Shaving day and prayer flagsPashupathi, where they cremate the dead
Upon my return to Kathmandu, i had decided to take some time out to do some sight seeing instead of just hanging out with friends in Boudha. So the first place that i visited was Kopan monastery, which is quite well known as it was home to the Spanish boy who was recognised as a reincarnation of Lama Yeshe. Nowadays, the Spanish Lama is no longer there, but it is still home to many monks and a few westerners study there as well. From there i took a long walk (2 and a half hours) up to Nagi Gompa, this is not recommended to be done alone, but hey. I was just really grateful to be out walking again – it felt really good! At Nagi Gompa i watched one of the head nuns have her head shaved, and then attended a puja for 3 hours. I then decided to head back into town, and joined another traveller who was heading in the same direction.
The second place that i visited was Pashupathinat, which is the Nepali version of Varanassi – this is where they ceremoniously cremate their dead along the river. I had decided to walk there instead of taking a bus or taxi – as this would give me a better sense of Kathmandu. Unfortunately the map in the Lonely Planet guide is pretty lousy, so i got myself horribly lost and instead of it being a half an hour walk it turned into a 2 and a half hour walk – and it was boiling hot! Nevertheless, I found it in the end, and then i spent a long time contemplating life and death while watching the cremations on the other side of the river. At this point i must just stress that the river at this time of year is probably about a meter wide in this area, and is filled with so much rubbish. There are also many monkeys and playing on the dry river bed, and some scavenger dogs looking for something to eat. It is very much a production line, as once one cremation is complete and all the ashes are pushed into the river, new logs of wood are placed on the platform and then the next body is brought out and placed on the logs. I watched as the body of a woman was placed on the logs, - i wont go into too much details, as some young kiddies will be reading this – and her family walked around her body 3 times with the flame before beginning the cremation. It was quite a surreal experience! After spending too much time sitting in the sun, i then walked back to my hotel, and this time managed to find the right road and i was so surprised when it took me such a short time!!
The other place that i visited was the Vajrayogini temple near Sankhu. I took a bus for about half an hour and then had to walk through the village and then up many stairs – though not nearly as bad as on the trek – to reach the temple. On the way up the stairs was a group of Nepali men and they had just killed a goat and were busy cleaning it on the stairs. I wasn’t quite sure if they were doing this as a religious offering, or if it was just a convenient place for them to do their butchering... By the time i came down the stairs, the carcass was all but gone and they were busy clearing up the last bits... i found this very odd! Vajrayogini is revered in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and this temple was very much a Hindu temple – due to my ‘not wanting to disturb anyone’ complex – i failed to see an important part of the temple which was nearby. Moral of the story – always ask for guidance when unsure!! Nonetheless, it was a lovely walk and what i saw was interesting. When i my bus arrived into Boudha, I decided to take a walk to Thamel, which is a very touristy area of Kathmandu, but also where they sell beautiful Thangka paintings. By the end of the day i was totally exhausted!
The following day i went into Thamel again, this time sharing a taxi with a friend, thereafter i walked to Swyambunath, which is a very important place for Buddhists – although i wouldn’t be able to tell you why. Legend has it that this hill arose spontaneously out of the surrounding flat land... There is a big stupa on top of the hill, with many monastaries around it, and at the bottom of the hill they have some giant statues of the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche and Green Tara (????). This temple is also known as the Monkey Temple and in one area there is a pond that they monkeys have adopted as their swimming pool, and they have a lot of fun running and chasing each other in and out of the water. I met a lovely 80 year old lady who was full of life from France, and she had just come back from trekking!!! Another moral – live life fully, don’t let your age define you!!
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