The circle has closed, I am back in Kathmandu. So bad air again, hellish traffic, lungs like a chain smoker.
And yet it feels like coming home.
A few hours earlier
With Chitwan I leave peace behind me. Silence. Nature. The place where I felt comfortable. Despite some negative insights that did not lead to inner peace. But it has to be. So it's Kathmandu, the last days.
So I'm saying goodbye again. I get on the thousandth bus, looking at the world passing by for the millionth time, surprised, excited, curious. But also a bit tired.
The journey is long, we drive back the same way, again through the mountains, along the river, reach Kathmandu in the afternoon, the noise level rises, to the same extent as the air quality decreases. Then I am in the hotel, a new one, unpack for the thousandth time, stretch out on the bed, staring at the stained ceiling for a long time.
The way to Bodnath
But despite the inner turmoil, there are a few attractions left over that I do not want to miss.
There is Then Bodnath, at lasta suburb of Kathmandu, but above all known and famous for one of the holiest sites of Tibetan Buddhism.
And of course And Pashupatinath for the Hindusjust as sacred, but for the Hindus.
The friendly guy at the hotel reception asks me about my plans for today. When I tell him about Bodnath and Pashupatinath, he nods in agreement, but the intention to get there on foot triggers a pitiful shaking of his head.
An hour later it is clear what he meant.
I've once again taken on something that I'll regret sooner or later.
It starts harmlessly. As soon as you leave Thamel, a different Kathmandu shows up, urban, almost organized, with wide streets and pavements. I breath in and imagine the next kilometres in a similar way.
That applies during an hour. Of course the traffic is dense and loud and unpleasant, but compared to the Thamel hell it is almost a paradise. But this changes abruptly as soon as I reach the outer areas. The streets are more like alleys now, narrow, holey, dusty, one car behind the other. The prospect of quieter suburbs with little traffic and green areas turns out to be a chimera.
Ahead of me a group of schoolgirls in their dark-blue uniforms are following the road and I imagine that they have to go this way every damn day through bad air and the permanent danger of being run over. The statistics show that many inhabitants die of lung cancer. I am not surprised.
I imagine what it must feel like for the bronchi and lungs. But no – I'd rather not imagine it.
Then Bodnath, at last
But it doesn't get any better, it gets worse, much worse. The roads leading into the city are getting wider, but the flow of traffic is getting denser as well. There is no more asphalt, only dust and dirt. And puddles full of water, which you need to bypass, while motorcycles and cars and buses racing around it.
The stupa
But then the huge stupa finally appears, towering between the house roofs. With a height of 36 meters, it is one of the largest of its kind.
Bodnath is known for the great Stupa, which has been one of the most important destinations for Buddhist pilgrims from Nepal and the surrounding regions of the Himalayas for centuries. Since 1959, numerous Tibetan refugees have settled in the immediate vicinity of the stupa. The Cini Lama, the third highest dignitary of the Tibetans after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, resides in Bodnath.
According to tradition, the origin of the stupa, which is approx. 36 m high and one of the largest of its kind, goes back to the Licchavi kings of the 5th century. In the Middle Ages it was of almost no importance, since Buddhism had disappeared from the everyday life of the Indians and Nepalese. Only with the immigration of numerous Tibetans to the Kathmandu valley did it regain much of its original importance.
The stupa was damaged during the earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015. In order to carry out the repair, the entire tip was removed and rebuilt. The consecration of the restored stupa took place in November 2016. It reminds me of Burma: despite appalling poverty, religious places of worship receive every financial support possible, while the people have to wait.
You have to take in the building and its sacred surroundings. I slowly move clockwise through the pilgrims and tourists, breathing in the holy air, which doesn't seem much better than the one outside.
There is a lot to see and marvel at. Although the sanctity of the place is palpable, it seems to be a kind of Buddhist-style Disneyland. It reminds me once again of Burma or Laos, where the holiest places are oddly mundane.
Where the Buddha still wears the price tag around his neck. Where there is a parking lot for cars beneath the shrine. Where next to the Buddha there stands a Mickey Mouse character.
Buddhists gather at dawn and dusk to circumnavigate the building clockwise. On full moon nights thousands of butter lamps are lit on the terraces surrounding the stupa in the layout of a mandala.
More between heaven and earth...
Of course, the stupa is lined with numerous temples, each more beautiful and impressive than the next. I choose the most beautiful one and once again a strange feeling fulfills me, as if I am reminded that there is more between heaven and earth than meets the eye.
And Pashupatinath for the Hindus
But I have to say goodbye, another sanctuary is waiting for my visit.
There is a direct path from Bodnath to the temple district of Pashupatinath, located on the banks of the Bagmati River east of Kathmandu.
I approach it across a hill located above the temple district, offering a wonderful view on the surrounding city. I'm pretty much the only one, except for a colorful crowd of women and numerous rhesus monkeys.
From above, the Bagmati River doesn't seem to be as filthy as expected, but the closer one gets, the more appalling it gets. The river is a single stinking sewer; to the right of the Pandra Shivalaya Complex - 15 shrines are built in honor of deceased persons.
I used to sit here a thousand years ago, and even then the river was a stinking cesspool. Despite this and despite the many tourists, the holy place exudes its own dignity.
The Shiva Temple
Here Shiva is referred to as Pashupati ("God of Life" - pashu = "life"). The actual temple is only accessible to Hindus, but the outer temple area can be entered by anyone. The temple forms a pagoda with two tiers of roofs covered with gilded copper. The four entrance doors are covered with silver plates. In the Cell ((garbhagriha) inside the temple there is a 1,80 m high four-faced Shiva lingam with a diameter of about 1,10 m. He may only be touched by four priests (bhattas) which must always come from southern India. , There are also numerous priests of lower rank entrusted with auxiliary tasks (bhandaris). (Wikipedia)
The rush of countless tourists and believers occasionally turns the sacred site into a fairground. Nevertheless, it is surprisingly quiet, as if one realizes that this place is something truly exceptional.
The cremation sites – the Arya Ghats
The Bagmati river divides the complex into two large areas. On the right bank of the Bagmati lie the Pashupatinath Temple and the incineration sites, the Arya Ghats (cremation sites of the higher castes) and the Surya Ghats (cremation sites for the lower casts). For many believers, this place has special significance as a place for the "last rites": it is considered desirable to have one's corpse cremated here.
The corpse, usually wrapped in yellow cloth, is carried to the cremation sites, where a pyre is built. Before the cremation, the corpse is sprinkled with the water of the holy river or its feet are washed in the water. The corpse is then covered with damp straw from above. If the family can afford it, the precious, fragrant sandalwood is used for the cremation in addition to normal wood (Wikipedia).
P.S. Matching Song: Gillian Welch - I'm not afraid to die
And here the journey continues ...