Nepal
witnessed a devastating earthquake on 26th of April 2015 and some of
the scenes of devastation were really nerve racking. The devastation of some of
the historical sites saddened me a lot because I visited these sites only last
year. These sites were truly a treat to the eyes especially the architecture,
which is nowhere seen in the world. I am therefore, tempted to share experience
of my recent visit to Nepal.
Nepal
has been primarily a Hindu Kingdom till recently and has therefore, several
sites of importance to Hinduism. Besides, being the birth place of Lord Buddha,
it has several holy sites of Buddhism. Nepal
is also known for Mount Everest and several Himalayan peaks. It would ,
therefore, be appropriate to divide my experience of Nepal into four broad
categories, namely i) Royal Nepalese heritage sites ii) Buddhist sites iii)
Hindu sites and iv) Himalaya and the natural beauty of Nepal.
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| Tribhuwan International Airport,Kathmandu |
Before I start
sharing the experience of Royal Nepalese heritage sites , it would not be out
of place to talk about Thamel . Thamel Is about 5.5 kilometers from Tribhuvan
International Airport in Kathmandu. We stayed in Hotel Kathmandu Prince
located in Thamel, which is a 15 to 20 minute walk from the center of
Kathmandu. This area has recently emerged as the most popular tourist area of
Kathmandu. Thamel has clean narrow streets full of mushrooming lodges, hotels
for budget travellers. There are about hundred hotels located in Thamel. It is
the place where tourist get everything they want. It is a colourful and
beautiful mixture of craft shops, boutique cafes, trekking gear, and rainbow
prayer flags. Ason Bazaar, Durbar Square, Samakushi and Swayambhunath are a
mere 10 to 30 minutes walk from Thamel. Restaurants, bars and other tourist
oriented shops can be seen bustling with activities. At night, Thamel is a
twinkling mass of coloured lights, paper lanterns and neon restaurant signs.
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| A view of Thamel |
Royal
palace: The
Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu was home to the country's ill-fated royal
family. Now their reign has ended and the palace has become a public museum. The palace compound is
located in the north-central part of Kathmandu, at the head of Durbar marg. It’s architecture style
resembles a contemporary pagoda with sprawling, park-like grounds
covering an area of about 100 acres. Its southern walls are considered the
tallest in Nepal. The current palace was built in 1970, on the order of King
Mahendra replacing the original building designed by a master Nepalese
architect in 1886.
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| Narayanhiti Palace |
The new palace as it looks
today was first used on the occasion of the marriage of Prince Birendra the then-heir apparent to
the throne. The palace was also the scene of the 2001 Nepalese Royal Massacre.
After the 2006
revolution toppled the monarchy, the newly elected assembly
declared Nepal a republic and ordered King Gyanendra to vacate the palace.
The royal palace was
turned into a public museum immediately after the country was declared a
republic. The crown jewels , which are displayed in the museum are considered
to be among the most valuable objects in Nepal
Kathmandu’s
Durbar Square is the place where the city’s kings were once crowned and
legitimised, and from where they ruled . ‘Durbar’ in Nepalese language means palace.
As such, the square remains the traditional heart of the old town and
Kathmandu’s most spectacular legacy of traditional architecture.
A good place to start an exploration of the square is with what
may well be the oldest building in the valley, the unprepossessing Kasthamandap.
Kathmandu drew its name from “kashtmandap”.
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| Kashthmandap |
It’s easy to spend hours wandering around the square and watching
the hustle bustle of the place from the terraced platforms of the towering Maju
Deval. Although most of the square dates from the 17th and 18th centuries ,many
of the original buildings are considered much older. A great deal of rebuilding happened after the
great earthquake of 1934 and the entire
square now is designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square again witnessed
large scale devastation in the recent earthquake of 26th April 2015.
The Durbar Square area is actually made up of three loosely linked
squares. To the south is the open Basantapur Square area, a former royal
elephant stables that now houses souvenir stalls and off which runs Freak Street.
The main Durbar Sq area, with its popular temples, is to the west. Running
northeast is a second part of Durbar Square, which contains the entrance to the
Hanuman Dhoka and an assortment of temples. From this open area Makhan Tole, at
one time the main road in Kathmandu and still the most interesting street to
walk down, continues northeast.
Kumari Ghar is one of the major attractions of Durbar square. In
Nepal a Kumari is a pre-pubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste or
Bajracharya clan of the Nepalese Newari community. The Kumari is revered and
worshiped by some of the country's Hindus as well as the Nepali Buddhists, though not the Tibetan Buddhists. While there are several
Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is
the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu who lives in the Kumari
Ghar,
a palace in the center of the city. Taking picture if the godess is strictly
prohibited so I have shared a picture available on internet.
Hanuman Dhoka
is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square.
It is spread over five acres. The Hanuman Dhoka Palace gets its name from the stone image of Lord Hanuman, that sits near the main entryway.
'Dhoka' means door or gate in Nepali.
Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of Lalitpur city. Patan is one of the
oldest known Buddhist cities. It is a center of both Hinduism and Buddhism with 136 bahals or
courtyards and 55 major temples. Most of these structures are in the vicinity
of the Durbar Square and is also Worls Heritage Site. One of its attraction is
The Ancient Royal Palace where the Malla Kings of Lalitpur
resided.
The Durbar Square is a marvel of Newa architecture. The Square floor
is tiled with red bricks. There are many temples and idols in the
area. The Square also holds old Newari
residential houses. There are various other temples and structures in and
around Patan Durbar Square build by the Newa People.
Almost
1/3 of the ancient temples, monasteries, and other ornate buildings were
destroyed in the earthquake of 1934 and the earthquake of 2015 further did a
major damage. Main attraction in the Durbar Square, is the 55-Window Palace, which
served as the seat of royalty prior to 1769. The palace has elaborately carved
windows and doors and houses the National Art Gallery, with Buddhist palm leaf
manuscripts, and stone carvings. Just outside the palace, at the entrance to the Taleju Temple Complex is
the Golden Gate, built in 1756- a splendid example of metalwork. There also
lies the Royal Bath, with its Golden Faucet. Durbar Square is also home to the
Big Bell, built by the last Malla king of Bhaktapur, Ranajit Malla in the 18th
century. It was rung to pay homage to the Goddess Taleju and to alert the
public for town meetings.
Today it is rung twice a day as a tribute to the Goddess Taleju. Next to this bell is the Barking Bell, so named because dogs bark to its ring. Also in the Square lies the Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple, built by Yaksha Malla in the 15th century. It was modelled after the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu and was designed with ornate wooden struts decorated with erotic carvings. Other sites in and around the square include the octagonal Chyasin Mandap, Siddhi Laxmi Temple, Shiva Temple (Fasi-dega), Vatsala Temple, Bhandarkhal Complex, Chatu Brahma Mahavihar, Indrayani Temple, Balakhu Ganesh Temple, Tripura-sundari Temple and the Char Dham symbolizing the four greatest Hindu pilgrimage sites.
The Nyatpol Temple,
dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi, lies in Taumadhi square. Built in 1702 with 5 stories, this is Nepal's
tallest pagoda temple.
