Nepal, Kathmandu: Pashupatinath Temple

All told, that photo cost me fifty bucks, so I hope you like it!

One of the not-to-be-missed places on a trip to Kathmandu is this place, Pashupatinath. Before going any further, I feel the need to warn sensitive visitors to the Seoul Patch that this place is the "Crematoria" temple, and there are pictures posted below of cremation in progress.

This complex of temples, ghats (cremation pyres) and shrines is bisected by the Bagmati River, as sacred here as the Ganges is to Indian Hindus to the south. Much of the eastern bank is occupied by little Shiva shrines, each containing a Shiva lingam, which looks like a set of human genitals in the process of procreation. Because it's supposed to. Anyway, these little huts are sometimes used by wandering sadhus for shelter. Bigger ones further uphill are used by the lords of Pashupati (see my photo, top). Even though they are rather ancient, these twelve buildings all line up with geometric precision.


The LP says not to take pictures here, but my guide assured me it's perfectly okay, as long as you are at a distance, and don't try to sell them. So, at this point, I'm going to post photos, hopefully respectful and I assure you taken in an attitude of anthropology not sensationalism, of the cremation ritual.

On the west bank, south of the main temple, the deceased waits, wrapped in white and saffron, for the ritual to begin. When it's their "turn", the body is carried by temple helpers, and perhaps family members, down to the banks of the Bagmati for a ritual cleansing. The body is not immersed, just barely dipped.


The body is then carried to the funeral ghat, where the family members share the fire and circle the remains three times before lighting the wood of the pyre. The process is tended by helpers from the temple, with wet straw added as needed to obscure any actual body parts from being visible, as the family withdraws under the shelter of the shrine.


One family member depending on relation--eldest son of a father, youngest son of a mother, etc--sweeps and washes the ashes into the river, cleanses himself, then a rice-sacrificing ritual is performed.


In the past more than today, the family members would then bathe themselves in the Bagmati, in the ashes of their departed loved one. Even though it's dirty and clogged with ashes, my guide suggests this lad may be diving for coins that have been tossed into the river.


My previous posts about Kathmandu, I have noticed, may have sounded a little irked by the pressurization from touts and vendors, but at least this place was up front about it: 1,000 NR (USD 10.00) to enter, 1,500 to 2,000 for a guide, and 2,500 for the photo opportunity with the lord sadhus.

Despite that, it is a somber place. While I found myself contemplating the nature of death (the mendicant here, being Hindu, believe in reincarnation--Tuttle not so much), I also thought about the meaning of life. The day after my visit to this place, I received a number of emails informing me that my friend Gavin had unexpectedly passed away. I met Gavin during orientation way back in 2008, and we spent a number of days and nights together exploring Seoul--we were the same age, both taught "back home" before doing the ESL thing, both enjoyed a few beers, etc. He left Korea after a year, but we stayed in touch.

I wish I had something profound to say, but I don't. I do, however, wish I had told him more how I was glad he was my friend. So long, friend--you will be missed!

Nepal, Kathmandu: Swayambunath Temple, Durbar Square

I am posed here upon what I think is step 300 of the 365 steps leading to the Swayambunath temple on an eastern hilltop overlooking Kathmandu. The trek to the top took, oh, twenty minutes--and 200 NR (about USD 2.00). It must be said, the view of the city below is quite nice. The first of these looks back the way I had come, partly through a sort of statue called a dorje, a brass-plated thunderbolt that is a key symbol of Tibetan Buddhism.


The key piece of architecture here is the central stupa,from whose spire the face of Buddha (or at least his eyes) stares out in the cardinal directions on the valley. The stupa's structure is symbolic, with the square plinth representing the primordial waters, the white dome being the earth, the thirteen tiers at the top representing the stages a human must go through to reach nirvana.


The site, like so much of Nepal, is a curious mix of Buddhist and Hindu, their iconographies shoulder to shoulder.


It's also got a mix of ancient and modern, as the twentieth century style lock backing up this traditional one will attest:


Swayambunath is often referred to by tourists and English-speaking locals alike as the "monkey temple":


... although anyone who has been to the Sacred Monkey Forest Temple in Ubud, Bali, will come away feeling disappointed. There were more dogs roaming around than monkeys, and more pigeons than everything else put together.

That wasn't the only disappointment. Arguably the most sacred location in Nepal, and surely of the Kathmandu Valley, the place was awash with filth, both literally:


... and in the sense of excessive commercialization. In addition to the monasteries selling sacred thanka paintings, there were curio vendors selling cheap, mass-produced crap at every corner, and beggars, and dudes hanging around trying to be your guide. Here's a collection of the better curios covering a few square feet of supposedly sacred temple wall:



Sadly, Kathmandu's Durbar Square, proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1979 for its historical and religious significance, is also cluttered with touts, cheap curios and beggars. Now, I don't begrudge anyone a chance to improve their lot in life, even through begging, and Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries by any measure (except temples and shrines). But the fact that I had to pay a fee, another 200 NR, for entrance, should have provided me some insulation.


Your 200 NR ticket is good for only one day, but you can make your way to the main tourist office on the south end of the Durbar Square and convert it (along with a passport-size photo and a quick look at your visa) into a pass that's good for your whole stay. Now, as you can see above, there's really no need to visit twice, but it's useful because it allows you to pass through the square if you want to visit a little dining/shopping area south of it called Freak Street.


There are lots of interesting little restaurants and bars along here, but I don't remember many names, and anyway, one seemed as good as another. Worth visiting more than once.

In the old days, like say 1979, the kumari, the living goddess, would put in regular appearances at her balcony in the Durbar Squarer--but no more. These days, you have to hope to see the kumari, who is a pre-pubescent girl, when she goes on outings through the city--or rather is carted around on her sedan chair, trailed by an enturage of worshippers. I actually saw her twice, but only got good pictures the first time.

Nepal, Kathmandu: Garden of Dreams, Kaiser Library

These two linked facilities have a history dating back to the early twentieth century, when the British, while not a colonial force in Nepal, were the only Western influence on the Rana government and its backers. The Kaiser Mahal is located across from the western entrance to the former Royal Palace, created for Field Marshal Kaiser Sumsher Rana, son of the Maharajah, and designed in Edwardian style.

But that's all in the past. Today, the Garden of Dreams is a welcome respite from the noise and chaos of the Thamel commercial district, even though the entrance fee of 200 NR (about USD 2.00) seems a bit steep. In addition to those seeking simple calm, the garden is also a draw for lovers, whether secret or otherwise, who find little nooks and benches suited for canoodling.

The architecture ranges from dull to moderate, and I must say it's not really a botanical extravaganza. Here's what I shot:


Adjacent to the Garden of Dreams, you will find the Kaiser Library. It's free, as it is a public library in the Kathmandu educational system. However, it is around the corner from the Garden, and inside a government complex labelled something like Department of Money Laundering Investigation. There are military police at the entrance, who will ask you what your business is. You just have to say you want to visit the library. Schoolchildren were doing exactly that. So did I.

As the guidebooks promised, this is an extraordinary place. It's definitely a library, even though many of the books are not on shelves in the reading rooms, but in sort of lockers in the halls. But it's the furniture, the nick-knacks and the photos that make this such an interesting spot. Not to in any way de-emphasize the books!


The last pic is obviously a memorial to Field Marshal Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, whose personal collection was donated by Her Highness Krishna Chandra Devi Rana as per the will and in memory of her late husband, to form the heart of the collection. It isn't a mausoleum, though, but an active library with children, college age students and adults all making use of it during my visit.

Even a bad library is better than no library, and this one is a treasure!