that it was very easy, there was no more need for the individual travellers to form a group of five as it still had been the custom not very long ago. Every travel agency offered a so-called budget tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa, five days either by bus or jeep. We shopped around and the cheapest arrangement we found for a bus tour was for $108 plus $26 for the visa (per person). The travel agent pointed out that the price for the visa rose if we did not hand in the passports one week in advance, later a rush fee of $12 or $17 would be added, depending on the period of working
Klaudia and Peter on the Bodhnath StupaKlaudia and Peter on the Bodhnath StupaKlaudia and Peter on the Bodhnath Stupa

The Bodhnath Stupa is so huge that one can even walk on it
time for the embassy. The jeep tour would cost additional $20 but we opted for the bus, hoping for better visibility through bigger window panes well as more available space. Another tour including a trip to the Everest Base Camp was also on offer but we reclined it, apart from its considerably higher price ($450) we were not really interested.

A taxi brought us to the airport, we chose the same driver who had taken us to the hotel, a very nice man who spoke quite good English and loved talking, so he told us a lot about the places we passed or Nepal in general. Stephan's father Peter arrived on time and rather fresh although he had not slept much on his long plane journey. It was good to see him again after more than three months! Furthermore it had not been easy to convince him to join us, we truly hoped that he would enjoy travelling with us in this fascinating part of the world. It was already too late to visit one of Kathmandu's major tourist sites, so we just showed him what we had previously discovered, including the huge number of Hindu or Buddhist temples
Prayer wheelsPrayer wheelsPrayer wheels

Tibetan monk eagerly turning the many prayer wheels
to be found practically at every street corner of the old city. There were especially many Hindu sanctuaries around, small lingas or statues of a deity always decorated with flowers, red powder or rice. It was not easy for us to decide to which religion a temple belonged, the Hindu temples were different from the ones in India, normally in the form of a pagoda, of several storeys sometimes. It did not matter so much anyhow, since the Hindus see Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu! Only when we found a stupa it was clear that a Buddhist monument was before our eyes, the more so as these were often decorated with Buddha Eyes. Another Buddhist characteristics are the prayer wheels but on small temples they were often missing. Several times we entered a courtyard or a small lane by chance and hit upon beautiful temples with brass roofs, rich wood carvings or impressive metal lions. On our way back to the hotel it started raining (we should have rather heavy downpours every day of our stay in Kathmandu), so we took shelter in a restaurant. As it was time to eat, we ordered typical Nepalese dishes but Peter's stomach
Huge prayer wheelHuge prayer wheelHuge prayer wheel

Next to the temple entrance you will always find at least one huge prayer wheel, which despite its size can be turned easily
was not yet used to such exotic food, so we opted for Western food the following days (e.g. a Mexican restaurant under Austrian management, but no Kaiserschmarrn this time).

Our first long-term visit took us to the famous Bodhnath Stupa. With 38m in height and 100m in circumference it is the largest stupa in Nepal and is revered by both Tibetan and Nepali Buddhists. According to regional chronicles, it was constructed in the latter half of the 5th century AD and subsequently restored (some sources say re-constructed) in the early 16th century. Even when passing the street in which it is situated, you cannot detect it despite its size, as it is these days almost hidden from distant view by the surrounding buildings, which create an attractive courtyard effect for the stupa itself. At the entrance gate itself you have to take several steps until perceiving the stunning white hemi-spherical dome topped by a square pedestal painted on each side with the eyes of the Buddha, above which rises the spire with 13 steps. Around the octagonal three-tiered base of the stupa there is a brick wall with 147 niches and 108 images of the meditational buddhas, inset behind
Jamchen MonasteryJamchen MonasteryJamchen Monastery

This beautifully renovated Tibetan monastery is located on the West side of the Bodhnath Stupa
copper wheels. We only discovered these architectural details by and by, firstly we were overwhelmed by the dome and the Buddha Eyes which seemed to follow us wherever we moved. Secondly, the masses of pilgrims moving around the stupa in a clockwise circuit constantly moving the prayer wheels left a lasting impression on our eyes and souls. Buddhist monks clad colourfully in saffron and magenta or crimson walked side by side with Nepalese or Tibetan believers with all kinds of small prayer wheels turning in their right hand. This densely populated Kathmandu suburb has a particularly high concentration of Tibetans and so we caught the first glimpse of the country we would visit next. The pilgrims' circuit is surrounded by numerous shrines, bookstores and handicraft shops but all these are mainly aimed at Buddhist pilgrims and the foreign tourists are left in peace. On the western side is the entrance to the stupa, where you can climb all three tiers of the base. The left side is occupied by a gigantic prayer wheel moved by monks and pilgrims, one side of the middle part consists of smaller prayer wheels set before a colourfully painted wall, on the other side hangs
Colourful paintingColourful paintingColourful painting

The balcony of the Jamchen Monastery decorated in stunning colours
a number of bells in different sizes emitting a variety of jingles. Of course we climbed up and wandered around on the slightly curved surface, inhaling the holy and still joyful atmosphere. We really loved that place!

On our way from Thamel to Durbar Square we discovered several smaller temples, one was a small stupa with several shrines around and a brand new Buddhist monastery attached to it. We were allowed to enter the monastery, it was lunchtime and the monks moved in and out of the kitchen, all of them welcomed us very warmly and we were even allowed to stroke the temple dog! When we walked on, we saw places guarded by fearful metal lions, some of them very colorfully painted, or real policemen and surrounded by bicycle rickshaws waiting for tired pedestrians. At Indra Chowk (=crossing) we found another gem, the Akash Bhairava Mandir. For this temple, a lot of brass was used, frightening beasts half lion half eagle guarded the four corners and the balcony's windows were also lined by thick brass panels. We were allowed inside, where a silver image of the rain god is to be found, but it was forbidden to take
Temple windowTemple windowTemple window

Window in the typical Tibetan style with the black frame broader at the bottom than at the top of the window
pictures.

Not far away from Indra Chowk is the Durbar Square, another of Kathmandu's World Heritage Sites. Before dedicating a couple of hours for an exhaustive visit, we had already walked there twice in the late afternoon, once without Peter and once with him, to get an overall impression of its magnificence and dimensions. It is actually the region around the old royal palace and today still is the cultural and spiritual heart of Kathmandu. An astonishing area of religious and regal architecture and monuments, it in fact comprises three squares and contains more than 50 monuments, the oldest dating back over 800 years. Many of the old buildings were rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1934. The more than 20 temples spread around are all Hindu, dedicated to diverse gods or deities; Shiva in many of his forms, Vishnu and all his 10 incarnations, Ganesh, Shiva's wife Parvati, Hanuman, Sarawati the goddess of knowledge and education or Krishna. Stephan and Klaudia were happy to have seen so many temples in India, so they could most of the time recognize the represented gods and explain their importance to Peter. Still, the Nepalese temples do not have much in common
Colourfully painted detailColourfully painted detailColourfully painted detail

Beautiful mask on top of a column at the Jamchen Monastery
with the Indian style, their forms and designs differ considerably. What stone carvings and sculptures are to India, carved wooden roofs, struts, balconies and window screens are to Nepal. Many of the religious buildings consist of several storeys and several of them look very Asiatic due to the pagoda style. This form also gives them an airy and light look, while many stone temples in India were rather heavy and overwhelming due to their size. The temples and the regal buildings (palaces and pavilions) also make extensive use of different metals, in the form of bronze lions guarding the entrances, gilded roofs, bronze window decorations, spires of gold topped by golden umbrellas or small bells dangling from the roof top, ringing gently in a breeze. The effect of all these metal structures in the bright sunlight or at sunset is truly overwhelming and blinding. One building is especially outstanding, not only from the artistic point of view, as it houses a 'Living Goddess'. This is a unique Nepali feature, both Hindus and Buddhists worship her, the first as the living reincarnation of Shiva's consort Parvati, the second as the one of Tara, a female meditational deity. The girl is initiated
Small stupaSmall stupaSmall stupa

Found within a nice square on the way from Thamel to Durbar Square this smaller stupa also has the eyes of the Buddha watching around
into the role at the age of four or five and resides there for up a dozen years until reaching the age of puberty. She must meet 32 requirements, including being a virgin, in immaculate health, having black or blue eyes, a flawless and robust body, slender arms and brilliant white teeth (list not exhaustive). She is chosen from the clan of gold and silversmiths, must undergo a tough final examination before initiation and when her reign ends, she leaves the temple with a handsome dowry, is free to marry and lead a normal life (not easy after so many years as goddess). Nowadays she is taught to read and write to prepare for the future. When we were there, she was supposed to appear in a window, we of course were curious and waited for a long time, but the Living Goddess did not show herself, so we left and can unfortunately not tell you whether she really meets the requirements (pictures are strictly forbidden anyway). At all hours of the day, Durbar Square is teeming with people, rickshaw drivers, vendors, street cleaners, tourists, pilgrims and a large number of sadhus (=holy men) who are beautifully made up to
Newly built Buddhist monasteryNewly built Buddhist monasteryNewly built Buddhist monastery

Peter (left of the gate) is pondering whether to enter or not...
attract tourists' attention, when they want to take a picture they have to pay a small mite. Stephan and Klaudia had not sufficiently warned Peter, he got a a red tika (= auspicious mark) on his forehead, some of the vermilion powder spread to his beige pants and he also had to pay for this special service. Apart from that we stayed at Durbar Square until after sunset and relished every minute at this piece of art. During our stay we visited two other cities with Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, but these will be treated in separate entries in order not to make this entry too long.

Our following destination inside Kathmandu was the Swayambhunath Stupa, aka monkey temple locally. As it is not extremely far from Thamel, we walked there, crossing the Vishnumati river on our way, these days not more than a dark and foul-smelling trickle. Because the footbridge was under construction, we had to cross it on wooden planks, much to Klaudia's distress, who always feels uneasy on such constructions. From the east we came through wooden slopes to a stairway in order to cover the 173m above the hill. Without knowing it we
What a dog's life!What a dog's life!What a dog's life!

This temple dog is the monks' mascot and pampered by them all
had avoided paying the entrance fee, as the ticket booth is only situated at the western side by the car park. We had no idea about the amount we should have paid, but we duly paid in other terms, in form of a long, steep and exhausting ascent. This stupa is definitely a major landmark, clearly visible from far away and revered as the oldest (ca. 450 AD) and one of the two most important of sites of Buddhist worship in Kathmandu (the other one being the Bodhnath Stupa). The local name of monkey temple is not randomly chosen, on our way up we encountered some simians, several hopped around in the temple area and the highest number was to be found on the slopes where they dug into the garbage that is unfortunately thrown out of the windows. They are not very aggressive, though, and their number seems to have shrunk compared to several years earlier. The famous stupa with a diameter of 20m and a height of 10m is the centre and focal point of the complex which also includes numerous monasteries, decorative religious art and shrines, two of them in the north Indian style of a high-rising
Lion guarding a temple entranceLion guarding a temple entranceLion guarding a temple entrance

It won't let the demons enter!
curved temple tower. The stupa itself was impressive once again, especially the eyes of the Buddha, gazing compassionately from beneath heavy black eyebrows, fringed by a curtain of blue, green, red and gold material. To our taste, the stupa did not have enough space around and seemed squeezed in between all the surrounding buildings, the whole area appeared packed and lacked the holy and serene atmosphere of the Bodhnath Stupa. Nevertheless we spent some nice hours on top of the Padmachala Hill, enjoying a nice overview of whole Kathmandu, and because we were not keen on climbing down the 400 stone steps we hired a taxi to take us back to Thamel.

As over 85%!o(MISSING)f the Nepalese are Hindus, we could impossibly leave Kathmandu without having paid a visit to Pashupatinath, Nepal's most important Hindu pilgrimage site on the banks of the Bagmati river; it covers an area of more than 260ha with almost as many temples and religious monuments. The temple belongs to Shiva, here in his peaceful form of Pashupati, the shepherd or lord of beasts. Non Hindus are not allowed into this 17th century temple, but good views are available from the steps rising above
Another pretty metal lionAnother pretty metal lionAnother pretty metal lion

Klaudia was in no way impressed by its display of strength
the east bank of the river which overlook the eastern gate. Surrounding the main Pashupatinath temple complex are numerous structures and temples open to non Hindus, like a cluster of five temples, pilgrim rest houses that are now used for homeless old people, the Parvati temple (6th century) containing a number of erotic carvings and many others notable for their carved windows and roof struts. Inside one of the temple complexes we encountered a huge number of sadhus, almost naked, elaborately painted, some with very long braids and once again we could have made pictures against payment, but again we refused, it is a matter of principle. Above the east bank of the river are 11 shrines dedicated to Shiva and placed there to commemorate those widows who came to that place to commit sati (=they burnt themselves alive on their husbands' funeral pyres). Above the western riverbank are the Royal Cremation Ghats, four on either side of the footbridge by the Parvati temple. Just when we were there, a cremation was going on, obviously of a high military officer, because until the actual burning started a group of soldiers stood erect on the opposite riverbank, paying their last respect
Bicycle rickshawBicycle rickshawBicycle rickshaw

The drivers with Nepalese caps were patiently waiting for tired pedestrians
to this person in form of a salute and a resounding flourish. Somebody in Kathmandu later suggested to us that the dead person may have been killed by the Maoists. In Kathmandu the tension was much more noticeable than in Pokhara or Chitwan, due to the king's residence and all the ministries and political institutions defended by thousands of soldiers. Right when we were staying in Kathmandu a local bus was blown up by the Maoists, leaving 38 people dead (interestingly the military are not counted, being killed is part of their job). We first learnt about this incident by watching BBC, but obviously it made a headline on the media worldwide, so we quickly sent out emails to reassure our families. It seems the tension between the king/army and the Maoists is growing and the whole population in Nepal is suffering, if not physically then on the economic plan. Despite all the military presence, controls and checkpoints, foreign tourists have never been in danger, also the Maoists know how important they are to a country relying on tourism as heavily as Nepal does. We really loved Nepal, its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, its friendly people, but nevertheless
Wood carvingsWood carvingsWood carvings

This temple was perfectly protected by policemen
we were not unhappy to leave due to the uneasy feeling we had. A real pity! But maybe the economic situation must still get worse before a change comes about.



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Akash Bhairava MandirAkash Bhairava Mandir
Akash Bhairava Mandir

Nicely decorated temple dedicated to the sun god close to Durbar Square
Balcony at Akash Bhairava MandirBalcony at Akash Bhairava Mandir
Balcony at Akash Bhairava Mandir

This temple's decoration consisted of a lot of brass ornaments
Brass lion at Akash Bhairava MandirBrass lion at Akash Bhairava Mandir
Brass lion at Akash Bhairava Mandir

Doesn't it look frightening, ready to attack the intruder?


13th September 2020

Kathmandu - testimony of Nepal's cultural wealth
The ancient culture, customs, and traditions of Kathmandu are incredibly unique, Hindu and Buddhist ethos practiced by the majority of high religious people and others are Jainism, Islam, and Christianity. Different Foods for different religious people are made during the festival. Kathmandu is known for Pashupatinath, swayambhunath, Patan durbar square, and so on.

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