Kathmandu is the capital and primate city of Nepal. Located centrally within Nepal, the city has developed over the centuries to become a bustling center of commerce and tourism. To us though, it looked pretty much like any other Indian city we had visited, although perhaps a bit more cosmopolitan than we expected. One thing that was striking was the wide range of ethnicities / morphologies that constituted the Nepalese people. Beforehand, I would have imagined some were Indian and others, Chinese, but they all considered themselves Nepalese with little distinction made despite varying features. It made me feel quite hopeful to see how the people were able to look past their superficial differences to feel united as one nation, rather than using physical differences to segregate themselves.
The city itself was a chaotic network of winding narrow lanes filled with oversized cars, people, and all sorts of modes of transportation. Our itinerary for the day included visiting many religious sites of significance, specifically Boudhanath, Pashupatinath Temple, Durbar Square, and Swayambhunath.
Our first stop of the day was Boudhanath. The site continues one of the largest Buddhist stupas in all of Nepal. As of 1979, the stupa was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Construction on the site began in roughly the 6th century AD. We left our hotel in the morning in a chartered van, winding through the narrow avenues of Kathmandu heading towards the outskirts of the city where the stupa was located. From the street, it was unclear what exactly we were going to visit as we exited the van. All I could see was a crowded street with vendors and people strolling about, haphazardly constructed buildings leaning over us all. However, as we turned the corner into the entrance way, the massive white domed stupa came into view.
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| Boudhanath stupa |
The stupa consists of a large base ringed by prayer wheels around which people may walk. One climb upon the base itself and walk closer to the stupa itself. The stupa then consists of a white dome with a gold tower crowning it, rising up from the base. Eight all-
seeing eyes are on the four faces of the tower. On the periphery of the base are many shops and vendors, along with one temple with many large, gold-gilded figures of Buddha and other religious figures. There are colorful prayer flags strung everywhere. The prayer wheels and flags contain prayers printed on them. Our guide told us that within the dome of the stupa, there were a 1000 Buddha figurines, but no one was to ever disturb a single figure. Although there was no way to verify this claim, the stupa was impressive enough that it was easy enough to believe.
After we entered, we walked around the base once, and then atop it as well. After we came down from the base, we went into a small temple adjacent to the base and watched individuals meditating. We also spun the prayer wheels ourselves, which is thought to bring good fortune. Even if it doesn't, it was still fun to do! There are small, hand-sized prayer wheels everywhere, but inside the temples there are massive 15 feet tall wheels which require both arms to turn. After many people had pushed though, these large wheels could get going pretty fast.
Exiting the base temple, we crossed the large walkway to the periphery, where we found the regular Buddhist temple with the large golden figurines. They were impressive in their size and detail. My friends were so taken by the temple, they even went to receive blessings from the local priest! I can understand the sentiment: after the chaos of the street, entering this sanctuary so close yet so apart from the world outside had a calming effect on us all.
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| Buddhist temple with golden figurines inside |
We were reflective as we left Boudhanath, but were looking forward to visiting the Hindu Pashupatinath Temple next!
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