Saturday June 26, 2004
There’s more to Kathmandu
Story & pictures by LIZ PRICE
Most tourists fly into the Kathmandu Valley, see the three cities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhakatapur, do some shopping, and then head off for Pokhara which has stunning views of Annapurna. Having already “been there, done that”, I decided it was time to see some of the natural sites that the Kathmandu Valley has to offer.
There’s a gorge with legends attached, caves, lakes with serpents, rivers and mountains. There are many beautiful walks in the Kathmandu Valley that combine cultural experience with natural heritage. The valley lies in an area known as Pahar, a broad complex of heavily eroded hills and valleys between the Himalayas and the Mahabharat Lekh. This is the traditional heartland of the Nepalese people.
Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, lies at an altitude of 1,331m and, despite the snowy summits towering on the northern horizon, it has a mild climate. Everest, in comparison, is 8,848m high. Kathmandu’s first religious rites were associated with natural landmarks such as rivers and mountains, rocks and forests. So my first visit was to the Chobar Gorge.
The legend of Chobar Gorge says that the waters of the Lake of Kathmandu escaped after being released by Manjushri, who was a legendary Buddhist patriarch of the valley, now often regarded as the God of Learning.
Today there is no lake in Kathmandu, just the Bagmati River which separates the city from Patan. This same river flows to the Chobar Hill which is the highest point in a range of gentle hills southwest of the city. The hill is sliced in two by the muddy waters of the Bagmati River, creating the gorge.
Chillies drying in the sun in Bhattapur.
The path up the hill to Chobar is an impressive example of natural engineering and skillful design, as the wide stone-paved track adjusts beautifully to the contour of the slope.
After a series of steps and a pair of gates I entered the courtyard of the Adinath Lokeswar Buddhist temple. At first, I wondered if I had stepped into a forge, as there were numerous pots and pans nailed to the wooden boards and festooning the roof. I did a double-take and looked again, and yes, it was definitely a temple and not a forge. Unfortunately I was unable to find the significance of all this kitchenware hanging like Christmas decorations from the 15th century roof.
Facing this shrine is a stone shikhara believed to be the entrance to a stone cave that cuts through the hill, emerging at the Chobar Cave below. I don’t know if this is fact or fiction, but I suspect the latter. A shikhara is a brick or stone temple of geometrical shape with a tall central spire, commonly seen in Nepal.
Having had my appetite whetted by the prospect of caves, I then headed to the Chobar Gorge to see where Manjushri’s sword had supposedly cut the hill resulting in the chasm.
But first I popped into the Jal Binayak Temple where people go to seek strength of character. I was left wondering if I was any stronger mentally as I headed for the suspension bridge which spans the gorge. This bridge was manufactured in Scotland and brought here at the start of the 20th century. It seems a long way to transport a bridge and I hoped it was still strong some 100 years later.
From halfway across the bridge the view is impressive. On one side is the deep scar in Chobar Hill which legend says was cut by Manjushri’s sword, but I guess he had considerable help from natural forces such as water or an earthquake. In the distance, women were washing and bathing on stone steps linking two cremation platforms.
Faces of Kathmandu.
I managed to get to one cave in the gorge, the Chukra Deerah Gorge, on the right cliff. The cave goes down to river level. Sadly I couldn’t get to the bigger Chakhubba Gupha or Sparrow Pigeon Cave as this was across the gorge and I didn’t have time as I had to get back to Kathmandu before nightfall.
Beyond the Chobar Gorge there is a small pond set scenically within open fields with small clusters of farmhouses scattered about. This is Taudaha Lake which Manjushri supposedly created so that nagas or serpents could live in it after he had drained the great valley lake. But I couldn’t find out why Manjushri bothered to drain the first lake, only to create a second! Anyway the locals believe the nagas still inhabit the Taudaha Lake and leave it alone, so the wild ducks and lotuses have now made it home.
A beautiful mountain, called Meditation Point, rises here beyond the patchwork of terraced fields. A single large tree crowns the summit, although once there were a pair of trees, and the peak still bears the nickname “Two Trees”.
On another day I decided to take a bus out of town towards the Tibetan border, to have a look at the scenery. I saw a couple of European backpackers climb up onto the luggage rack on top of the bus and make themselves comfortable.
As it was going to be quite a long ride and the bus was packed, I decided to do the same. I found a spot amongst the luggage and produce, and made sure I was secure and not likely to fall off. It seemed a long way down to ground level. And it was an exciting trip. As we left Kathmandu the overhead power cables were quite low and we had to make sure we ducked in time to avoid becoming decapitated or electrocuted. But the scenery was excellent as we followed a major river and went past a few gorges.
There are numerous walks that can be done around the Kathmandu Valley. And the best thing is knowing that the local people walk everywhere, so there is an abundance of teahouses where you can refresh yourself with a cup of chiya or tea. Chiya is the national drink, tea brewed together with milk and sugar, and sometimes spices. But after a hard day out in the open appreciating nature, it is great to get back to Kathmandu for a hearty dinner.
