This is Day 11 of Nepal Travelogue (May 23, 2013)
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| Kathmandu's Giant Boudhanath |
During our
previous travels also, we visited Buddhist temples around Malaysia and Singapore,
but this big one in Kathmandu - Boudhanath - which we visited today was not only different from others but was also far
more impressive. First influence I encountered upon was those omnipresent eyes on the
forehead of the extended white dome. It was like God keeping an eye on what
one is doing; good or bad – especially on those salesmen trying to rip-off
innocent tourists!
That inevitably reminded me of الله دیکھ رہا ہے (translation: God is Watching)
hanging around Karachi shops, to the same effect.
Inside the
arena, the most notable activity was people circumambulating around the big
dome and around many indoor prayer wheels devotedly. I’m not sure if there is
a fixed number of rounds one needs to make, however, the fervor was similar to
that I observed during the seven rounds طواف around Kaaba – the holiest Muslim site
in Saudi Arabia.
Chants in
the prayer rooms also resembled to those in the Muslim ritual and so were the flying
flocks of pigeons. Upstairs we noted a couple of girls performing a repetitive
ritual shockingly similar to the movements in Salat (نماز )!
There were
several seminaries spread around the white dome out of which we visited
one. Students were reciting religious scriptures while one
of them was distributing the stipend and sustenance – as if in a Pakistani madrasa!
Well, I don’t
feel qualified enough to shed light if there is a connection between Dharmic and
Abrahamic religions but after these experiences my instincts insist that there
might be one!
Who knows!
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| The Big and the Ubiquitous |
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| Yes One Can Get Lost Around the Boudhanath Vicinity |
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| This is a Prayer Wheel |
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| Let Me Try It! |
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| Circumambulation |
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| A Bunch of Smaller Prayer Wheels |
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| Going Up the Stairs |
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| Please Note! |
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| Colorful |
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| And Beautiful! |
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| Namaz Like Prayers |
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| Bigger Bang! |
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| A Seminary |
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| Inside the School |
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| Buddha in Nepal |
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| The Forbidden Lama |
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| Students in the Madrasa! |
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| Distributing Sustenance |
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| Ustaad!? |
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| Charaghaan |
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| Politicking |
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| Some Political Figure Was Awaited |
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| Herbal Incense! |
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| Some Folks Suggest I Look Like Mongol! |
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| Momo Menu |
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| Food for Stomch Now! |
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| Momo Variety; Steamed Ones |
Today’s Bills – in Nepali Rupees
| 80 |
|
Sight Seeing |
|
Entry Ticket:
Boudhnath |
| 300 |
|
Grocery |
|
Umbrella |
| 280 |
|
Food |
|
Snacks, Momo, etc |
| 1520 |
|
Gifts |
|
Indian Suit for
Urooba! |
| 150 |
|
Gifts |
|
Nepali Incense |
| 550 |
|
Logistics |
|
Taxi - Boudhanath to
Civil Homes |
| 2880 |
|
Total for May 23,
2013 |
|
|
| 31,270 |
|
Total as of Today |
|
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Traveler's Tip # 20: Umbrella and the Raincoat
While we were busy in exploring souvenir shops, it suddenly got overcast, as per the weather forecast, and started raining heavily. The downpour was far heavier than mentioned in the prediction making us really difficult to make it back to Kathrine's place, who graciously arranged the morning drop for us in her 4x4 Terios.
Without any exaggeration, it was the maximum rain in one day I saw in my life. Later next morning Kathrine sort of confirmed that as it broke Kathmandu's pre-monsoon record for the month of May!
Monsoon or not, the Himalayan country can get wet anytime, so keeping an umbrella and the raincoat is a must while traveling in Nepal. And it is pretty easy to buy one once there in case you don't prefer to bring it from home.
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| Overcast! |
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| Raining Cats and Dogs! |
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| It Was Undoubtedly the Heaviest Rain in My Life |
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