Apart from all the street life in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur especially, these two cities have an over abundance of temples and holy sites. Each with their own quirks, particular to there religion. The Buddhist Swayambhutath Temple (Monkey Temple) set on one of the foothills overlooking Kathmandu is a good starting point for our tour of the holy sites. It is one of the best views of the city as well as been overrun by monkeys (quite probably rabid by the look of them). Its very touristy even for a religious site but you can still have a break from it inside the temples, or on a quiet spot on the walls. Andy has set the tone for the trip as she was able to get a coin in the pot in the middle of a pond that is meant to deliver good luck. A good omen indeed!
Pahupatinath Temple and Ghats
The most important Hindu temple in Nepal, it is the site of the ritual cremations of the bodies before being pushed into the river which eventually flows into the Ganges and out to sea. This will be a gentle introduction to Varanasi once we arrive in India. As well as the temples it has its resident Siddhu’s (Holy men) also, who as you can see are quite happy to have a photo or two taken in exchange for a few rupees.
Bodhnath Stupa
In an area of north east Kathmandu called Little Tibet.Where thousand of refugees after the Chinese invasion of Tibet ended up. It is one of the biggest stupa in the world, so its not surprising they made there way here!
Another peaceful place where we wandered around the Stupa and had a roll of the prayer wheels. The monks here have seemed to developed a bit of commercial nouse here, as soon as we made it to the door of the locked temple it was quickly unlocked and we were ushered in. Incense handed out, and then we were down on knees get tapped on the head and blessed by the priest, although i managed to get the holy water (didn’t know what it was at the time) all over the camera. Of course a donation was required, but it was interesting to see inside the temple and some of the things that go on inside there. Also had a look at the workshops producing the Thangkas – traditional Tibetan Buddhist paintings depicting the life of Buddha etc, they come at a high price a small 20x20cm can cost about £25, up to thousands for the large ones that take 12 months or more to complete by hand.
