Nepal trip 15, 21-26 Aug 2012 (Part 1)

Finally my wish came true... I was wondering what Nepal looked like.. now I know how it looks like. From this trip, I also learn about their cultures, religions, people, food, etc. Not very details, but it's good experience.

15 Aug 2012 - Day 1

Bungamati, a small and cultural village, lived by ancient Newari villagers, which is located about 10km from Kathmandu. You can find master wood carvers and sculpture producers there.

Villager's house - with chillies were hung to dry

Rato Machhendranath Temple at Bungamati

We managed to meet the living Goddess of Bungamati, the Kumari, which also means young, unmarried girl. She is worshiped by Hindus and Nepali Buddhist in Nepal. She is believed to be the incarnation of the Goddess Taleju, until she menstruates. A serious loss of blood from an injury may cause her to revert to common status and return to family.     

Kumari of Bungamati village

From Bungamati, we walked down to Khokana, seeing how the local people lives their lives in the villages.

In the evening, we went to Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, also known as Golden Temple. It was raining, so we were a bit hurry when visiting the temple.

Inside the Golden Temple - Vajra (thunderbolt and diamond)

After that we went to Patan city.

Glance view of Patan city

21 Aug 2012 - Day 2

After long transit in Calcutta from Paro, we finally reached Kathmandu at 3pm. Deepak (our tour guide in Kathmandu) fetched us in the airport and we continued visiting few places in Kathmandu. First stop, Swayambhunath, also known as Monkey Temple. It is one of the oldest religious site in Nepal.
 

Swayambhunath Stupa

It was raining when we were there. My raincoat jacket and umbrella were inside my luggage. So I just walked faster to the top, hid myself from rain, took some photo, then went into the painting shop where the other group participants were there buying some. I also bought two.. one for me, another one for my parents, as souvenir to put back home. It is painting of Himalaya mountain ranges with some yaks on the bridge. Simply love it.

Prayer wheels

After that, we went to Kathmandu Durbar Square, which is UNESCO World Heritage site. It holds the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. The square is presently known as Hanuman Dhoka, a name derived from the statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, near the entrance of the palace.

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Statue of Hanuman Dhoka

Below is the photo where the Kathmandu Royal Kumari lives. Too bad she was not around when we were there.

Kumari Ghar

Below is the image of Kala Bhairava (God of Destruction), one of the most important Hindu deities in Nepal. It was believed that people die if they speak false in front of this sculpture.

Image of Kala Bhairava (God of Destruction) 

Well, that was our first two days visiting Nepal's itinerary... Our journey will continue on.. Hope you enjoy!!!