INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: KATHMANDU DURBAR SQUARE

 November 24, 2025

The word Durbar comes from the Persian word for "court," and a "Durbar  Square" is an area in Nepal that includes a royal palace and the public areas around it. There are three main Durbar Squares in Nepal: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Each served as the royal seat of its own kingdom until Nepal was unified in the 18th century. 

We began at Kathmandu Durbar Square, the most important of the three Durbar Squares. Construction began in the 3rd century, but most of the major structures were built in later periods. There are dozens of temples in the complex, so it is a bit overwhelming.

My first impression was that wow, there are a LOT of pigeons. How do they keep the square clean?

The dogs don't appear to be chasing the birds away.

INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: KATHMANDU'S MONKEY TEMPLE

 November 24, 2025

Our first stop of the day was the Swayambhunath complex in Kathmandu, widely known as "the Monkey Temple," probably because no one can pronounce "Swayambhunath," and also because hundreds of rhesus macaque monkeys live in and around the complex and roam freely about the site. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, this complex of shrines, stupas, and statues has been sitting atop a hill and overlooking the valley for about 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest and most sacred Buddhist sites in Nepal, and one of the three most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. 

The complex is also know for its unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist culture. 

To get to the main stupa, we first walked through this garden of votive stupas, small shrines donated by pilgrims over the centuries to secure good karma or possibly to hold the ashes of the dead. It does look a lot like a cemetery.

Just past that garden/cemetery of votive stupas, we saw our first monkey, and then several more. Then dozens. They were everywhere--sacred site or not!

INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: THE BOUDHANATH STUPA IN KATHMANDU AND A BEAUTIFUL HOTEL

 November 23, 2025

We left the Pashupatinath Ghats to visit one more destination before heading to our hotel. As usual, we saw some interesting city views along the way. 

The complex snarl of wiring overhead is terrifying.

I am guessing there is some copyright infringement going on with that Google bus on the left, but is someone going to go to Kathmandu and track down the bus company? Probably not. The sign over the door on the right identifies this beautiful building as the Orgyen Dhongak Choeling MONASTERY.  That's not like any monastery I've ever seen.

However, when I zoom in, that looks like two monks standing in front of the door. Note the name of the shop on the left. 

INDIA 2026 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: THE PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE IN KATHMANDU

 November 23, 2025

Nepal is one of the countries that, like China and Russia and Botswana, I never thought in a million years I would visit. A landlocked country sandwiched between India and Tibet and home to the Himalayan mountain range and the King of All Mountains, Mt. Everest, it has always seemed about as foreign and unattainable as any place on earth.  

No longer!

We made our way from Amritsar to Kathmandu, Nepal, via Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport, where we had a brief layover. There is always something new to discover at foreign airports:

This was actually pretty good!

INDIA 2025: AMRITSAR'S GOLDEN TEMPLE

November 22, 2025

On our first trip to India we visited the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple in Delhi, which was fabulous, but supposedly it couldn't hold a candle to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. We were intrigued enough to add a detour to Amritsar on this trip specifically to visit the temple.  

Once we were in the historic part of the city, it was easy to spot the temple at the end of Heritage Street, and there was plenty of signage pointing the way for those who are very nearsighted.

It took a bit of walking to get to the Golden Temple, but it was nice of the Sikhs to give us a red carpet to walk on, especially since we had to remove our shoes. We were headed toward a golden dome that could almost be a Gothic Catholic cathedral but is actually the entrance to the Golden Temple complex.

On the other side of the doors is a huge, spotlessly clean plaza paved with marble. It was like walking into the Emerald City, except maybe it would be the Amber City.