The first was to one of Hinduism's most holy sites, the Pashputinath Temple. It's very old and it attracts thousands of pilgrims each year. The temple is located on the Holy Bagmati River and devout Hindus will want to cremate their deceased loved ones on the cremation ghats beside the river.
Being non Hindus, we were only allowed on the non-temple side of the river, but we were able to see cremation ceremonies taking place. It seemed to be a very dignified end to life and we watched discretely, with an interest that was curious rather than ghoulish (we hope!).
We didn't think this blog is the place to share photos of the temple which include the cremation ghats, but we will show you a picture we took of some of the many temple monkeys.
We're not in the picture, as monkeys can move surprisingly fast and we would have been whisked off to a monkey's den, had we paused within grabbing range.
From Pashpatinath, it was off to the ancient city of Bhaktapur. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its rich and abundant culture, with vast numbers of historic temples and artworks.
It is a lovely, quiet and unspoilt place. You can take time to admire the treasures without the risk of being mown down by traffic or pushed out the way by hurrying people.
It was very hot in the main (durbar) square so it was lovely to find a shady spot for lunch, from which, we could look out over the square and watch comings and goings.
Lots of love George & Yorkie xxx
1 comment:
Midlands Branch enjoyed revisiting the famous sights around Kathmandu although they have mixed feelings about Pashpatinath with its phallic symbols and manky monkeys. Did Norfolk Branch give them some grooming tips? M.B. are glad you gave publicity to the fine arts trader at Bhaktapur, and hope your short legs have now recovered from circumnavigating the Buddist stupas.
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