SWAYAMBUNATH TEMPLE
Magnificently set atop a conical hill with a sweeping view of Katmandu- this temple is overrun with Pilgrims and monkeys. The Tantric Buddhists consider it the chief "power point" of the Kathmandu Valley....although the tourists call it the monkey temple.
This ancient religious complex consisting of stupas, shrines and temples is revered by Hindu's and Buddhists alike. The stupa Bubba is standing in front of is the most profound expression of Buddhist symbolism in Nepal and the source of the valleys creation myth. Inscriptions date the stupa to the 5th century. The apparently simple structure for the stupa belies an immensely complex physical representation of Buddhist cosmology and the purpose of walking around it is to mediate on this. The solid white washed dome symbolizes the womb or creation. The eyes painted on it are those of the all-seeing Adi- Buddha staring in all four directions. My kids used to say Bocahita also had those powers.... Those 13 disks stacked above the pillar represents the 13 steps to enlightenment. Finally, the umbrella at the top symbolizes the attainment of enlightenment some say it contains a bowl filled with precious gems. Oh Bocahita has her work cut out for her.
Monketts in training..
while the "holy" monkeys keep an eye on the boys. So far this is Pleeps most favorite Temple.
Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, the surrounding area has become home to many exiled Tibetans. Yep, doing the circumambulation (kora- round and round we go) and spinning the prayer wheels.
VAJRA
A Buddhist symbol of a lightening bolt. This ritualistic object represents firmness of spirit and spiritual power.
NEXT STOP BODHNATH
Outside of town-a Tibet Buddhist monument one of the world's largest stupa's. This area is known for supernatural powers, where guardian Deities dwelt and all wishes were granted. It has become the Mecca of Tibetan exiles in Nepal. We are talking holy relics here- some parts of the Buddha's body- bones, hair and teeth and other objects used by him. The stupa has been sealed for centuries so no one knows what is in there exactly....and Buddha Bubba said it needs to stay that way Bocahita. More circumambulatinng by the Pilgrims going on.
There are some 20 monasteries scattered about the hood- hmmm and we're only going to see some??? Quite the entrepreneurs are those monks...
Boudha's Pilgrims are arguably its greatest attraction, as the stupa is famed throughout the Himalayan region for its powers of wish-fulfilment and blessing. Bocahita went round and round hoping, wishing, praying that one day she would be able to wear Annie's Love Pink sweats. Buddha Bubba had that same meditation....
Pilgrims here, Pilgrims there, everywhere a Pilgrim.
How's that for a jumbo prayer wheel! Go Annie!
Buddhist Birds?
Tons of souvenir shops around all these temples and Pleep insists his Mom get a Holy Monkey hat. Oh yes, more fashionista relics for the Bocahita. Bubba heard the young shop worker mumble something like "thank Buddha for those crazy American tourists".
PASHUPATINATH/SHIVA SHRINES
Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथको मन्दिर) is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple served as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, Nepal is a secular country . The temple is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.[1]
The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva on the continent). Hindus alone are allowed to enter the temple premises. Non-Hindu visitors are allowed to have a look at the temple from the other bank of Bagmati river.
Same idea with the flower buds.
Buddha Bubba Yak Tail shopping....
Yes, Bocahita another Temple. Joy!
Non Hindus not allowed Bubs- never mind the free "shooes" service.
Per the Sadhus- Holy Man- Bocahita is blessed many times. The dreadlocked holy men usually seen lurking around Hindu temples are essentially an Indian phenomenon. However, Nepal, being the setting for many amorous and ascetic exploits of sadhus favourite deity, Shiva, is a favorite stomping ground for them. Traditionally, sadhus live solitary lives, always on the move, subsisting on alms and owning nothing but what they carry. Sadus have a strange role model in Shiva, who is both a mountaintop ascetic and the omnipotent god of the phallus. Some following the "left hand path" employing deliberately transgressive practices to free themselves of sensual passions and transcend the illusory physical world. The most notorious of these spiritual exercises is the tying of a heavy stone to the....HELL NO YELPED BUBBA.ARGA GHAT'S
For all the vibrant sacred activity, it is the sombre sight of public cremation that is my lasting image. Along the shores of the Bagmati River in front of the temple lies "AGRA GHAT", the most widely used place for cremation for the deceased of Nepal.Per our guide:
There is one thing that is certain in this lifetime: eventually we all must die. A belief in the cyclical reincarnation of the soul is one of the foundations of the Hindu religion. Death is viewed as a natural aspect of life, and there are numerous epic tales, sacred scriptures, and vedic guidance that describe the reason for death's existence, the rituals that should be performed surrounding it, and the many possible destinations of the soul after departure from its earthly existence. While the ultimate goal is to transcend the need to return to life on earth, all Hindus believe they will be reborn into a future that is based primarily on their past thoughts and actions.
The first mortal to meet his fate with Death was named Yama. This dubious honor makes him uniquely qualified to lead the way for others after death. The sacred scriptures of the Rig Veda, which call him King Yama, promise that all who have been good will receive "admission to Yama's paradise and the everlasting enjoyment of all the heavenly pleasures, include the restoration of a sick body, the maintaining of family relations and the highly desired apotheosis". Yama is aided by two killer guide dogs that are described as the "four-eyed keepers of the path, who watch over men." These "two dark messengers of Yama with flaring nostrils wander among men, thirsting for the breath of life". Yet, once they have secured their prey, they lead them back to their heavenly realm, where Yama directs them to their destiny.
Cremation is a ritual designed to do much more than dispose of the body; it is intended to release the soul from its earthly existence. "Hindus believe that cremation (compared to burial or outside disintegration) is most spiritually beneficial to the departed soul." This is based on the belief that the "astral body" will linger "as long as the physical body remains visible." If the body is not cremated, "the soul remains nearby for days or months"The only bodies that are not generally burned are unnamed babies and the lowliest of castes, who are returned to the earth.
The standard cremation ceremony begins with the ritual cleansing, dressing and adorning of the body. The body is then carried to the cremation ground as prayers are chanted to Yama, invoking his aid.
It is the chief mourner, usually the eldest son, who takes the twigs of holy kusha grass, flaming, from the Doms' (the untouchable caste who tend funeral pyres) eternal fire to the pyre upon which the dead has been laid. He circumambulates the pyre counterclockwise– for everything is backward at the time of death. As he walks round the pyre, his sacred thread, which usually hangs from the left shoulder, has been reversed to hang from the right. He lights the pyre. The dead, now, is an offering to Agni, the fire. Here, as in the most ancient Vedic times, the fire conveys the offering to heaven.After the corpse is almost completely burned, the chief mourner performs the rite called kapälakriyä, the 'rite of the skull,' cracking the skull with a long bamboo stick, thus releasing the soul from entrapment in the body. After the cremation, the ashes are thrown into a river, ideally the Ganges river, and the mourners walk away without looking back.
The death ritual does not end with the elimination of the body. There is still the safety of the soul to look after. To ensure the passage during its voyage to the Otherworld, an eleven-day ritual called shraddha is performed. It "consist(s) of daily offerings of rice balls, called pindas, which provide a symbolic, transitional body for the dead. During these days, the dead person makes the journey to the heavens, or the world of the ancestors, or the 'far shore.'" �"On the twelfth day, the departed soul is said to reach its destination and be joined with its ancestors, a fact expressed symbolically by joining a small pinda to a much larger one" �Without these rites, the soul may never find it way to Yama's realm.
And they kept coming with more bodies. The smell was incredible. You can also see people lying prone on stretchers with their feet in the Bagmati. Many of the buildings and darmsala (Pilgrims rest houses and also called hospice) set aside for devout Hindus approaching death. In their final hour, they are laid by the river and given a last drink of the holy water- which probably finishes them off! It was hard to understand the filth. The person's ashes are swept into the river. Wouldn't you think they would at least keep this holy area clean? Beyond filthy.
Many watch these cremation services-ok, enough. Time for a cocktail to absorb all we saw. Hey Bubs will you come back as a Deer? For some reason we didn't eat dinner that night....
