Nepal 2017

Sunday29October

Having left Paris the same day, here we are (via New Delhi) on the tarmac of Tribhuvan Airport in the capital Kathmandu. Our first tasks will be to pay for our visas and collect our bags, but also to adjust our watches to the 4h45 difference from France... Yes, Nepal is one of the rare countries to have set its time zone to the nearest quarter hour! And this is for precision, to be as close as possible to solar time throughout the country. Only certain areas of Australia and New Zealand have made the same choice.

It is also here that we meet Narayan. We have been communicating with him for a few months to prepare our 15-day trek. He welcomes us at the airport exit to take us to our hotel in the Thamel district.

Our room at "The Address Kathmandu" hotel in the heart of Thamel, the district reserved for tourists!

Recently, Thamel has been closed to cars to "pamper" tourists by protecting them from traffic jams and the associated pollution... So we take advantage of the evening to stroll around the neighborhood and find some local food.

It is with joy that I rediscover the famous "momo" that we had already tasted 5 years ago during our little getaway in Sikkim, the Eastern region of the Himalayas. These small steamed or oil-fried dumplings contain vegetables or meat.

Monday30October

We begin our stay with a transition day before starting our 15-day trek in the Annapurnas. We set out in search of a taxi to reach our first point of visit.

We arrive at the Dharmadhaatu stupa.

Stupas are Buddhist edifices containing sacred texts or relics of religious personalities. And beware! Buddha is watching you! Indeed, on Nepalese stupas, the eyes of Buddha are often represented, symbolizing wisdom and compassion.

Mission accomplished, taxi found! Not very difficult, these small white cars eagerly await tourists leaving the Thamel district. A little negotiation, and off we go to Pashupatinath temple, 20 minutes away...

After the typically Buddhist stupa, we move on to the Pashupatinath temple, a Hindu place of worship, the country's majority religion. The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979. It is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites.

Here we are, immersed in the crowd of Hindu pilgrims who came to visit the sacred temple.

On the right, the topi, the traditional Nepalese headwear.

Like any respectable pilgrimage site, "religious" accessories or various elements for offerings are for sale as you approach the site.

Throughout the Kathmandu Valley, collapsed or damaged buildings are legion. For 2 years, the country has been repairing the aftermath of the violent earthquake that occurred in April and May 2015. In addition to the many victims and affected (more than 8000 dead), it was necessary to face the reconstruction of homes and other buildings, especially those of sacred sites. Contrary to appearances, Pashupatinath was nevertheless spared compared to other sites in the Kathmandu Valley.

And here is our usual travel companion when we are in Asia! The macaque! Those we will encounter in Nepal are from the rhesus macaque family (Macaca mulatta). It is important to keep your distance and leave food in your bag to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with it... 

Families can burn offerings.

The entrance to Pashupatinath Temple. The temple is "dedicated to Pashupati, the incarnation of Shiva as 'lord of animals', which is unofficially considered the national deity of Nepal, this temple is one of the most sacred in Hinduism". © Wikipedia

The temple is exclusively reserved for Hindus. One can still glimpse from the outside the immense golden bronze Nandi Bull, Shiva's mount.  

You can go around the temple and reach the top of a hill to see the golden roof of the temple.

A small neglected altar. This is not where offerings take place, but rather within and around the temple enclosure.

Back downstairs where devotees place marigolds as offerings to Shiva.

Brahmin priests are available to people seeking help or advice. The exchange will conclude with some remunerative bills for the priest.

The rain has arrived. The few temples scattered around the site provide makeshift shelter. For us, a simple rain jacket will do...  

We arrive east of the temple, on the side of the Bagmati River. Here, the atmosphere is completely different because on the bank of this sacred river, Hindus come to openly cremate their deceased...

Passersby attend the ceremony from the top of the bridge or the opposite bank.

So here we are on the bank facing the ghat, the name given to the steps that descend into the sacred river. In the background, the golden temple of Pashupatinath, recognizable by its golden roof. The ceremony has already begun; the family and relatives surround the body placed on the pyre in a white shroud covered with marigolds.

Hindus, the only ones allowed to enter the Golden Temple, arrive at the terrace overlooking the ghat. Dozens of marigold garlands connect the two banks.

Cremation is done on the day of death. Relatives have little time to say goodbye. One by one, they come to pour water on his face.

This family surely belongs to the Nepalese upper caste. Indeed, only wealthy families can afford a cremation behind the Golden Temple. Others, more modest, have at their disposal small platforms, a little further to the left of this bridge.

Right next door, offerings are placed on the Bagmati River. If cremations take place here, it is also because this river flows into the Ganges 300 kilometers away. After cremation, the ashes are simply pushed into the river and can thus reach the sacred river, promising a better reincarnation for the deceased.

The ceremony takes place with great simplicity, under the watchful eye of curious onlookers positioned on the balcony of the Golden Temple.

On the opposite bank, where we positioned ourselves as "discreet" observers, small altars welcome families who have come to make offerings to Shiva and any other Gods willing to listen...

The traditional Topi: "small Nepalese national hat in the shape of a truncated cone worn by men. It symbolically represents Mount Kailash, through which the axis of the universe passes." © Wikipedia

It is also in these small altars that the famous Sadhus are installed.

Sadhus have chosen a life completely cut off from society. Far from all material attraction and addiction, they hope to approach or even dissolve into the divine. If there are many here, it is because Pashupatinath is the temple dedicated to Shiva, their "patron saint".

"A large number of them [Sadhus] ritually consume hashish, as Shiva is believed to do according to them, to tear the veil of maya. Others, however, refuse this consumption, which they consider contrary to their ideal. Shaivite sadhus rub their bodies with ashes, symbols of death and rebirth. Like Shiva, they wear their hair extremely long." © Wikipedia

A little further on, small temples follow one after another.

Then we come across an unfriendly "gang" of macaques, whose individuals seem to be in "observation" mode of the surroundings and curious passers-by...

Ischial callosities. Very practical for avoiding carrying a stool everywhere with you... "These are two horny regions on the rump that allow them to sit for long periods. This is the position they prefer for resting or sleeping in trees." © Wikipedia  

And when you don't have ischial callosities yet, you just have to hold on tight to your mom, no matter her position...

Time passes and we turn back to return to the cremation ghat.

But it's hard to go unnoticed when you're a Western tourist in Asia. And apparently, it's even more so in India and Nepal. Our first request to be photographed happens on these steps. These 4 friends absolutely want "their" Europeans prominently displayed on their Facebook wall...  

Fortunately, our photo shoot doesn't drag on too long, and in the distance, the smoke rising from the Golden Temple clearly indicates that the pyre has already begun to ignite...

Indeed, our little escapade lasted a little longer than expected. When we arrive, the family has already left, leaving the pyre to burn alone. Fortunately, the body is completely covered with straw, and reveals nothing of images that are a little too macabre... At least, for the time we will be there, because we will not witness the entire cremation; it takes a few hours for the body to be completely transformed into ashes.

For Hindus, the body is composed of 5 elements: sky, water, fire, air, and earth. By cremating the body, the five elements thus return to nature.

As the pyre is just beginning to burn, another family has already arrived to prepare the next pyre in turn...

A little further on, on the same bank, the alignment of cremation platforms for the lowest castes. They are sometimes used all at the same time.

The pyre should normally be prepared partly with sandalwood, a very fragrant wood from the region. Due to deforestation to supply wood for too many cremations, its use is becoming increasingly rare.

We leave the premises and, as I pass, I try to catch a Sadhu's gaze. And it's not easy! Indeed, Sadhus don't let themselves be photographed unless in exchange for a few banknotes... I won't have to do it, my camera is either invisible or hypnotic!  

We continue to follow the path that leads us to our next stop, the great Bodnath stupa, located a 30-minute walk from here. We pass in front of the entrance to the Guhyeshwori temple and its curious guardians with ostentatious masculine attributes...   These are two representations of Shiva. On the left, Kinnara and on the right, the skeleton Kankala.

We cross the sacred Bagmati River again. We also find small platforms for setting up pyres.

Noodle-lunch break before arriving at the great Bodnath Stupa...