Visiting India and Nepal, Part Three

 

Leaving before breakfast on our second day in Nepal, we boarded a small Buddha Air passenger plane to begin our flight for a close view of the Himalaya Mountains and Mount Everest.

 We had light jackets for this early morning flight,

which was the only time we wore jackets during the

entire time we were in Nepal and India.

The Himalaya Range

We were lucky to have such a beautiful day for our flight.

A few days later, we saw on T.V. that tourists were unable

to make the flight due to adverse weather conditions.

Several weeks prior to our tour, we read about

a fatal Buddha Air crash of a similar plane with tourists on a flight 
to see Mt. Everest that resulted from poor visibility.

Looking up at Mount Everest from the cockpit of our small plane

was a memorable experience.

Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the highest mountain

in the world with a peak of 29,029 feet above sea level.

Returning to Kathmandu, we had breakfast about 9:00 a.m. and then our tour group went by bus to tour the area.  We were with the "red bus" group, and the others were known as the "yellow bus" group based on the colored sign in the bus window rather than the color of the bus.

Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city of Nepal.  We had a full day of sightseeing starting with our Mount Everest flight, then visiting Kathmandu's Durbar Square, riding in a rickshaw, driving by bus through a countryside with planted fields, watching ladies cleaning and drying rice, and seeing historical Bhaktapur.  

Following are some photos from Kathmandu's Durbar Square.  A Durbar Square is the generic name used to describe plazas opposite old royal palaces in Nepal.

 

 Our guide in Nepal standing by a Garuda statue

in Kathmandu's Durbar Square.

Taleju Temple (1564)
It is not open to the public and even Hindus can
visit only briefly during the annual Dasain festival.
Although not apparent from this view, this temple
dominates the Durbar Square area, as it stands on a
12-stage plinth or platform and is about 110 feet tall.

We left this area by rickshaw and 

then boarded our bus to go to Bhaktapur.

 

 Traveling along in the bus, we saw small fields of crops.

 We walked through a small village where women

were cleaning and drying piles of rice.

Walking back to the bus on a different path,

we saw these water buffalo.

Souvenirs for sale.  On the end of the table are some singing bowls 

similar to the two we bought in another area.

 

Bhaktapur, about 13 miles from Kathmandu, is also known as "Nepal's Cultural Gem" and "City of Devotees."  It was added to the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1979.  The next pictures were taken in Bhaktapur.  

  Nyatapola Temple

in Taumadhi Square in Bhaktapur (1702). 
 It is the highest temple in Nepal.  

Guardian figures are on the stairway leading to the temple, 

and at each level the figures are said to be 

ten times as strong as those on the level below.

The bottom level has the legendary Rajput wrestlers, 

with elephants on the next level followed by

lions, griffins, and finally two goddesses.

 Vatsala Temple (1672)

Although most of the monuments in Bhaktapur's Durbar Square

are terra-cotta with carved wooden columns, 

this temple is made of stone.

  Much of Bernardo Bertolucci's movie "Little Buddha" 

was filmed near the Vatsala Temple. 

 The Golden Gate 

in Bhaktapur's Durbar Square (completed in 1756) 

is actually made of brass, and is one of the most important

pieces of art in the Kathmandu Valley.  

Inside the gate is the "Palace of 55 Windows."

Palace of 55 Windows on the left.

It is not permitted to take a photo of the

Living Goddess (or "Kumaro") when she appears at scheduled

times in an upper window.  

The Living Goddess is chosen from poor girls ages 4 to 7 who are judged on 32 attributes of perfection, and then she is tested further to determine if she will remain calm in a darkened room with buffalo heads, demon-like masked dancers, and terrible noises. Once chosen, she is entitled to sit on the throne of the Living Goddess until she reaches puberty.  At that time, she changes back to the status of being a "normal girl" and the search is on to find another Kumaro.

 Naga Pokhari (Snake Pond)

by the Palace of 55 Windows.

It is a 17th century water tank encircled by a stone cobra

with cobra heads rising up on pillars.

This open air market appears to be for locals rather than tourists.

It was a common sight to see slender men carrying huge 

loads on their backs this way. 

 More heavy loads with straps crossing the upper forehead.

Quite a few signs are in English even though many

natives did not seem to know English.  
Napali is the national language.

The Nepal flag is the only national flag that is not rectangular

or square.  It is composed of two pennants that represent the

two rival branches of the Rana dynasty which formerly 

ruled the country.  They were first joined in the last century,

but it was not adopted as the official flag until 1962.



 Boudhanath Stupa (temple),
one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu and
one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.
 We watched the devout always walking clockwise to 
keep good karma, as they made one or more trips around 
the stupa while turning their small prayer wheels.

Hinduism is the main religion of Nepal with about 80% of the people being Hindu and about 10% calling themselves Buddhists.  However, there has been a lot of intermingling of the two beliefs.  In fact, many Hindus worship at Buddhist temples, and Buddhists often worship at Hindu temples.  The difference in their beliefs has become very subtle, and they have no religious conflicts.

These monks are part of the crowd walking near the stupa

(on their right).  That evening we walked from our hotel 

to eat in a nearby restaurant across from the stupa.

  We visited an art school where they were painting and selling
Thangka art and saw a demonstration and artists at work.
This is a Nepalese art form of intricate painting usually
on cotton or silk depicting a Buddhist deity, 
famous scene, or mandala of some sort.

The next morning, we went to the Bagmati River, which is considered as holy as the Ganges.

 Cremation goes throughout the days and nights on the bank

of the Bagmati River.

 

Yes, those are feet.

According to Nepalese Hindu tradition, the dead body must

be dipped three times in the Bagmati River before cremation.

The chief mourner (usually the first son) who lights the

funeral pyre, must take a holy river-water bath immediately

after the cremation.  Many relatives who join the funeral

procession also take a bath in the Bagmati River or sprinkle

water on their bodies at the end of cremation.  

Some of the ashes are put into the river.  The Bagmati

River is considered to purify the people spiritually.

On the opposite bank of the Bagmati River, rituals were

being conducted with colored paints, which

we understood were in honor of ancestors.

Another group involved with their ancestral ritual.

Although the Bagmati River is considered holy by
both the Hindu and the Buddhists, it is not very clean
and is polluted by untreated sewage and garbage.
The cremation platforms can be seen at the right. 

On a brighter note, these children are having fun with

this unique swing.

Leaving Nepal, we flew from Kathmandu to Varanasi in India (next blog entry).

Visiting India and Nepal, Part Two

We left the luxurious Trident Gurgaon Hotel early the morning of October 30th while it was still dark after having arrived in India the prior evening, and we flew from Delhi to Kathmandu in Nepal for a day of sightseeing.

Traveling by bus from Kathmandu to nearby Patan,

we passed this typically colorful truck.

These tuk tuks used as taxis are very common in India and Nepal

and are somewhat different from those we saw in China.

Located in Kathmandu Valley in the center of Patan is Darbar Square, which is a medieval Malla principality and a UNESCO heritage site where we visited the main courtyard of the Malla palace.  The Malla dynasty ruled in Nepal from the 12th to 18th century.

We are getting our picture taken in Darbar Square in Patan

with the famous Krishna Temple of the 17th century

behind us with its 21 spires and lion statues in front.

A closer view of the Krishna Temple.

Our guide is pointing to the golden decoration on this

section of the Royal Palace across from the Krishna Temple.

The sign says the Royal Palace is undergoing restoration.

Women shown cleaning decorative parts of the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace is
decorated with intricate woodcarvings.

Vishwanath Temple and Garuda Column in Durbar Square.

This temple was originally built in 1627 and has been

restored in recent years.  Two large stone elephants

guard the front entrance.
The figure on top of the column is a Garuda,
which is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that
appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. 

 On top of this tall column is a kneeling
King Yoganarendra Malla and his queens,
protected by the hood of a cobra with a bird on its head.
(Unfortunately, there is also something on the
king's head that apparently does not belong there.)

Char Narayan Temple,

also known as Jagan Narayan Temple, is perhaps the oldest temple

in Patan's Darbar Square.  Some scholars believe it was built

in 1565, but others suggest the early 17th century.  Unlike

other temples in the square, it is built primarily of brick.

(Richard Howell, Sam Ireland, Mike & Ooma Menlove, 

our guide in Nepal, Dee Lorimer, and Gale Lemmon)

The Golden Temple,

also known as the Hiranyavarna Mahvihar,

 is a 14th century Buddhist Monastery

that is the center of rites and rituals of Newari Buddhist of Patan.

Sam is shown entering the inner courtyard.

 Inside the courtyard of the Golden Temple,

we watched this young boy play who is in training

to become a monk. 

We noticed that colorful paint and flower petals seem

to be part of various religious rites.

Vendors are very persistent in trying to sell you their

wares.  This tiny lady followed me for a long time before

I finally gave in and bought a couple of her necklaces.

Later, looking at our pictures, I notice that she was there in a

photo taken earlier in the day in Durbar Square when I

was buying some small purses for souvenir gifts.

Stairs led to another area featuring a large Buddhist temple,

or stupa, called the Swayambhunath Stupa.  Our group came up

the hilltop an easier way, but Sam took the opportunity of

going up and down these ancient 365 steps, 

which is the only route pilgrims would consider.

Kathmandu is seen in the background as well as prayer flags.

The Swayambhunath Stupa,

Kathmandu's most important Buddhist shrine,

was founded about 2000 years ago.

The painted eyes represent the "peaceful visage

of the Buddha," and the nose that looks like a question mark

is the Nepali number one and represents the unity of all things.

The whitewashed dome of the main stupa represents

the womb of creation.

Sam is spinning the prayer wheels, which is what

devotees do to release prayers and mantras to heaven.

Inside the prayer wheel is a scroll containing prayers.  Each

rotation of the wheel activates the prayers and builds the

good karma of the worshipper.  In their belief, a good

balance of karma is required for a favorable reincarnation

in the next life and progression down the road to Enlightenment.

The monkeys were free to roam where they want

and are the reason the stupa here is referred by

tourists as "the Monkey Temple."  

Colorful prayer flags are strung in various locations

and send prayers to heaven on the wind.

Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism and

allowed to roam free, as this cow standing in the middle of the 

street.  A person can be sent to jail for injuring or killing a cow.

In Nepal, the sentence for killing a cow is 20 years in jail; but

our guide said the worst consequence would be the guilt

the devout citizen would feel if they killed a holy cow.

  

  The wiring looks like an electrician's nightmare!

These young students wearing red sweaters have uniforms 

similar to what girls might wear in a western country,

although the ladies typically still wear their native attire.

Traffic on the streets was interesting and varied.

We stayed that night at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu and got up very early the next morning for our once in a lifetime experience of flying near Mt. Everest.