Tranquility of Namobuddha

I am not a Buddhist but when I get tired of busyness and noise of Kathmandu I like to go to one of Buddhist sites, for a dose of peace and tranquility. And Namobuddha is one of my favourite such places. It is an hour drive from the capital and is quite a popular pilgrimage spot. According to the legend Buddha, in one of his previous incarnations, sacrificed his body in order to feed a starving tigress and her cubs and it happened just there, at Namobuddha.

Sankhu town and its goddess

Sankhu is the ancient Nepalese town which lies beside the holy Salinadi river about 20 km east of Kathmandu. Though it is called "town" but it looks more like a village with typical culture and architecture of a Newar settlement. The town is said to be guarded by Asta matrikas, the eight goddesses. Each of these goddeses has been placed in the eight different directions of Sankhu.
On the northern hill slope from Sankhu there is a temple of one of the important mother goddess, Khadga Jogini. Holding a khadga (scimitar) in her right hand and a flower in her left hand, Khadga Jogini is made of stone. On both sides from the goddess there are her attendants, the deities of super natural power. Not far from this temple there is another one of metal-made gilded Khadga Jogini.

Ganesh shrines of the Kathmandu Valley

Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, is one of the most popular divinities in Hinduism. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Accidentally Shiva cut off his head and had to replace it with the head of an elephant. For this misfortune Shiva granted Ganesh the right to be worshiped before any other god at every Hindu ritual. Besides this, Ganesh is considered to possess the power of removing obstacles, curing diseases, helping in completing difficult tasks. Ganesh shrines are numerous all around the Kathmandu Valley. Four shrines are especially sacred: Chandra Binayak, Suriya Binayak, Karya Binayak and Jal Binayak.

Vishnu shrines of the Kathmandu Valley

Vishnu-Narsingh, Bhaktapur

Vishnu is a Hindu god who has so many different names. Besides, he comes in various forms or incarnations. There are many Vishnu temples and shrines within the Kathmandu Valley. One of the most impressive is the Reclining Vishnu at Budhanilkantha. There, Vishnu as Narayan reclines peacefully on a bed made from the coils of a huge snake Ananta. Ananta's eleven hoods form kind of a crown to the god's head. Even while he sleeps, Vishnu's eyes are half-opened. His four arms hold four attributes: the discus - symbol of the cosmic mind; the mace - primeval knowledge;the conch - the symbol of creating universe; and the lotus seed - the symbol for the moving universe and of all things that are good (eternity, prosperity, and purity).

Kailashnath Mahadev, the tallest statue of Shiva

High up on the hill top in Sanga, which is 20 km away from Kathmandu, stands the tallest Shiva sculpture in the world. The statue is 108 feet tall, after the holy number in Hindu mythology. When the foundation of 35 feet is added the total height of the statue comes to be 143 feet. The statue is made of cement, concrete and iron and then is coated with zinc and copper to protect the statue from natural factors like sun, wind, and rain. It It is said that the amount of these metals in the outer cover of the statue is 6000 kg.

Following Sita's steps in Sri Lanka

I think every Hindu has read or has heard the Ramayana story. And even many non-Hindu people have a knowledge of the main characters and the plot of this ancient Indian epic. Sita, Rama's wife, was kidnapped by Ravana, the king of Lanka at those times. He brought her to his kingdom and she spent there some time before Rama came and freed her. So, in today's Sri Lanka you can visit the places connected with this story. First of all, Sita was brought to Lankapura, then the capital of Lanka, and was kept at Ravana's queen's palace there, but not for long. From there he moved her to Ashok Vatika, a beautiful garden in the mountains. This place is called Sita Eliya and is situated near Nuwara Eliya town.

Deities of Koh Samui

Thailand is often called “The land of Smiles”. The biggest smile you’ll come across on Koh Samui isn’t that of a person but the statue of a deity the Maitreya Buddha. It’s hard to look at him and frown. He sits on his own lotus flower shaped island that just out into shallow temple lake. He’s a huge white figure at the end of a very ornate bridge that leads you right to his feet. The Maithreya Buddha is worshipped for wealth and happiness, the wealth depicted by the large bag he holds in his right hand while the happiness part is pretty much self-explanatory when you look at his huge grinning face.

Changu Narayan, the oldest temple of the Kathmandu Valley

Changu Narayan is the oldest temple in the Kathmandu Valley and also one of the most interesting ensembles. The temple itself is dedicated to Vishnu (most often called Narayan in Nepal) and stands in a spacious courtyard littered with priceless stone sculptures from the 4th to 9th centuries AD. Especially worth mentioning are the lion-headed Vishnu Narasimha, dismembering the king of the demons; Vishnu with ten heads and ten arms going through the different layers of the universe; Vishnu Vikrantha, a dwarf with six arms. The oldest piece is Garuda, the mythical half-bird half-man, Narayan’s mount which dates back to the 5th century (Changu is one of Garuda names).

Namo Buddha, the sacred Buddhist place

At 30 kilometers from Kathmandu there is another sacred place for Buddhists - Namo Buddha. It is located on a hill not far from the picturesque village of Panauti. According to one of the Buddhist Jataka, in one of the past lives Buddha sacrificed his body for a hungry tigress. And this event happened just at this place. There is a small ancient stupa at the place. The wall of the opposite building is hung with portraits of deceased people brought here by the family members.

Boudanath, the largest stupa of Nepal

Вouddhanath stupa is one of the holiest and well-known Buddhist pilgrimage sites. It is included in World Heritage Cultural site list by UNESCO. With diameter of about 100m and 40m height, Bouddhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world. It has hundreds of prayer wheels and 108 small images of Buddha all around. Surrounding the stupa there are many different Buddhist monasteries. There is always many people at the place, especially in mornings and evenings. Some walk around the stupa, some pray on the ground. From the roof of one of the numerous nearby restaurants you can enjoy spectacular view of the stupa.

Pashupatinath the most sacred temple of Lord Shiva

The Pashupati area of approximately 265 hectares is an ancient religious site in the Kathmandu Valley. It is embellished with historical buildings of great antiquity and significance: numerous pagodas, stupas and monasteries. And Pashupatinath, the golden-roof temple, regarded as the most sacred temple of Lord Shiva in his aspect as "Pashupati", the "Lord protector of cattle", has been for centuries one of the most important pilgrimage places for Hindus.

Some more photos of Swayambhu

Swayambhunath of Kathmandu, the oldest Buddhist stupa of Nepal

Clearly visible on top of a 100-metre hill in the west of Kathmandu stands the great stupa of Swayambhunath (so complicated spelling) which I visited yesterday. The place is more than 2500 years old. Destroyed in 1346 by Sultan Shamsuddin Ilyas it was rebuilt in the 17th century by the King Pratap Malla .

Lumbini, the place where Buddha was born

Located some twenty kilometres from the small border town of Bhairawah is Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace.It is one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage places based on events in the life of Buddha. Lumbini was "lost" for centuries. Only in 1895 German archaeologist Dr.Feuhrer began excavating the ruins of the area and discovered a massive stone pillar which was found to have been erected by the Indian Emperor Ashoka. The pillar was erected in 250 BC when Ashoka visited the place. There is an inscription on the pillar in Sanskrit “Buddha Sakyamuni, the blessed one was born here".