Trip Diary
17 June 2011 Kathmandu
After all the preparation, five of us started from Chennai on 17 May 2011 by Jet to Delhi. T3 was stunning to those of us who were travelling to Delhi after a long time. Saw big installations of Mudras along with explanations. With all the facilities, T3 is confusing for those moving from domestic arrivals to international departures.
Moved to International departures. Though regulations state you do not need passport to go to Nepal, pl have your passports as some travellers had trouble boarding the flight. Landed in Kathmandu around 2pm.
Kathmandu looks like an Indian city of '80s. No high rises, old model vehicles, poor quality roads, etc. Reached Hotel Manang in Thamel area. The area is full of shops selling handicrafts, antiques. Buy here if you want to. Price and variety are better than other places.
After lunch, started at 4pm to Sri Pasupatinathar. Pasupatinathar is the family deity of the royal family of. You could see their statues, with spectacles, in front of the Lord. The temple is on the banks of Bagmati, which is more a stagnant canal. Like Varanasi, the dead get cremated here. Apparently, there is hierarchy here. The royals are cremated close to the temple. The lower the departed soul is in the social ladder, the farther he moves away from the temple, nevertheless on the banks of Bagmati. This area want to be like Varanasi. Harathis, like the Ganga Harathis, are performed in the evenings to the accompaniment of music. But, long way to go before it can compete with Varanasi.
Pasupainathar is a lingam, with four heads carved, unlike plain lingams you see in Siva temples in India. The poojas are performed by priests from Karnataka, dressed in ochre robes, and covered head, not unlike a sanyasi. Adi Sankarar established the pooja practices and appointed the priests. Political wranglings over how India priests are officiating and not locals. Heard that Maoists are turning the country up side down, moving away from India towards China.
18 June 2011 Pokhra
Started after breakfast in a Toyota Fortuner. Relieved to find that we can play MP3 in the car. Till the end of the trip, thevaram was playing. Even Purna, our Nepalese driver, began to enjoy it.
Reached Manakamana by 1130. This temple is Mariamman of Nepal. Goats and cocks sacrificed everyday. You have to go in a cable car to reach the temple. It took 7 days to trek to that place, now a 10 minute cable car ride. The ride is very beautiful - silence envelops you and the sight of a river 1000 feet below. There are special rates for goats, we saw a goat travelling alone in a cable car.
Started from here by 1230 towards Pokhara. Reached Pokhara around 4pm. Sudden burst of rain, thunder and winds. So, could not go sightseeing. Checked in Landmark, next to Phewa lake.
19 June 2011 Muktinath
Early morning, took off in a small plane to Jomsom. Pokhara airport smells of puliyodarai and thayir sadam. 90% of visitors to Muktinath are Tamils. The only advertisements the airport has are by Chennai tourist operators.
Fifteen people can travel by this plane, no doors between the pilot and passengers, you can see the instrument panel, what lever he pushes to take off and what button he presses to land etc. The whole trip is like a drive in an auto in a narrow lane. There are high mountain peaks on both sides, wings very close to them. Even if it move slightly to one side or the other, it will brush against the peaks and you can all reach Kailsam instantly. Or Acharyan Thiruvadi, as most passengers would like to. The landing strip at Jomsom is short and surrounded by mountains on all sides. The aircraft takes a sharp U turn, not unlike an auto does in a signal, a few hearts jump to mouths and nothing short of miracle, the flight lands. This flight lasts for an hour and we are in Jomsom by noon.
Jomsom looks like the one street towns in cowboy movies, transplanted. Even the people here look like red Indians. The place is a desert at 10,000 feet, no vegetation.
Muktinath is 2 hours drive from here. We are a group of five. But the jeeps here have 12 person capacity. They will not start until 12 people arrive or you pay for 12 people. We paid 3500Rs extra and started towards Muktinath. We came by the last flight and are the last batch of people to Muktinath. There is no road here. You are travelling on rocks and streams, like Ahobilam. After two hours of climbing, the jeep stops. Next, walking for 45 minutes to reach the temple. You are short of breath every few minutes, rest, recuperate and do the next 10-20 metres. It is much colder than Jomsom with threatening clouds to boot. We were rushed as we were late.
Muktinath temple is a sarva dharma temple. This is also a Buddhist pilgrimage place. The place is teeming with barebodied, crossbelted Iyengars taking bath in streams flowing from 108 cow statues at 0 degree, and doing sandhya vandanams. We did not attempt the bathing - sandhyavandanam routine. This batch of pilgrims are staying in Muktinath for the day. We have to go back quickly to Jomsom for the night. We stopped with pradakshinam and namaskaram. Read the relevant pasurams from the print outs. Reached Jomsom by another jeep by 5pm. This driver took a different route, excepting doing somersaults, he did everything else before we reached Jomsom.
17 June 2011 Kathmandu
After all the preparation, five of us started from Chennai on 17 May 2011 by Jet to Delhi. T3 was stunning to those of us who were travelling to Delhi after a long time. Saw big installations of Mudras along with explanations. With all the facilities, T3 is confusing for those moving from domestic arrivals to international departures.
Moved to International departures. Though regulations state you do not need passport to go to Nepal, pl have your passports as some travellers had trouble boarding the flight. Landed in Kathmandu around 2pm.
Kathmandu looks like an Indian city of '80s. No high rises, old model vehicles, poor quality roads, etc. Reached Hotel Manang in Thamel area. The area is full of shops selling handicrafts, antiques. Buy here if you want to. Price and variety are better than other places.
After lunch, started at 4pm to Sri Pasupatinathar. Pasupatinathar is the family deity of the royal family of. You could see their statues, with spectacles, in front of the Lord. The temple is on the banks of Bagmati, which is more a stagnant canal. Like Varanasi, the dead get cremated here. Apparently, there is hierarchy here. The royals are cremated close to the temple. The lower the departed soul is in the social ladder, the farther he moves away from the temple, nevertheless on the banks of Bagmati. This area want to be like Varanasi. Harathis, like the Ganga Harathis, are performed in the evenings to the accompaniment of music. But, long way to go before it can compete with Varanasi.
Pasupainathar is a lingam, with four heads carved, unlike plain lingams you see in Siva temples in India. The poojas are performed by priests from Karnataka, dressed in ochre robes, and covered head, not unlike a sanyasi. Adi Sankarar established the pooja practices and appointed the priests. Political wranglings over how India priests are officiating and not locals. Heard that Maoists are turning the country up side down, moving away from India towards China.
18 June 2011 Pokhra
Started after breakfast in a Toyota Fortuner. Relieved to find that we can play MP3 in the car. Till the end of the trip, thevaram was playing. Even Purna, our Nepalese driver, began to enjoy it.
Reached Manakamana by 1130. This temple is Mariamman of Nepal. Goats and cocks sacrificed everyday. You have to go in a cable car to reach the temple. It took 7 days to trek to that place, now a 10 minute cable car ride. The ride is very beautiful - silence envelops you and the sight of a river 1000 feet below. There are special rates for goats, we saw a goat travelling alone in a cable car.
Started from here by 1230 towards Pokhara. Reached Pokhara around 4pm. Sudden burst of rain, thunder and winds. So, could not go sightseeing. Checked in Landmark, next to Phewa lake.
19 June 2011 Muktinath
Early morning, took off in a small plane to Jomsom. Pokhara airport smells of puliyodarai and thayir sadam. 90% of visitors to Muktinath are Tamils. The only advertisements the airport has are by Chennai tourist operators.
Fifteen people can travel by this plane, no doors between the pilot and passengers, you can see the instrument panel, what lever he pushes to take off and what button he presses to land etc. The whole trip is like a drive in an auto in a narrow lane. There are high mountain peaks on both sides, wings very close to them. Even if it move slightly to one side or the other, it will brush against the peaks and you can all reach Kailsam instantly. Or Acharyan Thiruvadi, as most passengers would like to. The landing strip at Jomsom is short and surrounded by mountains on all sides. The aircraft takes a sharp U turn, not unlike an auto does in a signal, a few hearts jump to mouths and nothing short of miracle, the flight lands. This flight lasts for an hour and we are in Jomsom by noon.
Jomsom looks like the one street towns in cowboy movies, transplanted. Even the people here look like red Indians. The place is a desert at 10,000 feet, no vegetation.
Muktinath is 2 hours drive from here. We are a group of five. But the jeeps here have 12 person capacity. They will not start until 12 people arrive or you pay for 12 people. We paid 3500Rs extra and started towards Muktinath. We came by the last flight and are the last batch of people to Muktinath. There is no road here. You are travelling on rocks and streams, like Ahobilam. After two hours of climbing, the jeep stops. Next, walking for 45 minutes to reach the temple. You are short of breath every few minutes, rest, recuperate and do the next 10-20 metres. It is much colder than Jomsom with threatening clouds to boot. We were rushed as we were late.
Muktinath temple is a sarva dharma temple. This is also a Buddhist pilgrimage place. The place is teeming with barebodied, crossbelted Iyengars taking bath in streams flowing from 108 cow statues at 0 degree, and doing sandhya vandanams. We did not attempt the bathing - sandhyavandanam routine. This batch of pilgrims are staying in Muktinath for the day. We have to go back quickly to Jomsom for the night. We stopped with pradakshinam and namaskaram. Read the relevant pasurams from the print outs. Reached Jomsom by another jeep by 5pm. This driver took a different route, excepting doing somersaults, he did everything else before we reached Jomsom.
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