Temple Tour Kathmandu

 Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Today was about cultural learning and respect for other religions, primarily Hindu and Buddhist. 

Our first visit was to Swayambhu or Monkey Temple. The stupa (shrine) is the oldest religious site in Nepal. It is primary Buddhist but is also frequented by Hindus. Monkeys are considered holy by Tibetan Buddhists and Hindus. The picture of the monkeys on monuments is where the former Dalai Lamas are buried. There were 13 of them. 






Second stop....Patan Durbar Square. Located in Lalitpur Nepal it is one of the three squares in the Kathmandu Valley that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is made up of multiple temples and is both Buddhist and Hindu. The most famous and historic temple is Krishna Temple. Most of the square had to be rebuilt after the earthquake in 2015. 






Third stop....Pashupatinath. This stop was very uncomfortable to see. I felt as if I was intruding on people's privacy.  This is the holy site for cremation. They are public cremations. It is situated on the Bagmati River which eventually flows into the holy river Ganges. Bodies are brought here and beautified by family before being laid upon the fire. Prayers are said and the bodies are lit on fire. They burn approximately 7 hours after which time all the ashes and wood are swept into the Bagmati River. As we walked through to the temple there were multiple families preparing their family members for cremation. Bodies were waiting for fire tables. 







Fourth stop....Shree Boudhanath. This is the largest stupa in the World. Primarily Buddhist, Hindus also frequently visit this stupa. The prayer flags are magnificent. 



Last stop...Hanuman-Durbar Square. This square is where you will find  the Kumari-Ghar. The Kumari is a living Goddess. There is a tradition of worshipping a chosen virgin. The Kumari is a young girl aged 2-4 selected by the Nepali Buddhist community. She must be in excellent health, be from the Newar Shakya caste, have black eyes and hair, and never have shed blood. She must complete several tests showing no fear or emotion. When chosen her feet become sacred and she is carried so as not to allow her feet to touch the ground. She remains the Kumari Goddess until she bleeds, be it menstruation or wound. The Kumari Goddess is known to make an appearance daily around 4pm. So...because we are tourists, we hung out waiting for the Goddess to appear. We were fortunate enough to be the 50 or so people that were invited into the courtyard to wait for the Goddess to appear. No cameras were allowed so as to preserve her purity. She is about 6 years old now and was absolutely STUNNING in her red and gold ceremonial dress. She appeared in the upper window for about 5 minutes showing absolutely no emotion. Being able to see the Kumari Goddess is supposed to bring good fortune. I felt blessed. 





It was a long day that brought about many emotions for me but in the end the blessing of the Kumari Goddess was overwhelming. 

NAMASTE

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