Day 2, Kathmandu

April 24, 2009

Durbar square, I have been told, is the centre of Kathmandu. Primarily, it is a collection of ancient temples, mostly built in the Pagoda style. Some are two to three stories high with stairs leading to the top directly. Get to the top of any of them, and you get the view of the entire square around.

Now, the interesting thing here is that these temples are not just places of worship, but, when closed, are also used by Kathmandu’s youth as public spaces. I found groups of young people hanging out in this square and also in many other spots throughout the city. I found this refreshing. People just sitting back and relaxing while watching life pass by seemed liked a nice idea… until I met a Thanka painter who thinks that ‘too much of anything is bad’. Apparently, people here are so laid back that they are almost complacent with whatever little they have and never think of achieving. And this results in the overall underdeveloped state of this little mountain country. Two sides to a coin….!

Another thing that caught my attention in the Durbar square was the Kumari temple. According to my guide, Nepalis choose a young girl (between the ages of 5 and 7) through a series of rigorous tests to worship her as the Living Goddess. This Kumari temple is her living quarters and also the place where public comes to worship this little girl. Now, the strange thing is (at least, I thought so) that the girl is never allowed to go out of her temple. She lives, grows up and receives education in the Kumari temple. From what I understood, the only time she ever leaves her quarters is during festivals when she is carried around in a chariot in the city. All in all, the Kumari is never allowed to set foot on land/earth. Unfortunately (!), the girl gets to be the Living Goddess only till she starts menstruating. After that, the post is filled by another eligible girl. I found the whole concept extremely amusing. But what’s better, when inside the temple, I caught a glimpse of the Kumari when I looked up at the floor she lives in. This, my guide said rather jubilantly, is considered a sign of good luck for me. Paisa vasool…!

From Durbar square I proceeded to visit other places of significance in Kathmandu, like Swayambhu, Pashupatinath and Bouddhanath, etc. I was fascinated by these temples and monasteries, and their architecture. I thoroughly enjoyed the new experiences these places offered me, while trying to absorb as much information as I could.

But to me, the city and its people were far more amusing than these 'tourist spots'.

I am a true Indian to the core. So the roads here mustn’t surprise me. But they did.... by being almost absent. Most of the city is connected by muddy and gravel filled paths which serve as roads. The cars here seem to be all used ones and surprisingly, I didn’t recognize the manufacturers of even half of the cars here. The public transport here is not just for the public, it is also by the public. It seemed that anyone with a minivan could put up a board and carry people around. I found it quite amusing to see neatly dressed young women wearing little masks over their noses and mouths traveling in battered auto rickshaws.

The bikers extremely interested me. Very few are found without helmets. They queue in long lines in front of gas stations to get their bikes fueled. I counted at least 50 heads in front of a gas station today, waiting patiently in ONE line for their turn, with at least a foot’s gap between every two bikes.

There is something charming about the nature of Nepali people. I went to a local café for lunch and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they employ physically challenged as a means to support them. Noble, innit?