December 2010

Kathmandu Memoir Jutismita Hazarik

A crowded Tribhuvan International Airport Agreeted us as we dashed into the land of mountains, mysticism and undulated history. The frenzied taxi drivers and hotel agents outside the airport gave us a tough time while clearing our way out to the capital city of Kathmandu. A familiar scenario outside reminded us of this amazing city captured in celluloid in many Bollywood Movies. The same place, the same roads, but the charms of watching this amazing city in a romantic flick again and again never dies away. Our team broke into a popular song from legendary actor Dev Anand's film 'Hare Krishna Hare Rama' on our way to the hotel. The driver flashed a wide smile. He had grown up watching this film plotted on his beloved place. Nepal and Bollywood have never been strange to each other, after all. On our way, we had a glimpse of the Majestic Narayanhiti Royal Palace of Nepal. The well manicured lawns visible through the royal gates reminded us of a bygone era in the history of Nepal. A perfect story of battle for power and bloodsheds! We noticed that every nook and corner of the city speaks of a 2000 years old history that attracted the attention of the whole world at many a times. We had almost forgotten our hungry bellies while reliving the history of this glorious land. But the blazing Sun above our head indicated lunch time. A well maintained hotel opened its Nepali cuisine fair to us. Some smoked daal (lentil soup) with steaming rice and plain vegetables felt like heaven since we hadn't eaten anything significant on board. We, however, resolved to experiment with different Nepali food in the evening since Nepal is known for different oriental cuisines as sumptuous as words can reveal. A siesta in an immaculate hotel room ended when some broken lines of Hindi film song came floating in from the street down stairs. For a moment it felt like taking a nap in a mid-March Delhi afternoon. However, this illusion didn't stay longer as the telephone rang for a reminder call. We had a list of to do things before the night descended. The Boudhanath Stupa was our first destination. This is the biggest stupa in Nepal, known as Khasti Chitya and is considered as one of the oldest stupas in the country. Situated 7-km east to Kathmandu, Boudhanath Stupa is 36 meters high and presents one of the most fascinating specimens of stupa design which shone like some ethereal symbol in the crimson evening light. This magic hour gave us some awesome snaps as this part of time between dark and the light is considered best for aesthetic photography. Another attraction, Swayambhu Stupa watches over the Valley from the top of a hillock on its western side just three kilometers west of the city center. Swayambhu is also known as Samhengu and is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is also one of the oldest and glorious Buddhist shrines in the world which is said to be two thousand years old. The four sides of the stupa are painted with the eyes of Lord Buddha and the temple is also known as the watchful eyes of Buddha. We silently watched the Sun go down on its knees behind this mega structure. Finally, it was dark. We hurried back to our hotel and as we had promised ourselves, we decided to try some non-vegetarian Nepali food. We had no clue about the method of preparation but we swear by the authentic taste of what we just ate. And, we believe in learning new things in every step too. So, our first night in the land of Everest taught us that metal spoons are said to ruin the flavour of food and make you thinner—not a good thing in Nepal! The smell of the food was a new experience and so did the scent of everything around. But, we trusted our five senses and geared up for a new day. The morning Kathmandu was an intoxicating experience- amazing yet exhausting (yes, we are talking about the traffic and the morning rush). A sweet and milky cup of tea with snacks of popped rice and curried potatoes threatened to come out of our nauseated tummies in that hustle bustle. But, we, somehow, managed to reach the Pashupatinath Temple, the next on our list, without throwing up! This astounding architectural beauty, on the bank of the river Bagmati, stands out as a symbol of faith, religion, culture, tradition and love. Rajyamati, an Indian princess married to the Nepali king Jayadeva II, had built this temple of lord Shiva out of gratitude to the Nepali people for accepting her. Regarded as the most sacred temple of Hindu Lord Shiva in the world, Pashupatinath temple's richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred lingam or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva. But, the temple premise was dirty and we were scared off by the monkeys around. After losing my umbrella to a naughty monkey, I voted for our departure. A quick lunch at a restaurant nearby and we discarded our stress into the cosmic dustbin. Then, we landed in Hanuman Dhoka (Durbar Square) in Bhaktapur. The square flaunts a web of palaces, courtyards and temples built between the 12th and the 18th centuries by the ancient Malla Kings of Nepal. It is considered to be the hub of social, religious and urban life of Kathmandu. Taleju Temple, Kal Bhairav (God of Destruction), Nautalle Durbar, Coronation Nasal Chowk, the Gaddi Baithak, the statue of King Pratap Malla, the Big Bell, Big Drum and the Jagnnath Temple are some of the interesting things to see in this Square. We were mesmerized by the architecture of each of the temples. But we didn't have much time to ponder over this marvel of human achievements for a long time. Bhaktapur, the 'City of Devotees' is renowned for its art and architectural styles. Founded by King Anand Dev Malla in the 12th century, this Nepalese capital city reminded me of an out of context song called 'nothing to do in Kathmandu' which I came across while doing some research about this place before leaving Delhi. But, we had a lot to do in Kathmandu and went on to visit other temples like Changu Narayan Temple, Machchhendranath Temple and Kumari Temple. The last one is the residence of Living Goddess, Kumari, situated in the vicinity of Hanuman Dhoka Palace. The building has beautifully carved wooden balconies and window screens. Kumari- the living Goddess acknowledges the greetings from her balcony window. We were tempted to click some picture but doing so is strictly prohibited. Although, I remembered, watching a documentary, many years ago, depicting this whole practice of Kumari worship. We were still wondering about this strange sacrament next day and to shake it off, went to visit the beautiful Balaju Water Garden. It is situated below the Nagarjun Hill, about 5- km northwest of Kathmandu. The garden has an exotic bank with 22 stone waterspouts, carved in the shape of seadragons. The water garden also consists of religious shrines, fishponds and a replica of the statue of Budha-Nilkantha. Our tour book indicated another place -The National Museum, having a splendid collection of weapons, artifacts from ancient, medieval and modern Nepal. Seeing them, we realized that some office people had requested us to bring some Nepali weapons (to adorn their living rooms of course). We went hunting for such items, but I was totally clueless about this fascination for Nepali weapons. They are sleek, sharp and tasteful, but a weapon is a weapon after all. Please note that if you are buying antiques in Nepal, you need to get special permission from the Department of Archaeology to take the antiques out of the country. Customs in Nepal are extremely methodical when it comes to inspecting the baggage at the airport. The ladies in our team were dying for some jewellery extravaganza but, the variety of gems in the market made it difficult for us to shop within a budget. But, we never mind some expenses, especially, when we talk about some soul feeding! And a nice Chinese umbrella soothed my loss in the morning. And I almost forgave that nasty monkey who robbed my umbrella! We, however, won't recommend you any particular shop or restaurant… Just be a true blue traveller and discover them on your own just like we did. We roamed around the Thamel Tourists District and the cosmopolitan and hippy culture on the streets sent us back to the 70s with white faces smoking cigar and playing guitar at the street cafes. We thus, ended our third day in Kathmandu in an idle pursuit of purposelessness. We hardly understood the Nepali songs in the air, but, we too, believe that the music is a universal language. So we sang along or at least we tried! The initial anxiety of being in a different place hadn't yet settled down and we encountered the last day in Kathmandu. We felt dull, but decided on a picnic to Gorkha situated 131 kms down the valley. We went to the city off Patan too on our way back. This ancient city is situated on the southern bank of the river Bagmati and is about 6-kms south of Kathmandu. The city is full of Buddhist monuments and Hindu temples with fine bronze gateways, guardian deities and wonderful carvings. Our Kathmandu days, thus, ended on an ethnic note. Our adventurous streak had started surfacing as we were to plunge into a 4-day long trip to the beautiful valley of Pokhara known for different adventure sports like trekking and paragliding. But, better leave that story for some other time. We know our every tale enchants you and that is why we prefer saving it for some more hypnotizing sessions. Nature and Life unfold in a series and so do we!