From Everest to the majestic temples of Kathmandu, Nepal is a visual treat
IT shall remain a regret of a lifetime that I wasn’t able to got a close view of the Everest, while on a visit to Nepal, a few years back.
Our hosts had arranged a special mountain flight to Mount Everest on the last day of our four-day stay in Kathmandu. All of us (I was part of an official delegation) were looking forward to the trip with great excitement. It was a chartered plane, which during a one-hour mountain flight, flying at about 8,000 metres, was to show us the glimpses of the entire central and eastern Himalayan Range, including Mount Everest, known domestically as Sagarmatha. And since Nepal is home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, our excitement knew no bounds. We were to depart early morning and it was anticipated to be another sunny day; sky clear and bright.
Himalayan mountains feature in ancient legend as eternal home of the gods, and has gained immense popularity with the mountaineers, since Mt. Everest’s first assent in 1953. More than 4,000 mountaineers from twenty countries have so far attempted to climb it. Only 160 of them have so far been successful while 140 have died during their attempt. The mountain, which looks like a pyramid-shaped horn, is covered with huge glaciers. However, we were to seen none of that.
The next morning, as we were getting ready to depart, heavy clouds started gathering and suddenly there was a heavy downpour. Perhaps we all had ignored the fact that Nepal enjoys an extreme variety of climates, and it was already the month of July, the monsoon season. We waited and waited, but the weather did not improve, much to the embarrassment of our hosts. Rather, the weather became worse; the showers were followed by lightning. By the afternoon we all lost hope to avail the special flight and plan to visit the mountains had to be shelved. Alas, we were so near the Mount Everest yet so far.
There was, however, consolation to me that being in Nepal I could anyway have glimpses of the Himalayan range. From the plane that we travelled it was a breathtaking scene overlooking the Himalayas. The scenic beauty and exotic places in Nepal are affixed in my mind though a reasonable time has passed. A mediaeval community — unchanged perhaps for centuries — has to offer a large number of historical and cultural sites to a visitor. In fact, Nepal enjoys the singular distinction of containing seven out of ten cultural sites that are incorporated in the list of World Heritage Sites by Unesco. These are Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Changu Narayan Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath Stupa and Stupa at Boudhnath.
In addition, the country lays claim to being the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the most important Buddhist pilgrim site of Lumbini, which is being developed under a UN-sponsored international project, and has two natural heritage sites of the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park and Royal Chitwan National Park.
In Kathmandu Valley, I could go only to a few sightseeing places, time constraints of course. In the Valley alone, there are 235 temples, it is not possible for a visitor to cover all the places in one go. Nonetheless, a whole day in the bazars catching the glimpses of the city, strolling along the narrow lanes, wandering in the busy bazaars, and looking at the historical and cultural sites is an enriching experience.
Kathmandu Valley consists of three cities. While Kathmandu, previously known as Kantipur, portrays old city intermingled with modern facilities, Bhaktapur is the showcase of mediaeval town life, whereas Patan, or Lalitpur, situated in rural atmosphere, is the centre of fine arts for the last many centuries.
Our hotel was situated, in the backdrop of white peaks, 15-minutes walk from the city centre. One of the three royal palace squares in the valley, Kathmandu Durbar Square, is indeed a reflection of the grand past. A five-acre complex consisting of palaces, courtyards and temples, it was the site of Hanuman Dhoka Palace, the royal residence, until the 19th century.
Durbar is divided into two main chowks or courtyards; the outstanding feature of the one is the imposing pagoda known as Kasthamandap, or House of Woods, of the 12th century, said to be made from a single tree trunk. Here is a cluster of temples and shrines; ornamented with carvings, metalwork and gilding; colourfully decorated with buntings and paints, and yellow flower petals scattered around. The famous Hindu temples here are the Temple of Narayan, a three-roofed carved rose-brick structure, and the elegant Shiva Temple. Of great significance, located in the other main courtyard famous as Kumari Chowk, is the Kumari Bahal, the Temple of the Living Goddess, which is a stucco temple of mid 18th century. It is the two-story building, with intricately carved wooden doorframes, windows and balconies, that also serves as the residence of the Kumari, a young girl chosen to become the human incarnation of the Virgin Goddess herself. She is worshipped during the religious festivals, and on our visit, the Kumari made a public appearance in the balcony of Kumari Bahal, as a special gesture.
Durbar is the focal point of the city for all the religious, social and commercial activities. The area, depicting monuments, statues and sculptures, was crowded with sellers and buyers of vegetables, fruits, other household commodities, garments and handicrafts, besides a large number of travellers. The street scenes were atypical; vendors standing at temple steps, persons sitting idly or gossiping, and the sacred cows roaming about. The popular mode of transport is still a cycle rickshaw, commonly painted decoratively.
Away from the Durbar Square, the Singha Durbar, however, presented a different and pleasant view. It is the largest palace in Asia that contains as many as 1,700 luxury rooms and 17 expansive courtyards. It has now been converted into the house of parliament, Prime minister’s house and the secretariat.
A tree-lined road, amidst spellbinding landscape, takes us from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur at a distance of about 30-kilometres, which is known for clay pottery and craft museums. Bhaktapur Darbar Square, glorious architecture of the 17th century, is the most famous and relished site of the former capital. There are almost 300 stone-steps that lead to the entrance. Decorated with stone sculptures of animals and birds, the place is usually crowded with the locals and tourists alike.
Monkeys freely move about in the square, amidst vendors selling pashmina shawls made in exotic colours and designs, ornate jewellery and other artifacts. There are many stone statues in the Square; the most fascinating being the gilded statue of King Malla seated on a high stone column, overlooking the town. Atop the nearby hill is located the great Stupa of Swayambhunath, the best known Buddhist temple, which in fact is a 2,500 years old site. A symbol of the Buddhist art and structure, the temple has distinctive feature of painted eyes of Buddha on all four sides of its central portion, and contains many stone sculptures and various monasteries. From the temple one has a panoramic view of Kathmandu.
At a walking distance from Durbar is located the Nyatapola Temple, which is considered the highest temple in Nepal. The 30-metre building, standing on a five-terraced platform, is a massive structure. It portrays classic workmanship and has traditionally carved wooden columns and pillars, and mythical animals in stone, guard the steps of temple. On the banks of holy Bagmati River is the Pashupatinath Temple, one of the most revered shrines in the subcontinent, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Adorned with golden roof and silver doors, the temple has amazing artistic expressions including erotic carvings.
Patan, also known as Lalitpur, is basically a Buddhist city and claims to have 55 temples and 136 courtyards, besides many monasteries. Silhouetted against the backdrop of mountains and hills, it is the city of artisans as reflected in various metal smiths and brassware shops. Darbar Square serves as community centre and place for carrying out religious rituals from period timeless. Also, various Stupas of Ashoka, the Buddhist emperor of India, are of special interest to the pilgrims. The Golden Temple, or Kwa Bahal, a five-story 14th century pagoda, is an impressive Buddhist monastery.
Though we couldn’t get to see Mt. Everest, and bad weather also delayed our departure by a day, it was a pleasure having spent few days in the beautiful valley of Kathmandu.
From Everest to the majestic temples of Kathmandu, Nepal is a visual treat
