Wednesday, October 16, 2024 (continued)
This time the trip on the bus was about 30 minutes as we traveled to the west side of Kathmandu to visit Swayambhunath, a religious complex on top of a hill.
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| Thousands of flags |
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Also known as the Monkey Temple,
we were told to be wary of the
Macaca mulatta/Rhesus Macaques |
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| The monkeys know who has food |
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| Ha, little boys and their sticks! |
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World Peace Pond with a gilded
figure of Shakyamuni Buddha,
the Present Buddha
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Pilgrims tried to toss a coin into the
pot below the statue, to have their
wishes come true; ours will not |
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| These monkeys must be thirsty |
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| A monkey drinking from the spout (KSS) |
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Waterfall under statue of Manjushri, the
Bodhisattva of Wisdom; a boddhisattva is
someone on the path to enlightenment (KSS) |
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| More monkeys at a Peace monument |
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| Awww! |
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| Ancient bell |
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The sign "Please don't climb on
the Buddha" does not pertain
to monkeys |
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Shantipur Temple door, Shantipur is
dedicated to the sky, one of five elements
that are represented at Swayambhunath |
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| The large lock on the temple door |
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| Sleeping dogs |
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| Repainting Agnipura, the personification of fire |
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Hanuman, the monkey god,
covered with tika/mixture of
rice, honey, and vermilion |
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The woman had just put down an
offering at the 7C statue of Dipankara,
Buddha of Light, who appeared to
Siddhartha Gautama on his journey
to enlightenment |
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The monkey waiting on Dipankara's hand
jumped down to see what there was to eat |
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The monkey took what he found to eat
while sitting on Dipankara's head |
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Chaityas/small stupa-like monuments
that are constructed by families
in memory of a deceased person |
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Swayambhunath Stupa is said to have
arisen spontaneously on a hill that rose out
of a lake (there is no lake now) |
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| Masks and souvenirs |
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The golden Hariti/Ajima Temple is dedicated
to the goddess of fertility and smallpox |
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Behind the Hariti Temple are two columns topped by
statues of White Tara and Green Tara, thus having
Hindu goddesses in this Buddhist site; however, they are
said to represent the Nepali and Chinese wives
of King Songtsen Gampo, who converted to Buddhism |
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| Museum of Buddhist Statuary |
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A reclining Buddha represents him in his last days
of illness before death |
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| A view to the east from the hilltop |
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Bahu Mangal Dwar Chaitya (rebuilt
after the 2015 earthquake) has 124 niches
that hold auspicious symbols |
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| Vayupura Shrine is dedicated to the wind |
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Doors to the Basundhara Shrine,
dedicated to the goddess of Earth |
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Nine bronze shrines are spaced around
the dome of the stupa; they house
statues of the five Dhyani Buddhas
who represent the five qualities of
Buddhist wisdom, and the four Taras
who may represent the qualities of a
"female Buddha" (compassion) |
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Dorje/Great Thunderbolt is a Tibetan Buddhist symbol
of enlightenment or indestructibility |
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Nagpur is a water tank dedicated to Naga,
the snake god, and to water |
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Pratapur, a shikhara-style temple,
is dedicated to King Pratap Malla |
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Anantapur is dedicated to Ananta,
the wife of King Pratap Malla |
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| Prayer wheels |
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| These women were "attacked" by the monkeys |
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Umm, Ken and Maureen need
to watch out! |
This evening we were to have a talk with a Nepali woman, an attorney, to discuss the status of women in this country. We were interrupted by loud music from the restaurant through the open archway. So we went to dinner.
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| Bhatmas/soy beans |
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| Momos/dumplings with hot sauce |
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| Chicken wing |
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| And then came dinner! |
