And then there were two. Our group tour of India and Nepal finished; we were alone in Kathmandu. We took the time to do laundry, read while lingering over coffee, and get caught up on news, photo back-ups, and journals. Also, we walked around the Thamel area—seeing much earthquake damage. And we spent time at some of Kathmandu’s stupas.
The Boudhanath Stupa
First on our list, we visited the Boudhanath Stupa (also spelled Boudha or Bodhnath). This is a massive structure near Kathmandu’s airport, one of the largest stupas in the world. Once on a major ancient trade route, Tibetan merchants used to rest and pray here. When China invaded Tibet in the 1950s, many Tibetan refugees came to Nepal and decided to live around Boudhanath. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is surrounded by a Tibetan community and many convents.
The legend of the Boudhanath Stupa
The history of the biggest stupa is a confusing tale of the hunt for water, drought, sacrifice, dew drops, and chickens. Here’s my abstract: A king wanted to build a watering hole. But there was no water where he wanted to build it. He consulted an astrologer who suggested sacrificing a male who embodied the 32 perfections (the same for choosing the little girl Living Goddess). Only two men in the realm met the 32 criteria…the King and his son. The King decided he himself should be the sacrifice. The king told his son to sacrifice a sleeping man without looking at his face. After the prince did so, he realized he had killed his own father. It’s unclear if the king’s sacrifice brought water.
The prince, however, was plagued with regret and guilt. He asked priests for ways to obtain salvation. They told him to release a flying hen from the sacrifice spot, and to build a shrine where the hen landed. The chicken landed where the stupa is today. As they built the stupa, a drought ensued and locals had to collect dew drops to survive. There are stories of female goddesses residing in the spot and chicken-keepers visiting–and in the end, it’s become a super-sacred stupa.
Visiting the Boudhanath Stupa
Like all stupas in Nepal, this giant white mandala has Buddha eyes, an eyebrow curtain, and prayer flags strung to the top spire. A surrounding deck lets visitors walk along the roofline. At ground level, the structure has 147 niches of five prayer wheels each, plus the bells between. In the back, there is a large space filled with pallets for pilgrims to prostrate themselves. All around the large stupa are alcoves with large prayer wheels, merchants selling prayer beads and religious paraphernalia, convents, restaurants, pigeons, dogs, and people.
We sat and watched people circle the stupa clockwise, fingering their Tibetan-Buddhist prayer beads–108 smooth bodhi tree beads with tassels. There was an old monk near the entrance, folded-up and sitting in a niche, bestowing blessings when asked by bowing head-to-head. Sometimes in family groups, most often solo, people circled. Monks, novice monks, and regular pilgrims. Dogs too. It was a calm and fascinating morning, observing there at the stupa.
We climbed up narrow stairs to a restaurant and enjoyed lunch on a rooftop overlooking the stupa. A breeze, a view, momo dumplings and orange juice. Yum.
Return to Swayambhunath Stupa…on a Sunny Day!
We returned to the Monkey Temple on a sunny day. It looked completely different than it did in the rain just a few days before. Today, we climbed the 365 steep steps at the main entrance…slowly.
Up top, we looked at the places we’d stood in the rain, at the alcoves we’d hidden under. We made a few more clockwise walks, taking in all the sights we’d missed before. And again, we lingered to observe the rituals. Clockwise circling, whispering chants, leaving offerings of flowers and bread, lighting flames, spinning prayer wheels and ringing bells.
Monkeys at the Swayambhunath Stupa
There were many visitors–and animals who live here. Dogs slept in the sun and shade. The pigeons pecked around and cooed. And the monkeys scouted for easy pickings. Stupidly, I forgot myself and carried a half-finished Coke out of a shop. Within a minute, a monkey locked eyes on the plastic bottle and ran towards us. Alarmed, I tossed it to him, half expecting him to catch it. It hit the ground and rolled, the carbonation clearly agitated inside. He couldn’t twist off the cap, so instead he chewed a hole at the bottom. The first puncture released some spewing Coke which attracted a baby monkey. The two of them licked at the stream flowing to the ground. Most of the Coke was lost. And the little monkey belched.
Curious thoughts ran through my mind that day. Monkeys eat the offerings. Dogs wear marigold necklaces. Candles burn. Squeaky prayer wheels spin. Bells ring. Prayer flags whip in the wind. And beyond is this expansive view of Kathmandu. There is an innate calmness about the place, the people. Despite the traffic, the earthquake damage, the thieving monkeys, it was serene here. I was sad to be leaving Nepal tomorrow.
Leaving Nepal
After a filling breakfast at Hotel Fuji, we headed by taxi to KTM airport for a long day of travel. Bryan stocked us up on snacks for the flights. I was near the end of a book about the Little Princes of Nepal and was looking forward to the quiet time on the airplane. We waited only a short while before being called with a hand gesture to the gate. We followed a line of people out onto the tarmac, and climbed the steps into our Qatar Airways plane bound for Athens via Doha.
As the plane lifted off, I saw the Boudhanath Stupa, then the Himalayas in the distance just before the plane turned away. Namaste, dear Nepal. Calm Nepal. Namaste.
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Carol Fletcher is a traveling, dog-loving, coffee-addicted photographer and blogger living in Chicago. To see more photo essays and projects, please visit www.carolfletcher.com.