Several of Kathmandu’s most interesting sights actually lie in neighboring cities. We took two day trips, once to the temples of Pashupatinath and Bodnath, and one to the city of Patan with its own lovely Durbar Square.
Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. The temple is devoted to Shiva, and as such, attracts many Shiva worshippers who come here for puja (religious offerings and prayer) and for cremations along the holy Bagmati River, which runs alongside the complex. It was a fascinating place to visit. Over-the-top sadhus (holy men) posed for photos with tourists, monkeys ran amok, families gathered near the cremation ghats (stone steps along the river) to build and witness funeral pyres, and children frolicked in the polluted river murky with ash from cremations. Cremation smoke and incense wafted through the complex.
From here we walked to Bodhnath, an enormous Buddhist stupa that is a pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists. In a beautiful courtyard surrounded by well-kept stone buildings, this huge white stupa covered in prayer flags is breathtaking. While we were there, hundreds of pilgrims walked clockwise around the stupa, chanting, making offerings, even prostrating themselves in prayer. The gompas that line the square were busy with activity, too, with many of the visitors also making offerings here or stopping to spin prayer wheels.
The city of Patan lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu and boasts its own lovely Durbar Square. During our visit locals were on strike (we never quite figured out why or for how long), meaning that most shops and restaurants were closed, and giving the city a somewhat deserted feel as we wandered through the streets admiring the fabulous architecture of the many temples.
Click on the photo below to view our Around Kathmandu photo album.
Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. The temple is devoted to Shiva, and as such, attracts many Shiva worshippers who come here for puja (religious offerings and prayer) and for cremations along the holy Bagmati River, which runs alongside the complex. It was a fascinating place to visit. Over-the-top sadhus (holy men) posed for photos with tourists, monkeys ran amok, families gathered near the cremation ghats (stone steps along the river) to build and witness funeral pyres, and children frolicked in the polluted river murky with ash from cremations. Cremation smoke and incense wafted through the complex.
From here we walked to Bodhnath, an enormous Buddhist stupa that is a pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists. In a beautiful courtyard surrounded by well-kept stone buildings, this huge white stupa covered in prayer flags is breathtaking. While we were there, hundreds of pilgrims walked clockwise around the stupa, chanting, making offerings, even prostrating themselves in prayer. The gompas that line the square were busy with activity, too, with many of the visitors also making offerings here or stopping to spin prayer wheels.
The city of Patan lies just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu and boasts its own lovely Durbar Square. During our visit locals were on strike (we never quite figured out why or for how long), meaning that most shops and restaurants were closed, and giving the city a somewhat deserted feel as we wandered through the streets admiring the fabulous architecture of the many temples.
Click on the photo below to view our Around Kathmandu photo album.
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