Food For the Gods
June 15th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Showing respect for the Gods is an essential part of daily life in Kathmandu. Every morning women walk through the streets carrying a plate, usually copper, filled with an assortment of goodies. They are not delivering breakfast. The food, flowers, water and money will be offered to temple idols as part of the morning puja (prayers).
Every morning and evening, thousands of Hindus take time out to offer puja at temples and shrines across the city. Each offering is sprinkled onto the image of the of the deity in a set order and a bell is rung to let the gods know. The ceremony also involves prayers, meditation and ritual washing.
At the end of the ceremony, devotees receive a tilak mark on the forehead and a gift of portion of the blessed food to each member of the household.
Food For the Gods
June 15th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Showing respect for the Gods is an essential part of daily life in Kathmandu. Every morning women walk through the streets carrying a plate, usually copper, filled with an assortment of goodies. They are not delivering breakfast. The food, flowers, water and money will be offered to temple idols as part of the morning puja (prayers).
Every morning and evening, thousands of Hindus take time out to offer puja at temples and shrines across the city. Each offering is sprinkled onto the image of the of the deity in a set order and a bell is rung to let the gods know. The ceremony alos involves prayers, meditation and ritual washing.
At the end of the ceremony, devotees receive a tilak mark on the forehead and a gift of portion of the blessed food to each member of the household.
Spiritual of Kathmandu
June 11th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
There is something impressive about a large of people who all believe the same thing. There are places in Kathmandu that have a spiritual energy you can almost sense in the air, like the buzzing of overhead power lines. The spirituality of Kathmandu seems to resonate with most travellers - not many leave without giving at least a moment’s thought to their position in the universe.
Perhaps it has somethng to do with the location,, surrounded by the highest peaks in the world. Or maybe it is the clear mountain air, or the hundreds of Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas littered across the Kathmandu valley, away from the material concerns of gas bills and the daily commute. Whether the spiritual feel-good factor survices the transition back to normal life is another matter, but quite a few travellers arrive agnostic and go home wearing the red robes of Buddhist monks.
The Kathmandu Valley is famous for its multi-tiered pagoda temples. Statues of Hindu deities are housed in small sanctums at the base of the towers and worshippers pray, individually or in family groups, standing outside the door. Shikhara temples, also common in the city, have a tapering, pyramidal tower representing Mount Meru, the celestial abode of the gods. Buddhist stupas also have a strictly defined structure symbolising core elements of Buddhist philosophy. Each level of the stupas represents cone of the five elements - the base is earth, the dome water, the spire fire, the umbrella air and the pinnacle ether. Many of the temples dotted around the valley are world famous, including the Buddhist stupa of Swayambhunath, the fabulous Bodhnath stupa and the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath.
It is uniquely involving to witness worship at Kathmandu’s temples and shrines. Religion infuses all aspects of life for Nepalis and few locals would bat an eyelid at the idea of reincarnation, miracles or gods living right here on earth. Understanding a bit about Hindu and Buddhist religions will help you understand why many Nepalis wear red rice on their foreheads and why dozens of goat walk into the temples of Kali and Durga but very few walk out. Leather is banned from most Hindu temples our of respect for Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva, and Buddhists only ever walk cloclwise around stupas. Spirituality is really let off the leash during Kathmandu’s festivals, when people haul huge chariots through the streets and hold boisterous masked parades to drive away demons and celebrate the passing seasons.
Considering the importance of spirituality to the locals, it is surprising that their scared centres are open to all: visitors are welcome at most of the temples and Buddhist stupas and monasteries in the Kathmandu Valley, with the notables exception of Pashupatinath.
Spiritual of Kathmandu
June 11th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
There is something impressive about a large of people who all believe the same thing. There are places in Kathmandu that have a spiritual energy you can almost sense in the air, like the buzzing of overhead power lines. The spirituality of Kathmandu seems to resonate with most travellers - not many leave without giving at least a moment’s thought to their position in the universe.
Perhaps it has somethng to do with the location,, surrounded by the highest peaks in the world. Or maybe it is the clear mountain air, or the hundreds of Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas littered across the Kathmandu valley, away from the material concerns of gas bills and the daily commute. Whether the spiritual feel-good factor survices the transition back to normal life is another matter, but quite a few travellers arrive agnostic and go home wearing the red robes of Buddhist monks.
The Kathmandu Valley is famous for its multi-tiered pagoda temples. Statues of Hindu deities are housed in small sanctums at the base of the towers and worshippers pray, individually or in family groups, standing outside the door. Shikhara temples, also common in the city, have a tapering, pyramidal tower representing Mount Meru, the celestial abode of the gods. Buddhist stupas also have a strictly defined structure symbolising core elements of Buddhist philosophy. Each level of the stupas represents cone of the five elements - the base is earth, the dome water, the spire fire, the umbrella air and the pinnacle ether. Many of the temples dotted around the valley are world famous, including the Buddhist stupa of Swayambhunath, the fabulous Bodhnath stupa and the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath.
It is uniquely involving to witness worship at Kathmandu’s temples and shrines. Religion infuses all aspects of life for Nepalis and few locals would bat an eyelid at the idea of reincarnation, miracles or gods living right here on earth. Understanding a bit about Hindu and Buddhist religions will help you understand why many Nepalis wear red rice on their foreheads and why dozens of goat walk into the temples of Kali and Durga but very few walk out. Leather is banned from most Hindu temples our of respect for Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva, and Buddhists only ever walk cloclwise around stupas. Spirituality is really let off the leash during Kathmandu’s festivals, when people haul huge chariots through the streets and hold boisterous masked parades to drive away demons and celebrate the passing seasons.
Considering the importance of spirituality to the locals, it is surprising that their scared centres are open to all: visitors are welcome at most of the temples and Buddhist stupas and monasteries in the Kathmandu Valley, with the notables exception of Pashupatinath.
The Spirit of Kathmandu
June 2nd, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Kathmandu is trying hard to make up for lost time, but many of its day-to-day essentials still arrive via the croweed mountain road from the Indian border. And while broadband internet and ATM banking have reached the city, there is no reliable mobile phone signal and the network is often turned off completely during times of political crisis, which maintains the sense of isolation. On the other hand, few morden cities can match Kathmandu into its spirituality, energy and culture.
Showing respect for the Gods is an essential part of daily life in Kathmandu. Every morning and evening, thousands of Hindus take time out to offer puja at temples and shrines across the city. Each offering is sprinkled onto the image of the deity in a set order and a bell is rung to let gods know. The ceremony also involves prayers, medidation and ritual washing.
At the end of the ceremony, devotees receive a tilak mark on the forehead and a gift or prasad (blessed food) from the temple priests. Women return home to give a small portion of the blessed food to each member of the household.
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Anatomy of Kathmandu
May 31st, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Kathmandu sprawls across the bottom of a bowl-shaped mountain valley, shaded by the towering peaks of the ganesh Himalaya. The official centre of town is the Royal Palace, but most of the famous temples and monuments are clustered around Durbar Marg at the south end of town. Between the two are the winding, brick-lined bazaars of Asan Tole and Chhetrapati and Thamel, the main traveller hang-out. No part of Kathmandu is completely ‘new’, but the shopping centres and airline offices are concentrated around New Road and Durbar Marg. Most people get around by taxi or rickshaw or just walk - the backstreets are full of hidden temples and atmospheric courtsyards.
Kathmandu shares the valley with the equally historic cities of Patan and Bhaktapur but it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. Patan is just south of Kathmandu on the south bank of the Bagmati River, while Bhaktapur is east on the far side of the airport
More information on Tibet here
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Kathmandu City - Vital Stats and People
May 29th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Kathmandu is a city in Nepal and it is known as City of Temples. Kathmandu is founded in AD723. The peak in Kathmandu city is 1355 m and the size of the city is 600 sq km (Kathmandu Valley). It has a population of 1.1 million.
The population of Kathmandu is fairly modest, but everyone is squeezed into a tiny area by the steep walls of the Kathmandu Valley. As a result, Kathmandu has grown upwards rather than outwards. High-rises are fast appearing all over the valley and 2739 people are squeezed into every square kilometer, compared to just four people per square kilometer in the high plains of the Himalaya. Things aren’t likely to change for the better - the average Kathmandu family has four children and the population is set to double over the next 20 years.
Despite creeping modernization, Kathmandu residents are deeply traditional and people are still defined by their marital status - married women wear a red tilak mark on their foreheads and widows are forbidden from wearing red, the most popular color in the valley. Religion plays a huge part in the day-to-day life of most residents - 85% are Hindu, 10% are Buddhist and 3% are Muslim
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Nepal Holiday
February 20th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Hi all, welcome to the site that is all about Holiday - and not only for Nepal. But I will certainly start off this site with all the useful information about holiday in Nepal, low Nepal airfares and of course, the mountain climbing information in Nepal. Check here for further details.
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