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! |
Flying into Nepal, we had some views of the Himalayan Mountains. I don't think any of those are Mt. Everest, but they still looked pretty impressive. It was a "pinch myself" moment--I mean, those are the HIMALAYAS!
Kathmandu is situated in a valley and is one of the oldest continually inhabited places in the world. Temperatures in the winter are much milder than I would have guessed, with lows seldom dropping below freezing and highs as warm as 70°. We had great weather for our visit.
I was shocked by how big Kathmandu is. In my mind, it was a smallish, somewhat backward city nestled at the foot of the Himalayas, but that's definitely not the case. It is the capital and largest city in Nepal with a population of almost a million people and several more million in the surrounding metropolitan area. Surrounded by mountains, it is situated at an elevation of 4,344 feet above sea level.
Kathmandu is the staging area for Everest climbers when approaching from the Nepalese side (as opposed to the Tibetan side). Apparently the majority of climbers start from the Nepalese side because of Nepal's more established infrastructure. Everest Base Camp is about 100-125 miles from Kathmandu and involves a short flight to Lukla followed by a 40-mile trek.
 |
| Diagram in Kathmandu Airport |
Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport services quite a high number of international passengers, about nine million per year (compared to 21 million international passengers per year at the much MUCH larger Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi).
Nepal is proud to be the birthplace of the Buddha. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in 623 BC in Lumbini, Nepal, which is in eastern Nepal near the Indian border. I've never heard of Lumbini, have you?
After clearing customs, we were picked up by a driver and guide and taken to Pashupatinath Temple, one of the holiest of Hindu temples and a deeply religious pilgrimage site where important Hindus from all over Nepal are publicly cremated. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main pagoda-like temple, seen in the background of my photo below, was built in 1696.
Pashupatinath is a lot more than that one temple, however. It includes over 500 temples and a number of sacred cremation ghats on the Begmati River. Our guide led us to the non-cremation side where we had an excellent view of the ongoing cremations. (Only Hindus are permitted on the other side.)
The air reeked of smoke laced with incense and other perfumes that almost covered the odor of burning flesh. The river was full of cremation-related debris such as flowers and wood.
One of the largest cremation platforms had been decorated with long strands of marigolds for an in-progress cremation.
A smaller, plainer platform partway down the ghat stairs was also in use. In the photo on the right you can see the person who stokes and pokes the fire to keep it burning.
In another place, we could see a group beginning to gather at the top of the ghat steps.
Yikes! That white blob is a body covered with a white cloth. The head is swathed with a black scarf. Are those people the family of the deceased? Note what appears to be a ladder leaning against the wall on the left. That is a homemade stretcher on which the body will rest while it is consumed by fire.
On our side of the river, a line of eleven small votive shrines--sacred, consecrated structures--known as Pandra Shivalaya were behind and above us. They house abstract representations of the god Shiva, the Hindu Supreme Being. These shrines were erected between 1859 and 1869 in memory of deceased individuals.
The macaque monkeys that live in the area seem to enjoy the show too and don't mind the visitors as long as the visitors aren't annoying.
Behind the shrines is a row of prehistoric-looking pine trees. Google Image says they are bunya pines, part of a family that dates back to the Jurassic period, but I'm not sure that's what they are.
There are also many shrines of all sizes on the cremation side of the river.
It was time to move on to fresher air.
You never know what you'll see when you look over the side of the walkway. Expect the unexpected in Nepal! By the way, our guide pronounced the name of this city kaht-MAHN-doo rather than kat-man-DOO like we pronounce it.
About 30 bodies are cremated every day at the Pashupatinath Ghats. That's over 10,000 cremations per year. Imagine the ash and debris that adds to the water. This pile of junk had been pulled from the ghat area of the river in an effort to keep it as clean as possible.
Holy men sit on the paved banks of the approach to the river's cremation area. Some called out to us, offering a blessing. Others were quietly studying, and at least one was sharing a multi-dish meal with a woman I assume was his wife.
Real life goes on, and death is a matter-of-fact part of life here on the Begmati River of Kathmandu.
No comments:
Post a Comment