Katmandy valley - The world heritage sites
As there are so much information and knowledge about those sacred places that I couldn’t get it at a short time (believe me, I’m still reading the Nepal Lonely planet now – more than 3 months after the trip – to get a better understanding of what I have seen :P), this entry is more of a picture stories to share things that I have seen and felt.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Kathmandus Durbar Square is one of three durbar (royal palace) squares in the Valley. It is the site of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex, which was the royal nepalese residence until the 19th century and where important ceremonies, such as the coronation of the nepalese monarch, took place. The palace is decorated with elaborately-carved wooden window and panels. The same palace holds the King Tribhuwan Memorial and the Mahendra Museum.
Overview of Durbar Square
The king and the Queen :D
The king’s statue
Temples … and temples
And pigeons, pigeons everywhere. I actually got shitted on by them for a couple times. Zeez, is it good luck or bad luck??? Anyway, I was quite nervous to take pictures in such place, take it quick and run … :P
At the southern end of Durbar Square is one of the most curious attractions in Nepal, the Kumari Chowk. This gilded cage contains the Raj Kumari, a young girl, chosen through an ancient and mystical selection process, to become the human incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess, Durba. She is worshipped during religious festivals and makes public appearances at other times for a fee paid to her guards. I had a chance to see her when I visited Durbar Square the second time, my impression about goddess is a sad, lonely girl who has to to something that she doesn’t like it at all. Sadly!!!
This is the window where we saw Kumari, it looks like just a 1.3m floor, and the girl actually couldn’t walk straightly.
I really can not understand how they can spend their life in such a tiny place, so I looked for a chance to sneak in. Unfortunately, I was caught, so, it’s still a mystery to me :D
Next to Durbar Square is a big wet market, where we can see and feel the colorful life here. Oh, and a small story here. We took a cab to Durbar Square and got the driver wait for us to come back. However, after walking aroud, we got lost in this crowded market maze. While we were all confused to find our way out, poof, my driver who I did not remember the face clearly appeared just right in time and guided us out of the mess. Following him, I couldn’t help wondering how could he find us that easy, given that we are not big white westerners but tiny girls who can fit in really well with locals. I did recommend him to consider working as detective :D
Fun fact: underware sellers need shrines too, so to make it convenient for them, they put it next to their counter :P Seriously, this is not allowed in VN man, weird to me …
How about this? What does PANAS mean? Suicide??? Look like those poor bears are hanging themselves up … and so the seller … :D
Patan Durbar Square
Patan is also notable for the four stupas erected by Emperor Ashoka at the four cardinal directions of the city. Patan Durbar square boasts of many famous sites and unique architectures. The ancient palaces, temples and shrines with exquisite carving are scattered around Patan Durbar Square. The major attractions of Patan Durbar Square are the stone temple of Lord Krishna, the Royal Bath with many carvings on stone, Viswanath temple and the temple of Bhimsen with a magnificent golden balcony overlooking the square. Many more temples are dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, Shiva, Narsingh, Taleju and others, situated in the Patan Durbar Square.
This is the quietest Durbar Square among the three. Even the temples and shrines are look almost the same to the other Dubar Square to me, the feelings is different, more peaceful…
At Kumari Chowk again. Do I look like a Kumari? Nahhh, too old …. :P
And temples
With friendly guardians
They actually offered me fruit :D
And this is a S.H.O.C.K to me. In a country that women do most of the work and seldom get out of the house after 6PM something, I found this picture drawn on the top wall of a temple. I really can not get it. Can you?
The spiritual life
And the real life, getting water at a public place
I really like those taps, if they were not that heavy, I could’ve bought one home :D
The last thing, paper art. I love art things, almost everything…
Bhaktapur Durbar Square
Bhaktapur Durbar Square has more temples per square foot than Patan or Kathmandu and is far enough out of town to keep the crowds away. As a World Heritage site listed by the UNESCO, Bhaktapur has been heavily restored since a 1934 earthquake severely damaged the city. To further restoration and preservation there is an entrance free for visitors. This was either 750 NRS or USD $10 for foreigners. Visitors from SAARC member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) pay 50 NR. I tried to persuade the ticket sales person that I was a SAARC but failed, they insisted that I was Chinese, ha ha …
Bhaktapur Durbar Square is entered through a massive royal gate, and opens up to a most unspoiled complex of palaces, shrines and other landmarks in the Valley.
On the right are a pair of statues in stone of Ugrachandi with her 18 arms. Our tourguide said that if you could find the elephant hidden in the statue, you would get good blessing. I found it but forgot to ask what the blessing was about :P
Then there is the Rameshwor Temple, In the middle of the square the gilded statue of King Bhupatindra Malla seated on a tall stone pillar faces the most exquistitely artistic Suun Dhoka, or the golden gate, leading into the royal palace.
The royal palace is also know a s the "palace of 55 windows", next to which is the National Art Gallery. The inner portion of the palace has the Taleju couryard and her house. Beyond is the Sundari Chowk.
At the King’s outdoor bath pool (yeah, it is not a bath tub or bath room but big pool for bathing)
There are different kinds of guardians at different levels in a temple and they vary from one temple to the other. There is a rule for that but it sounded too complicated for me to remember :P
The barking dog bell. It is said that when they ring the bell, all the dogs nearby will gather around and start barking
The outer perimeters of the complex are replete with pillars and pavilions: Chyasalin Mandap, Duga Temple, Taduchhen Bahal, Batsala Durga, Pashupati Temple, Taumadhi Tole and others. To the right, and in another square, is the famed 30-meter (98 feet) Nyatapola Temple, the tallest and most multi-roofed edifice in Nepal. To its right is the Kshi Bishwanath Temple. On the side of the square is the vantage Nyatapola Cafe, and beyond it is the community of the famous potters.
Nyatapola Cafe
And here we got to potter valley, where they make everything manually
Bhaktapur is known as City of Culture as it is an ancient city and is renowned for its elegant art, fabulous culture, colorful festivals, traditional dances and indigenous lifestyle of Newari community. It is just 12 kilometers east of Kathmandu but gives the feeling of prehistoric times given the ambiance of traditional homes, lifestyles and environment. The conch shaped historic city is spreading over just an area of 6.88 square kilometer at 1,401 meter altitude. The city was founded in 12th century by King Anand Dev Malla. Bhaktapur was the capital city of the Greater Malla Kingdom in the Kathmandu Valley till the 15th century AD. The many of Bhaktapur's greatest monuments were built by the then Malla rulers.
The beautiful lake in the Newari village
I like the quiet and narrow lanes here
Most of Newari houses are small and dark, so during the day most of people gather in the public areas, they seem just come back home to sleep at night :D
Getting water at public place, like in Patan
This is a holy place where they sacrifice animals to the gods
By the time we got to Bhaktapur, the Newari New Year Festival would come in 3 days, so people were busy prepare for the day
And this is the overview of Bhaktapur Durbar Square in the background of Hymalayas. How beautiful it is, huh?
Swayambhunath
Swayambhunath is a Buddhist stupa on a western hill of Kathmandu. More than 2,500 years old, this ancient landmark is connected to the visit of Manjushree who created Kathmandu - a lake then - by draining its waters. The sage saw a celestial lotus in bloom on the top of this hill and sanctified it.
The stupa of Swayambhunath is a hemispherical mound of compacted earth, and is built to specific rules, and is replete with symbols. The mound represents the four elements of earth, fire, wind and water. The 13 gilded rings of the spire symbolize the 13 steps of the ladder leading to nirvana, the final salvation. The shrine is bedecked in colorful prayer flags.
The pilgrim's progress to Swaymbhunath's holy premises is actually through a sylvan path of 365 steps. The entrance is graced by a huge symbol of thunderbolt. Statues of Buddha are on the four corners of the stupa. Statues of goddessses Ganga and Jamuna guard the eternal flame behind it. There is a Tibetan monastery and innumerable small stupas. Swaymbhunath is a major landmark of the valley and looks like a beacon below the Nagarjun hill. It provides an excellent view of the Kathmandu valley.
Boudhanath
This is another Buddhist stupa, The largest stupa in Nepal and revered by both Tibetan and Newar Buddhist, but is built on flat surface. The Tibetans believe, that the stupa contains the bone relics of the past Buddha Kashyapa. The colossal and ancient stupa of Bouddhanath is 36 meter high.
It is in various levels of terraces, and is painted with safron garlands and adorned with prayer flags. It is set in a mandala (mystical circle) design. Altogether 108 Buddha images and 147 insets of prayer wheels adrn the base of the huge circular edifice. The settlement of Boudhanath has the largest community of Tibetans-12,000 in all. Early morning and evening are the times to visit Bouddha to join the local residents in Khora (walking the pilgrim’s circuit, sometimes with Tibetan pilgrims on their hands and knees).
Pashupatinath Pashupatinath is one of the most sacred temples in the entire Hindu world, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a sacred place where Hindus come (to die and) to be cremated. The temple of Pashupatinath is a large double roofed, gilt pagoda, decorated with brass, the gateway is plated with silver. There are images of Shiva along with other statues, shrines and temples dedicated to other deities in the complex. A circuit of the Pashupati area takes visitors past a sixth-century statue of the Buddha, an eight-century statue of Brahama the creator and numerous other temples. There are rows of Shiva shrines and Hindu pilgrims from all over south Asia offering ceremonies to worship Shiva, the Lord of Destruction.
The Pashupatinath complex is very large, with guest houses, temples, shrines and other landmarks. Its burning ghats on the river banks are the holiest in Nepal. Entrance to the temple precinct is permitted to the Hindus only. However visitors can clearly see the temple and the activities performed in the temple premises from the eastern bank of the Bagmati River.
In the way in, we met a holy man who you can take picture with but have to pay money for taking picture :P
And there are more lying around
Here come the holy river and its burning ghats. This side is for the normal people.
And this side is for rich people. Well, the different is the location, those are nearer to the temple, make sense in real estates huh? :D
Next to the temple is a hospital where people come and only wait to die, no cure at all :P
After dying, the dead people will be transfer to the river bank and put in the hoky river to wash off the life dust. Then they will be burned in the pyres on the burning ghats along the river bank for 3 to 4 hours. By the time we got there, we saw one pyre on fire.
So we crossed the river for a closer look. In this picture, you can actually see the hand and feet of the dead person. When taking this picture, I could smell the burning smell and feel the bone ashes flying to my face. Swear to god, it was not a pleasant experience at all :P
After burning they will push all the remaining stuff to the river, clean the ghats and get ready for a new person. And this is not the most terrible part, but at one point I saw a woman and 2 kids came to the river bank, very close to the burning ghats, and used the river water to wash their hands and faces. The locals explained to us that they think the holy river can wash off all the bad luck for them. But how about the epidemic prevention?? I really can’t get it.
For more pictures, click hereLabels: Travel
