The day we visited a Hindu Temple

Wednesday 22

Today is a holiday because of two festivals (Nepalese have festivals all the time). We went for a walk, and Tiphaine took the opportunity to receive the blessings (a bracelet supposed to bring her luck, and she has to cling it to the tail of a cow by the month of October, during the cow festival. This same cow will help me when I am dead across the river that separates us from heaven. I wonder how she'll find a cow and be able to hang her bracelet. Just have to wait and see, but if I can I will get a picture of it!). She also received the most famous tika (red dot on the forehead).

Around 17.00 we jumped in a taxi to find a free classical music concert outdoor in a temple. This event happens every full moon, because yes, the Nepalese are celebrating every full moon too, which often comes at the same time as a festival.

Once there, nobody seemed to know there was a concert, or they all said, up that hill. While we tried to enter we found out it was a Hinduist temple called Pashupatinath, one of the most significant Hindu temples of Shiva in the world. Since we weren't Hindu we had to pay an entrance fee of 1000 NPR, so much for that free concert. Entering we got recruited into visiting the temple with a guide, right okay, we were not there to see temple in the first place but would have done sooner or later anyways! The guide didn't introduce himself just started talking about the temple and showed us around. Wondering if he was going to follow us all the time, if it was included in the price, we did not care when and where that damn concert was. After a while we noticed the best thing to do in this country is to "let go." If you don't, you will just be stressed, annoyed, negative and just overall ruin the experience for yourself.

The guy told us that since it was a full moon, there would be animal sacrifices and ceremonies of human cremation. Though the human cremations apparently happens as quick as possible, where old people/people close to death live in a house just next to the river and alters for cremation.
In the cremation ritual there is a guy dressed all in white who is the oldest living son. The cremation altars are aligned along the Baghmati River that joins the Ganges. The Baghmati river has the same role for Nepalese Hindus: it cleanses them, and they wash away their sins the also spread the ashes of the dead after their bodies has been cremated. Interestingly our guide explained that a normal body takes 3-4 hours to burn, thin takes less time, fatter longer.

As we walk over a bridge we see cremations on each side. On the left upriver there is only two alters, one for the rich and the other one for the king or people of special significance. On the right side, down river of the bridge the alters are for the "normal" Hindus.
This ritual is primarily Hindu, but anyone else who dies can be burned here, I especially asked what would happen if a westerner dies, he answered they were welcomed to be cremated her as well. Hyper open. In ancient times, most widows were too distraught of losing their husband that they themselves on the pyre of their deceased husbands before getting burned live with them. Now they can remarry if they choose or they can even live alone.

The temple structure contains several different temples within a small area. There are Hindus everywhere, and then cows and monkeys. Pashupatinath is also a sacred place for the monkey god Hanuman and monkeys run around everywhere begging for food. The smell of bonfires and incense are mixed. There are also monks, ascetics, these nerds with real hippy: dreads, big beard. They are the only ones for which marijuana and hashish is legal. Where the hippy look likely. There is also the naked ascetic. They are covered with ashes and only hide private parts in a small handkerchief. This is to protect the sensitivity of tourists, but during festivals they will take the handkerchiefs off and dance. They also abstain from smoking hashish during tourist hours, waiting for the evening and the holidays.

After an hour's walk, our guide stopped us: it is time to tip. The dreaded moment. Of course we do not give him enough; of course it requires an excessive sum knowing we have already paid a lot for the right to enter. Finally we cut the conversation on a more or less negotiated price.
Taxi back to the apartment: No seatbelts and you must have faith. The roads are not paved like at home, so we jump in all directions, the driver honks the horn constantly and with the dark you wonder how he even sees most of the cars/people/dogs in the road...
Once back alive, it’s time to rest!