Nepal 9th-15 Oct 2016


The land of Mt Everest,land of Gorkhas ! Aircosta LB 693 , 11.00 AM flight was booked to Hyderabad .Started on 9th morning on my quest to Nepal.Since it was a last moment plan, direct flights to Nepal was too costly so had to manage with a couple of detours.Reached Rajiv Gandhi International airport at 12.05 PM.The layover was for 1hr 5 min.I had dosa and lime mojitos.From there I headed to Lala Bahadur Shastri International airport,Varanasi in Indigo 6E 862 & reached Varansi at 6.20  PM.Since it was Dasara the taxi fellow along with a fellow rider Amit insisted me not to visit Vishwanath mandir on that day.I was quite disappointed since I badly wanted to be there.I headed to varanasi bus stand .Indo Nepal maitri bus service is a wonderful initiative by both the goverments .The bus was at 10 PM .So I thought of having dinner at the nearby hotel and had aloo paratha and mixed veg curry.It starting raining and after waiting for a while in the hotel I came to the bus stand.There were many fellow travellers who were desperate to touch Nepal in the same bus.After a long wait the bus arrived at 12 in the midnight.I was damn tired.Just wanted to get into sleep.Beside me in the bus was Khusboo,whom I meet for the first time .It was her first solo trip and she was too excited about it ! We reached Sanauli , Nepal border at 7 AM the next day.The roads were horrible.Inspector arrived in the bus to check the documents.Since there is no need to submit visa for India,we had to just show the valid ID proof(Adhar card is not considered as a proof in Nepal,carry Passport or Voter Id).After crossing the border, bus stopped at a small hotel where we could refresh , have rotis and also exchange currency.I exchanged for 6k and got 9600 k in return(1 INR=1.6 Nepali rupee).Then it was a long journey to Swayambhu.Meanwhile the bus stopped in Chitwan and we had yummy hot samosas.Reached Swayambhu at 4 PM.Rakesh the owner of pashupathi darshan hotel which I booked from India,was desperate to receive me.Myself and Khusboo purchased sim and data pack right near the bus stand and called Rakesh.Rakesh was sweet enough to send a taxi.khusboo stayed with me in the same hotel.We managed dinner with some biscuits since it was dark and was hard to find food.Khusboo’s friends were in Pokhra for the adventure sports so she decided to head out to Pokhra the next day.
Day 1(11th Oct)

Khusbu woke up at 5 AM and it was time to say bye to her.She headed to Pokhra.Breakfast was served at 8 AM .Aloo paratha with pickle was good along with tea! After speaking to Rakesh regarding the places I decided to take the local buses to the places in Kathmandu.My first destination was Pashupathinath temple which was walkable from the hotel.
The Pashupatinath Temple  is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu,the capital of Nepal. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith .The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath.This temple complex is on UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list Since 1979.This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site.One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 700,000 devotees visit here.The twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) are the body and the Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu (Nepal) is the head over this body.
 
View from my room


Pashupathinath Temple entrance

Pashupatinath Temple premises

Temple premises

Behind the temple

Behind the temple

Parvathi Temple premises behind Pashupati mandir
The tiredness of the journey was washed away after visiting the temple. I also visited parvathi mandir right behind Pashupathi temple.It was a hot day.After speaking to flower vendors, I was adviced to take a local micro bus (locals call it that way).I moved to Boudhanath . Boudhanath (also called Boudha, Bauddhanāth or Bauddhanath or the Khāsa Caitya) is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is known as Khāsti in Nepal Bhasa, Jyarung Khashor in Tibetan language (Tibetan: བྱ་རུང་ཁ་ཤོར། Wylie: bya rung kha shor) or as Bauddha by speakers of Nepali.Located about 11 km (6.8 mi) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.The Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath dominates the skyline. The ancient Stupa is one of the largest in the world. The influx of large populations of refugees from Tibet has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan Gompas (Monasteries) around Boudhanath. As of 1979, Boudhanath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with Swayambhunath, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Kathmandu area.
The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner, passes by Boudnath Stupa to the ancient and smaller stupa of Cā-bahī (often called 'Little Boudnath'). It then turns directly south, heading over the Bagmati river to Patan - thus bypassing the main city of Kathmandu (which was a later foundation).Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Boudhanath. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha.I was quite dissappointed that it was hugely damaged due to earth quake.I guess the construction is still in progress and will be ready by next year .
Boudhanath Stupa

Stupa Entrance

Stupa Premises

Bhuddha temple near the premises

In front of a temple

Stupa view from a temple balcony

Bhuddha temple near stupa premises
I purchased a pack of chanting color flags After spending some time there, I called Rakesh who adviced me to take bus to Chakrapath. I followed his advice and reached Chakrapath and from there I took a bus again to Buddhanilkanth. Budhanilkantha temple, also known as the Narayanthan Temple, is situated in kathmandu. Though the temple is named Budhanilkantha, its name does not come from the Buddha; Budhanilkantha stands instead for “Old Blue Throat”. The statue symbolizes Lord Vishnu, who is regarded as one of the 'Trimurtis', along with Brahma and Shiva.The main statue is a black stone structure carved from a single block of black basalt. The statue stands 5 meters tall (around 16.4 feet) and is positioned in the middle of a recessed pool of water, which is 13 meters (42.65 feet) long. It depicts the deity reclining on the coils of the cosmic serpent Shesha.It was a peaceful location.It was 11.30 AM.
 
Bhuddhaneelkantha temple premises


Temple premises

Temple premises

Again I had to reach Chakrapath to take bus to my next destination which was Swayambhu.The place where I got down from the bus the previous day !Such a beautiful location.3 bhuddha idols are at the bottom and after a little hike behind the temple is the Swayambhu temple.Foreigners call it Monkey temple . Swayambhu (sometimes Swoyambhunath) is an ancient religious architecture atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the site means 'Sublime Trees' (Wylie: Phags.pa Shing.kun), for the many varieties of trees found on the hill. However, Shing.kun may be a corruption of the local Nepal Bhasa name for the complex, Singgu, meaning 'self-sprung'.For the Buddhist Newars in whose mythological history and origin myth as well as day-to-day religious practice, Swayambhu occupies a central position, it is probably the most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites. For Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is second only to Boudha.
 
Swambhunath temple entrance


Three Buddha idols

Myself in the premises

Behind the idols

On the way to Swambhu temple (A small hike route)
The Swayambhu complex consists of a stupa, a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Licchavi period. A Tibetan monastery, museum and library are more recent additions. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on. Between them, the number one (in Devanagari script) is painted in the fashion of a nose. There are also shops, restaurants and hostels. The site has two access points: a long stairway with 365 steps, leading directly to the main platform of the temple, which is from the top of the hill to the east; and a car road around the hill from the south leading to the southwest entrance. The first sight on reaching the top of the stairway is the Vajra. According to Swayambhu Purana, the entire valley was once filled with an enormous lake, out of which grew a lotus. The valley came to be known as Swayambhu, meaning "Self-Created." The name comes from an eternal self-existent flame (svyabhu) over which a sūpa was later built.Swayambhu is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in the north-west parts of the temple. They are holy because Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom and learning was raising the hill which the Swayambhu Stupa stands on. He was supposed to leave his hair short but he made it grow long and head lice grew. It is said that the head lice transformed into these monkeys.
Just befor reaching the temple

Temple entrance before the stairs

Souvenir Shop

The temple

Stupa

View from the hill

Temple premises
That was such a beautiful location on the hill.Wow , I was touched !While hiking back down , I had churmuri and pani puri.It was not upto my expectation but I badly wanted to try some local stuff .So did it !.From there I had to take bus to RNSB(bus stand) to visit Basanthpur or Kathmandu Darbar square.Such a pleasant location.150 Nepali rupee was the entry fee for SAARC countries. Kathmandu Durbar Square (Basantapur Darbar Kshetra) in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.Several buildings in the Square collapsed due to a major earthquake on 25 April 2015. Durbar Square was surrounded with spectacular architecture and vividly showcases the skills of the Newar artists and craftsmen over several centuries. The Royal Palace was originally at Dattaraya square and was later moved to the Durbar square.
The Kathmandu Durbar Square held the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. Along with these palaces, the square surrounds quadrangles, revealing courtyards and temples. It is known as Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, a name derived from a statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, at the entrance of the palace.
Kathmandu Darbar Square

Kathmandu Darbar Square

Kathmandu Darbar Square

Kathmandu Darbar Square

Kathmandu Darbar Square
.After roaming the Darbar square, I also visited the Kumari house to take her blessings.It was already dark, so I thought of packing some food for dinner.I purchased water bottle and burger and took a direct bus to Pashupathi.Reached hotel at 6 PM.Rakesh was quite tensed and started to call me but I reached at the same time ! I was very happy with the day since I managed to visit 5 places(Pashupathi mandir,Buddhanilkantha,boudhanath,Swayambhu and Darbar square) on my own and kathmandu was almost done !
                                                                                                            
Day 2(12th Oct ) :The nagarkot day .
Wole up early in the morning.Bread , butter and jam was ready at 8 AM.From there, as per Rakesh guidance, I walked for 5 min to pashupathi bus stand from Goshala(my room)& from there took a bus to Old bus park to catch a bus to Bhaktapur.From Bhaktapur I took a bus to Nagarkot.After waiting in the bus for about 45 min, it started to Nagarkot and it was one hour journey. Nagarkot is a former Village Development Committee located 32 km east of Kathmandu, Nepal in Bhaktapur District in the Bagmati Zone and as of 2015 part of Nagarkot Municipality. At the time of the 2011 census it had a population of 4571 and had 973 houses in it. At an elevation of 2,195 meters, it is considered one of the most scenic spots in Bhaktapur District. It is known for a sunrise view of the Himalayas including Mount Everest as well as other peaks of the Himalayan range of eastern Nepal. Nagarkot also offers a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley.The scenic beauty of the place makes it a very popular hiking route for tourists.It is located approximately 7000 ft (2000 m) above sea level and 28 km from Kathmandu International Airport.
Nagarkot Everest view

Nagarkot Everest view

Nagarkot Everest view

Trek route

Trek route

Nagarkot Everest view

Trek back

Trek back

Nepalese playing Football

Trek back
Nagarkot commands one of the broadest views of the Himalayas in the Kathmandu valley (8 Himalayan ranges of Nepal out of 13 from here). The ranges include Annapurna range, Manaslu range, Ganesh himal range, Langtang range, Jugal range, Rolwaling range, Mahalangur range (Everest range) and Numbur range with views of the Kathmandu valley and Shivapuri National Park.
For those active nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts, there are lots of hiking opportunities to do in and around nagarkot. Among them, nagarkot eco trail (nature walk)along with Nagarkot panoramic hiking trail is the most popular ones.Situated in a strategic location, Nagarkot was an ancient fort of the Kathmandu valley built to monitor the external activities of other kingdoms. Later, it became a summer retreat for the royal family before becoming popular as an international hill station.To reach Nagarkot tower, I had to trek for 4 kms but luckily a local dropped me in his scooter.Due to clouds, I was unable to see the Mount Everest view.Locals say that early morning visit to Nagarkot is the best time to get the glimpse of Everest.After clicking some pics there, I treked back for 4 kms.Also got to see Nepalese playing football on the way & it was so cool to watch them play.It was already 12.30 PM and I was hungry.I had papadi chat worth 50 /-.not so good though but I had no other go since there was only chats available there.The bus was ready to Bhakapur.On the way I had a chat with a local person sitting next to me about Nepal.From Bhaktapur I got a direct bus to Goshala .Near the bus stand, I had 2 rotis and Rajma.It was 5 PM and I was too tired.I parceled momos for dinner from the same shop.I reached home by 5.30 PM and releaxed for the rest of the day.

Day 3 (13th Oct ) The bhaktapur day :
I woke up by 6 and got ready to have my breakfast which was aloo paratha.I started to Bhakapur from Goshala.Reached Bhaktapur at 10.30 PM.500 Nepali was the entrance fee to tourists from SAARC countries.It was a long walk.Damn Damn good. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the plaza in front of the royal palace of the old Bhaktapur Kingdom, 1400m above sea level. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 
Bhaktapur Darbar Square


The famous Peacock window

Bhaktapur Darbar Square temple

Bhaktapur Darbar Square temple

Roads

A small gathering

Outside the gathering

Bhaktapur Darbar Square

Bhaktapur Darbar Square temple

The famous Golden gate

Bhaktapur Darbar Square temple


Nyatapola temple premises

The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is located in the current town of Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon,which lies 13 km east of Kathmandu. While the complex consists of at least four distinct squares (Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square and Pottery Square), the whole area is informally known as the Bhakapur Durbar Square and is a highly visited site in the Kathmandu Valley. The major attraction of this place are:

55 window palace

The Palace of Fifty-five Windows(Pachpanna Jhyale Durbar) was built during the reign of the Malla King Yaksha Malla in 1427 AD and was remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the 17th century. Among the brick walls, with their gracious setting and sculptural design, is a balcony of fifty-five windows, considered to be a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.It is also known as one of the oldest monument present in nepal.

55 Window palace

Batsala Temple

Batsala Temple was the stone temple of goddess Batsala Devi that included many intricate carvings; however, it was most famous for its bronze bell, known to local residents as "the bell-of barking dogs " as when it is rung, dogs in the vicinity bark and howl. The colossal bell was hung by King Ranjit Malla in 1737 AD and was used to sound the daily curfew. It was rung every morning when goddess Taleju was worshiped. The bell remains intact; the temple was completely demolished by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.

Statue of Bhupatindra Malla

The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla in the act of worship can be seen on a column facing the palace. Of the square's many statues, this is considered to be the most magnificent.

Bhupatindra Malla

Nyatapola Temple

Nyatapola in Newari language means five stories - the symbolic of five basic elements. This is the biggest and highest pagoda of Nepal ever built with such architectural perfection and artistic beauty.

Nyatapola temple

Bhairava Nath Temple

The Bhairab Nath Temple is dedicated to Bhairava the most fierce and manifestation aspect of lord Shiva.

Golden Gate

The world famous Golden gate of Bhaktapur.
Lu Dhowka (The Golden Gate) is said to be the most beautiful and richly moulded specimen of its kind in the entire world. The door is surmounted by a figure of the Hindu goddess Kali and Garuda (mythical griffin) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It is embellished with monsters and other Hindu mythical creatures of marvellous intricacy. Percy Brown, an eminent English art critic and historian, described the Golden Gate as "the most lovely piece of art in the whole Kingdom; it is placed like a jewel, flashing innumerable facets in the handsome setting of its surroundings." The gate was erected by King Ranjit Malla and is the entrance to the main courtyard of the palace of fifty-five windows.
Golden gate

Lion's Gate

The magnificent and beautiful gate was produced from artisans whose hands were cut off after finishing touch to them by the envious Bhadgoun king so that no more of such masterpiece would be produced again.It is a very beautiful gate which attracts every human creatures.

Mini Pashupati Temple

The holy god Shiva temple, the mini pashupati, is believed to be built right in front of the palace after a Bhadgoan king dreamed of it.


The peacock window,temples,Nyatapola temple,shops,narrow roads,cute kids,old houses was mesmarizing ! I purchased fridge magnets,Om mani Padme hum flag and a hat.From there I reached Goshala by 3.30 PM.In goshala I had samosa chat,parceled samosa,rasmalai and kachori for early dinner.I left room by 5.30 PM and reached Sayambhu for my bus to Varanasi @ 7.30 PM.I reached Varanasi the next day(14th Oct ) @ 4 PM which was too tiring.In Sanuli, I exchaanged 500 Nepali Rs which was balance amount with me.

Day 4(15th Oct): Varanasi

I has stayed in a near by hotel the previous day for a night.Khusbu was also on her way back.She reached on 15th early morning and insisted me to visit kashi Vishwanath mandir at the earliest.I left hotel at 5 AM and finished the darshan by 6.30 AM.Finally i could visit the temple and took darshan of lord Vishwanath,Goddess Annapoorna & Goddess Vishalaakshi.
 
Ardhanaareshwar temple


Ghat area

I can never forget the taste of this poori baji

On the way there are many shops where we can keep our belongings in a locker.I placed them there and purchased flowers and sweets for pooja.By 7 AM Khusbu picked me up and took me to Assi ghat & kedar ghat.From there we went to Ardhanaareshwar temple near the ghat.Later we had masala chai on the banks of river Ganga.From there we headed to Sankat mochan temple where Tulsidas ji wrote Ram charit Manas.Lord ram & Lord Hanuman face each other .It is a very famous temple in Varanasi with thousands of devotees visiting every day.We took a quick darshan and headed to a small road side food shop which served yummy poori bhaji.We filled our stomach and left to Banaras Hindu University.
 
Myself & khusbu


Me doing namaskar

lassi with malai

At the Birla mandir,Banaras Hindu University

Khusbu is a student there and was so excited to show me around the University.We also went to Birla Mandir and had cold chocolate milk shake with ice cream.She introduced Darshan , her friend who also belonged to the same university.From there we went to a local lassi bar and had yummy lassi with malai on top.It was time for me to say bye to Varanasi.Both of us headed to my hotel for check out and booked ola.UK 813 Vistara fligh was about to start @ 3.20 PM.Due to heavy traffic in the city, i decided to leave quite early and reached the airport @ 12.30 PM.Thanks to Khusbu .Nepal trip was a spectacular one.Love to visit again.
Nepal trip was a spectacular one.Love to visit again.

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Some info about Nepal 

Country:Nepal

Independence:1768,21 Dec

National flower:Rhododendron


National Bird:Danphe(Himalayan monal)

National Animal:Cow 

National Dish:Daal Bath Tarkaari

Currency:Rupee

Capital:Kathmandu

Language:Nepali
















2 comments:

Journeymart said...

The traditional Shiva-Linga puja is performed where the Shiva Linga is given a solemn bath with milk, rose water, curd, ghee, honey and sandalwood paste.

Poornima Belawaadi said...

Yes right :)

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