We rose early, breakfasted and met our guide for the short ride to Pashupatinath, one of the holiest Hindu temples in Nepal. The sun had not been up long enough to burn through the early morning haze. As we neared the temple complex, we smelled the pungent aroma of smoke. Pashupatinath is also a funerary site and crematorium and we realized the morning haze was more smoke than mist.
Pashupatinath is located on the west side of the Bagmati River. As non-Hindus, we were not permitted to enter the temple complex, so we positioned ourselves in a park across the river for a panoramic view of the temple and to respectfully observe the funerary rites. We were greeted by two holy men as we entered the park. The shorter man, forehead painted yellow with a red strip from hairline to bridge of his nose, blessed us and dabbed dots of colored powder on our faces. Today was Holi, the Festival of Colors. For a monetary offering, the holy men allowed themselves to be photographed.
Across the river at its edge, in front of the temple, were at least twenty funeral pyres. Each pyre consisted of a raised concrete base covered with a tall metal canopy.
Many of the pyres had stacked wood ready to be lit while others were already burning, spewing smoke and ash into the atmosphere.
The funeral industry is big business most everywhere in the world and Nepal is no exception. Our guide explained that Hindus bring the bodies of their deceased loved ones to the temple site to cleanse, cremate and commerate them. Services like having the wood and kindling stacked and ready to be lit can be arranged and purchased in advance of the family’s arrival with the body.
The Hindu cremation process begins with family members transporting the body, often wrapped in a white shroud, to the edge of the river. Here the body is dipped in the river three times as a cleansing ritual. The body is then lifted onto the woodpile on the pyre and strewn with garlands of flowers. The pyre is lit usually by the eldest son and the family stays with the body for several hours until cremation is complete.
Burning ashes of the deceased are placed in small wooden saucers and released into the Bagmati River, carried downstream by its gentle current. Hindus believe that in this way one’s soul will be transported to heaven and escape the cycle of reincarnation.
Male family members mainly participate in the cremation process. Female family members gather on raised concrete platforms to offer prayers and mourn the deceased. They may wash in the river or sprinkle water on themselves as a symbol of purification.
We also observed people sitting with a holy man or priest on these circular concrete platforms chanting and making offerings. Despite the stark presence of death, the ambience of Pashupatinath was more that of a respectful celebration of life than one of sorrow. Not sure if this is because there is a more mature acceptance of death in Nepal or due to religious beliefs but overall people calmly went about the business of cleansing, cremating and celebrating the deceased.
The Pashupatinath Temple is really a sprawling complex of temples, ashrams and images along the banks of the Bagmati River. Besides the main pagoda house, there are over 500 mini-temples. The complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
The main temple, with its golden, multi-tiered pagoda style roof, is the oldest temple in the Kathmandu Valley believed to have been constructed in the late 17th century. Dedicated to Pashupati, a form of the Hindu god, Shiva, additional buildings and shrines were constructed over the centuries.
With crowds of people milling around, the remnants of fruit, rice and other foodstuff used as offerings, vendors hawking last minute food essentials and the occassional cow grazing through the detritus, the area was a magnet for wild scavengers.
As if on cue, a swarm of monkeys suddenly materialized, clambering over railings and walls, foraging for edible scraps. A mature female with baby on her back, ran towards us along a sill, banana peel dangling from her mouth, closely followed by a column of females and adolescents.
Suddenly a large male jumped on the wall in front of her, blocking her way and commandeering her banana peel. Once he’d sated his hunger, he bent the female over and with baby still clinging to her back, mated with her. All was over in two minutes; wham, bam, thank you ma’am – he took off in on direction and she in another.
Within minutes, the troop completed their foraging and en masse, ascended the stepped foundation of a monument in the park. Then just as quickly as they’d appeared, they disappeared over the top leaving us wondering if all was a mirage.
It was now time to head to the airport for our flight to Bhutan. Passing a neatly arranged fruit cart on our way back to the van, I wondered, had the vendor had to fight off the monkey assault? I envisioned the chaos a troop of monkeys could inflict!
Locals threw whisps of multi-hued powder in the air, lightly dusting us as we passed; we departed Kathmandu with their well wishes, tinged in color. Happy Holi!
Airborne at 30,000 ft, we had a final face to peak view of Everest, watching the wind blast snow from her stark triangular peak, creating an intense whiteout in its wake. The Top of the World, so beautiful, yet so powerful – we will be back to Nepal!
