Many temples in Kathmandu have carvings like that. The two that most people see are the one on the Durbar Square and the small temple just before the bridge near Pashputinath temple (both are described in the Lonely Planet guide). There is also a small temple in the court-yard, just across the street from the Immigration Office that has some of the better preserved carvings. In Bachtapur on the Durbar square there is a small temple with carvings that show copulating elephants.
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(Bicycle riding; Pashputinath; Bodnath)
I rented a bicycle early in the morning and went to Pashputinath and Bodnath temples. The bicycle ride in Kathmandu is itself an adventure. One can get a ``regular'' bike, 1 speed, very heavy but comfortable for about 30NR per day or a mountain bike for about 100NR. I rented the cheaper one and rode to Pashputinath. When riding a bike in Kathmandu it is important to remember that the right side of the road is actually the left side (unless you or the ongoing traffic feels otherwise). It is also extremely important that the bicycle bell works and is loud. When riding do what Nepalis do: ring the bell whenever you need it but no less than once every 2 seconds to make sure it still works. The ride to Pashputinath takes about 20 min and saves at least 3 hours of walking through a very dusty part of the town. Pashputinath is a Hindu Temple and only Hindus are allowed on the temple grounds. All others can watch from outside and from the hill on the other side of the Bagmati river. There are lots of smaller temples all over the area and the place is practically swarming with beggars, sadhus (Hindu holy men) and many other mysterious characters that are only partially present on this planet.
Bagmati is one of the tributaries of Ganges and therefore is a holy river for Hindus. In March at the end of the dry season it was very shallow, the river bed was exposed and most of the river was a brownish mud stream with vile smell. But holy is holy even if it is dirty - there where people bathing, women doing laundry, washing dishes, bathing their kids. All that within 5-10 meters of 5 cremation piers, 2 of those in action at the time.
The surroundings of the temple are also used as a huge public toilet and smells that way. That is very unfortunate since it is full of smaller temples, each is definitely a work of art. Since it was the beginning of the Holi festival, there was much red powder all over.
From Pashputinath I walked to Bodnath, the largest stupa in the world. Bodnath is not as intricate as Swayambunath, but the sheer size and the colours are impressive. The huge Buddha eyes are seen from everywhere. The colourful Tibetan prayer flags are flying on the lines strung from the golden top of the temple to its sides above the white dome. There is a large Tibetan community nearby and right next to the temple there is a building housing some sort of Tibetan monastery. When I was there the doors were open and I peered inside. There was a large group of boys and young men (ages from 10 to 30) dressed in saffron and magenta gowns, sitting cross-legged in front of low tables reciting prayers. An older man, dressed in similar but a bit more elaborate clothes sat on the side on a huge chair that looked like a throne. He had a yellow half-moon shaped hat and was leading the prayers. Another man, old with white hair, sat right in front on an even more imposing throne. He was not participating in prayers but was sorting a bunch of white silk scarfs that two assistants brought to him. When he was done he gave the scarfs to the assistants and they distributed them among the young men. They accepted the scarfs without interrupting the prayers. The scarfs are called ``khatas'', they are given by lamas as a blessing to their followers.
I also noticed that along with the scarfs the young men were given money, so that was possibly a pay day ceremony. I wanted to take some pictures, but it was too dark and I did not want to disturb the ceremony using the flash. Even looking from outside, seeing this abundance of colours and hearing the chants of the prayers was like having a religious experience. Outside, however, the non-religious life was going on - two young Buddhists (10-12 years old at most) dressed up in the saffron and magenta gowns were having a water bomb fight.
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(Holi Festival)
Holi festival - the festival of water and colours, began a week before, on the 12th of March. The festival lasts for 7 days and culminates on the first full moon in March. This time that was March 18th. The beginning of the festival is marked by erecting a three tiered umbrella on Durbar Square in the front of the Old Royal Palace. The umbrella is made of white cloth with coloured strips of fabric attached to it and is mounted on the bamboo stick of about 10m high. The umbrella was hand-carried by a crowd of people for several hundred meters. A dressed up military detachment was participating in the procession. There was a gun salut, Kumari appeared on the balcony and the bystanders cheered when the umbrella was finally fixed in the upright position. Next to the entrance to the royal museum on the Durbar Square, Hanuman (the monkey-god) was dressed up in red and for the next seven days people were offering special prayers to him.
The start of the festival marks the beginning of the 7 days of related activities that mainly consist of throwing water and coloured powder on each other. The first six days are relatively restrained, the only real participants are the children. Most of them are ``armed'' with water balloons, water pistols, spray guns, sprinkles, pouches with coloured powder etc. Street vendors are making brisk sales of all types of water propelling weaponry (including some home made items such as old bicycle pumps modified into water cannons). As the seventh day neared the kids started attacking young women.
On the last day of Holi, the whole city became a battle-zone. This is a national holiday, so that everyone can take part in the activities. Foreigners in Thamel do get a special attention, but they also participate in the activities along with the locals. Walking along the street means being drenched in water. All roofs in the city are occupied by people of all ages having fun throwing water and coloured powder on anyone passing by down on the streets. But the ``war'' is not limited to the ``roofs vs. streets''. People on the roofs first drench and paint each other; then (when there is noone on the streets) they will engage a nearby roof in the activities. There are also gangs of kids walking on the streets with water guns, water balloons and coloured powder that would attack those on the roofs or anyone (or anything) they meet on the streets: locals, foreigners, rickshaws, cars, cyclists. The only people that manage to venture on the streets that day and stay dry are the police. They walk in patrols of 5-10 officers making sure that water fights do not turn into the real ones. One could stay reasonably dry walking right next to one of those patrols.
I was determined to take pictures of the festivities, even if it meant getting my camera wet. Initially I walked very cautiously, next to the walls of the buildings so that I could not be seen from the roofs. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the locals never made an attempt to throw the water or powder at me when they saw that I carried a camera. After taking a few pictures, I ended up on the roof of ``Tom and Jerry'' (pub) drenched and coloured, a bucket of water in my hand, fully participating in the activities of the day (my camera safe in a plastic bag inside my backpack).
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(Pumpernickel; Book shops; Bachtapur)
After being drenched at the Holi activities the day before I needed a day of rest that I spent sitting on the roof of my hotel, reading a book, drinking tea at Pumpernickel and browsing book shops. Pumpernickel is probably the most popular cafe among the trekkers in Kathmandu. It has an outside garden where one could sit for hours. The staff is friendly and helpful and all speak fluent English and Hebrew and understand at least a couple of other European languages. There is a bulletin board there where you can leave letters/notes to other trekkers. Everybody goes to Pumpernickel at least once.
There more book shops in Kathmandu that anywhere else I have been to (and that includes Cambridge, MA). They all have excellent selection of mountaineering books and lots of popular paperbacks. They all do a lot of business in selling and buying used books. Most books are much cheaper in Nepal then they are in the west. The new popular guides (e.g. Lonely Planet series) are the same price as in the West, but the used ones are available for half price. Lots of books are published in India and those are dirt-cheap. A brand new Indian printed copy of the Bezruchka's guide is available for 100NR (about $2, it is about $19 in the States). I bought lots of books there, fortunately I flew back directly and did not have to carry my pack for a long time anymore.
Next day I woke up early in the morning and went to Bachtapur, about 15km from Kathmandu. I went with a local mini-bus, the ride costs 2.5NR and takes about 20min. The bus is packed like a can of sardines but the ride is fast and there are no stops. Bachtapur is the ``city of devotees'' and has lots of famous temples. I walked around for a few hours and noticed that many temples are used for many purposes, not only for the religious ones. People are drying grains on the temples, tie up goats to the figures of lions guarding the temples, etc. Most temples are ``guarded'' by figures of ancient wrestlers that are supposed to be 10 times stronger than the strongest man. Then by lions that are 10 times stronger then the wrestlers. Then by elephants that are 10 times stronger then the lions, and so on. There are usually 5-6 such pairs guarding the entrances of each temple. In spite of their strength, the ``guardians'' cannot prevent people from spreading laundry on their heads and backs to dry. I liked this pragmatic and humorous attitude towards religion.
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This was my last day in Kathmandu and I was busy duing the last minute shopping, trying to get rid of the last rupees I had. I bought lots of clothes, spices and some souvenirs. I also bought a silver decorated monkey skull that looked particularly evil. It now stands on my office desk casting evil spells on everyone within the radius of 10m. I could have bought a carved and silver decorated human skull for only $45, but I run out of cash and did not want to change more.
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22.03.92 - Kathmandu - Frankfurt - Zurich
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The flight back to Frankfurt was uneventful, the weather was clear and the views of terrain in the eastern Pakistan and Iran were amazing. I arrived in Frankfurt late at night, my connecting flight to Zurich was only next morning. Here I got the first culture shock of being back in the west: it was so fucking clean, that it was revolting. The cost of staying overnight in Frankfurt was also shocking - 100DM (about $60) - almost two weeks hotel cost in Kathmandu. Frankfurt to Zurich plane was filled with business suits full of self importance, reading Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, looking as if they all had umbrellas stuck up their asses.
I was back at my office in time to go for lunch.
Eugene Margulis
margulis@inf.ethz.ch
+41-1-254-7232
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