Prayer flags flutter in the wind at Boudhanath Stupa in Boudha, Nepal
As the two most populous and fastest growing countries, China and India warrant a lot of attention from the rest of the world, but that sometimes means there are interesting places being overlooked right next door. Nestled between the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and India to the south sits Nepal, a country that is home to the Himalayas, the birthplace of the Buddha, an evolving community of amateur radio operators and one of Jeff's classmates from Culver Military Academy. Yes, you read that correctly; we just happen to know someone who lives in Kathmandu.
With a flight time of just four hours from Hong Kong, a trip to Kathmandu, Nepal seemed like a good way to spend our extended Chinese New Year weekend. Best known for trekking expeditions and Mount Everest, Nepal has so much more to offer, including ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most of which are in the Kathmandu Valley. Jeff and I had the opportunity to visit a few of these sites but the real highlight of our trip was visiting with some fellow Hams (amateur radio operators) and fellow Culver alum Greg Sharkey.
A Culver reunion takes place far from Indiana
Jeff graduated from Culver with Greg Sharkey, an American Jesuit and Professor at Rangjung Yeshe Institute at Kathmandu University where he teaches courses on Hinduism, Newar Buddhism, Nepalese Culture and Comparative Theology. After more than thirty years in Nepal, Greg has built an active life filled with students, academic pursuits and many Nepali friends. One of Greg's friends, Bhoj, is a driver who graciously agreed to take us around to see some of the sites in the city. Bhoj demonstrated that he is an expert at navigating the chaotic Kathmandu traffic clogging the streets and fouling the air.
The temple at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar
Prayer wheels at Swayambhunath Stupa
Our sightseeing started in the Old City with a visit to Durbar Square. The term "Durbar Square" is used frequently to describe the plaza in front of a royal palace, and typically these sites contain temples, statuary or religious icons, monuments and/or fountains. In Kathmandu, Durbar Square contains over fifty temples and monuments and includes Hanuman Dhoka Durbar (the Hanuman Royal Palace). Just outside the gates of the palace is a statue of Hanuman, the Hindu God who is depicted as a monkey. Construction of the palace, which began in the 16th century,
Swayambhunath Stupa
features intricate woodcarvings, fourteen courtyards and a temple with five round roofs dedicated to the five-faced deity Pancha Mukhi Hanuman. The Basantapur Tower, which was added in the 18th Century, is nine stories high, and we made the climb to take advantage of the sweeping vistas over the Kathmandu Valley.
"Stupa" is a Sanskrit word for a mound-shaped structure containing either Buddhist relics or the ashes of Buddhist monks. Early in the morning we visited the Swayambhunath Stupa or the "monkey temple" as it is commonly known for the creatures that live throughout its grounds. Swayambhunath is a massive site, sitting high atop a hill climbed by pilgrims each day for the privilege of engaging in their daily worship by circumnavigating the stupa, usually clockwise, while spinning the banks of prayer wheels as they walk.
Pashupatinath Temple is open only to Hindu worshipers
Considered to be one of the most sacred of Newar Buddhist sites, Hindus also worship at Swayambhunath, and although there are other stupas, it is one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal, dating to the 5th Century.
Smoke rises from funeral pyres along the Bagmati River
We were also able to visit the Boudhanath Stupa, which dates to the 14th Century and is the most sacred site in Nepal for Tibetan Buddhists. Boudhanath is located in Boudha, a town on the east side of Kathmandu, and unlike Swayambhunath, which sits atop a hill, Boudhanath's massive structure is nestled in an urban square, surrounded by buildings containing restaurants, guest houses and shops selling tourists trinkets. The location does not prevent the faithful from performing the ritual walk around the stupa.
Our last stop was at Pashupatinath Temple complex, a sacred Hindu site on the Bagmati River. The Hindu temple is named for Pashupatinath or Lord of the Animals, a form taken by Shiva, one of the primary forms of God in Hinduism. The complex is made up of more than two hundred temples and shrines that straddle the river.
Sadhus at Pashupatinath Temple Complex
On the banks of the river are cremation ghats or platforms, where funeral pyres billow smoke and ashes are scattered into the sacred Bagmati, which eventually flows into the holy Ganges river. Pashuptinath receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year, but only Hindus are allowed inside the temple itself. We wandered the grounds, taking in the sites and encountering various Sadhu, Indian holy men who have renounced worldly possessions and lead a life in search of enlightenment, although it wasn't easy to tell which of them were real and which were dressed up for the tourists.
Jeff and Satish inspect his antennas
During our time in Kathmandu, we had the privilege of meeting up with Nepal's first native licensed amateur radio operator, Satish (9N1AA) and his daughter Tejaswita (9N1DX), currently Nepal's youngest amateur. Satish hosted us to an exquisite lunch before giving us a tour of his ham shack and introducing us to his family, which comprises 60% of the amateurs licensed to use high-frequency bands in Nepal.
For our last night in Nepal, we accompanied Greg to Lamatar Lodge in the mountains above the town of Lubhu, southeast of Kathmandu. The lodge is owned by Greg's friend Dinesh, who plans to open it to trekkers and tourists. We enjoyed the warm hospitality of Dinesh and his family in a peaceful, wooded location in the mountains, along with delicious meals prepared by Chandra and Raju.
Three days in Nepal was not enough time to enjoy everything it has to offer. Even our new Nepali friends told us that we need to return and "stay longer next time." But our visit gave us the opportunity to reconnect with a friend, make new friends and plan for a longer stay next time.
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall is the main attraction at the Monastery
One of the advantages of living in Hong Kong is the fact that we get two New Year's celebrations: a "western" New Year on January 1, and a Lunar or Chinese New Year that follows (for what we learned about Chinese New Year, see last year's blog post called Kung Hei Fat Choi). A second New Year provides another shot at New Year's resolutions, in case the first round didn't quite go as planned. Following our return from the States last month, we fell into a bit of a post-holiday slump and our blog was one of the casualties. But the approaching Chinese New Year gives us another shot at getting back on track, and the place we ventured to yesterday was a really nice motivation.
The steep path to the Monastery involves over 430 steps lined by 500 life-sized gilded statues
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (10kbuddhas.org - in Chinese only) is in Shatin Pai Tau village, located about eleven miles north of Central Hong Kong in the New Territories. Although the monastery is not residential, it is one of Hong Kong's most famous Buddhist temples. For Jeff and me, getting there involved a one hour MTR (subway) trip with two changes of trains. The most daunting part of the journey was the 431 steps that lead from the base of the hill up to the Monastery. The stairs are lined with over five hundred gilded life-sized Arhan statues, each with different expressions, poses and dress. In Buddhism, an Arhan is one who is considered worthy or who is relatively advanced along the path of enlightenment, but still short of achieving Buddhahood. The long climb is rewarded at the top with a colorful and ornate complex of five temples, four pavilions, a nine story pagoda, a veranda with sweeping views of the mountains and Sha Tin District, a small vegetarian restaurant and more Arhan statues.
The pavilion in the center of the lower section of the Monastery features a statue of the Goddess of Mercy
The pagoda was featured on the HK$100 note
The Monastery was founded in 1949 by Reverend Yuet Kai, a philosophy student born into a wealthy family in southern China who dedicated his life to Buddhism. During the eight years of construction, Reverend Kai and his followers carried all of the building materials for the Monastery up the steep mountain. Following his death in 1965, Reverend Kai was buried for eight months, then disinterred by his followers. His remains were considered so intact that they were embalmed with lacquer and gold leaf, adorned in robes, and seated before the altar, where they remain today in a glass case with a sign that reads, "The Diamond Indestructible Body of Yuet Kai."
The Monastery is situated on nearly twenty acres of bamboo forest, but most of the buildings are located in a relatively compact area that is easy to stroll around. In 1997, heavy rain and landslides damaged some of the buildings, forcing the Monastery to close for 2-/12 years.
Offerings are left on the altar under the portico of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall
The portico of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall has an altar where offerings are placed
Four of the five temples are located in an upper section (a further 69 steps) where reconstruction is still ongoing. On the
lower or main level of the complex is a large terrace with the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall (the main temple) at one end, the nine story pagoda at the opposite end and a pavilion sheltering a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy in between. A rogue's gallery of more gilded Arhan statues surrounds the outside of the terrace.
Despite the fascinating structures, the elaborate decoration of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall makes it the main attraction. In front of the Hall, an elaborate burner filled with incense and joss sticks gives off puffs of smoke. The Hall has an elaborate frieze and beneath it a portico containing an altar, at which many offerings of fruit and flowers had been left. Inside, in addition to the lacquer-embalmed body of the Yuet Kai, the Hall features over 12,800 Buddha statues lining the walls, each about 12 inches high with a unique pose and facial expression. The discrepancy between the Monastery's name and the actual number of Buddha statues is explained by Cantonese tradition: the term "ten thousand" is merely figurative, representing a very large number (much like the term "tens of thousands.") Regardless of the precise numbers, the sight of so many Buddha statues is overwhelming to say the least.
The walls of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall are lined with nearly 13,000 unique Buddha statues
It may have taken more than 10,000 Buddhas to get us out of our post-holiday slump, but as we begin our second year in Hong Kong, we realize that yesterday's excursion was a good example of how much remains for us to explore here.
An incense burner sits in front of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall
