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.
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| View from my room |
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| Pashupathinath Temple entrance |
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| Pashupatinath Temple premises |
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| Temple premises |
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| Behind the temple |
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| Behind the temple |
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| 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 .
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| Boudhanath Stupa |
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| Stupa Entrance |
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| Stupa Premises |
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| Bhuddha temple near the premises |
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| In front of a temple |
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| Stupa view from a temple balcony |
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| 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.
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| Bhuddhaneelkantha temple premises |
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| Temple premises |
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| 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.
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| Swambhunath temple entrance |
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| Three Buddha idols |
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| Myself in the premises |
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| Behind the idols |
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| 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 (svyaṃbhu) 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.
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| Just befor reaching the temple |
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| Temple entrance before the stairs |
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| Souvenir Shop |
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| The temple |
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| Stupa |
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| View from the hill |
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| 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.
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| Kathmandu Darbar Square |
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| Kathmandu Darbar Square |
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| Kathmandu Darbar Square |
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| Kathmandu Darbar Square |
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| 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.
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| Nagarkot Everest view |
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| Nagarkot Everest view |
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| Nagarkot Everest view |
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| Trek route |
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| Trek route |
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| Nagarkot Everest view |
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| Trek back |
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| Trek back |
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| Nepalese playing Football |
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| 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 :
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Ardhanaareshwar temple |
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| Ghat area |
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| 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.
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| Myself & khusbu |
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| Me doing namaskar |
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| lassi with malai |
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| 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
