Today we visit Bhaktapur (also known as the "Place of Devotees"), Pashupatinath Temple (a famous, sacred Hindu temple with on-site outdoor cremation), and the Boudhanath Stupa, a massive mandala that is one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. Real eye candy!
In Bhaktapur, there was an area called "Pottery Square" where many potters can be seen working with traditional wooden wheels to create a variety of pots and other clay objects.
Students from J. N. Memorial high school on a field trip to Bhatapur. I had made eye contact with the boys and was getting ready to take a photograph, when their teacher walked into the frame. A moment later they razzed him because they thought he ruined my shot. I took another photo, this time with everyone looking at the camera (and smiling), but in the end I much prefer this image. [Anyone think the young man on the left looking directly at the camera looks like Rex Hagon - the Forest Ranger's Pete?!]
We were pretty lucky with our timing for visiting Pashupatinath Temple, a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and located on the banks of the Bagmati River, 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu. Hindu cremation ceremonies take place here on an industrial scale (today was no exception). Visitors are invited to observe the rituals (from the opposite of the river), but to Hindus death is an important part of the journey of life. However, our arrival coincided with another festival called "Ekadashi".
As I was wandering around at Pashupatinath, I saw a woman giving bindis, so I lined up to get one. It looks pretty fancy! Unfortunately it was a really sunny day, so I popped my cap back on and pretty soon the beautiful markings blurred and it just looked like I had a blood dripping down my forehead. I was eventually able to clean it up a bit, but this is right after she put it on me, so it looks its best!
After leaving the fascinating and thoroughly beautiful Pashupatinath Temple we headed for Boudhanath to see a great Buddhist stupa! This area has a large Tibetan community, so we were happy to say, "Tashi de lay" to those Tibetans circumambulating the giant stupa!
After all the frantic running around we finally had some free time back at the hotel. A number of people went shopping, but I took to wandering the streets, camera in hand. I saw this shrine from street level (above and behind) and decided to go have a closer look. The fellow on the left is Lord Vishnu, beside him, his wife, Lakshmi. Then I wandered around the shrine. As I was walking to leave, I saw four women inside a room, just off from the shrine. They invited me to have a cookie, called "malpoa" made of flour and sugar and deep fried. The outside rim was crunchy and the inside soft and slightly chewy. They also gave me a banana. Then they invited me inside their little room. They were fasting for "Ekadashi". One spoke very good English, the two others and the woman's mother apparently understood English but were too shy to speak. The woman, Anita, and I spoke for about 20 minutes, time enough for me to finish my treats, and then they began to put things away. There were tabula drums, and a harmonium set up on one side of the room, and an impressive shrine (decorated with fairy lights) dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. They asked me to pray to Lord Vishnu, so I did. I never asked to take a photograph of the women so I went back the next day, but the room adjacent to the shrine was closed. Nonetheless, it was another amazing personal experience meeting locals on this trip!