Temples of Kathmandu

Staying in Kathmandu has its positives which are easily visible mostly everywhere within this city. At first, I literally hated this city. Everybody is using the mask because there is so much dust that you have everything in your mouth when you are walking on the street. There is no street in Kathmandu that is clean, everywhere there is something being built or destroyed. There are plenty of electric cables hanging just above your head when you are walking. You think I’m exaggerating? Maybe, but that’s my opinion and feeling of this city. However, Kathmandu has so many wonderful and hidden temples that you can admire this city just because of this thing.

Let’s start from the first one which is Durbar Square and which is a hindu temple. It’s not that far from Thamel ( centre for tourists in Kathmandu). The ‚bad’ thing in Nepal is that you have to pay mostly for all the entrances to the temples. For the entrance to Durbar Square you have to pay 750 rupees ( 8$). Sometimes you can avoid it if for example you are a volunteer in Nepal ( then you just show your volunteer card).

In Kathmandu the hindu temples mix together with buddhist temples. Usually (always) buddhist temples are much more peaceful, clean and ,for me, more beautiful. From what I saw here, people in hindu temples gather usually to talk, have a chat with their friends. There is much more rush and noise while in buddhist temples people don’t speak too much, they just meditate and pray. One of the buddhist temples in Kathmandu is Swawambhu ( Monkey Temple) which, for me, is the most amazing one in Kathmandu.

Next very important hindu temple of Shiva is Pashupatinath. It is mostly famous for burning the bodies there. While I visited this temple there was one funeral with the body burning. All the ‚celebration’ lasts for about one hour and half. Firstly, the family cleans the body with the water from the river, then they burn it and they pray.