Bhaktapur, an ancient capital
Today I made a 30 minute taxi trip to Bhaktapur, a small town to the east of Kathmandu. Like Patan, this had once been a separate city state before being conquered, but unlike Patan, it had not yet been swallowed up by its big neighbour’s urban sprawl, and I briefly enjoyed driving through a forest and paddy fields just before I arrived. Bhaktapur seemed to have been frozen in time since its conquest and consisted of a compact old town centred around its “durbar”. Entry to this central area cost a hefty 2000 rupees for foreigners (OK so this is only $13, but by Nepali standards it's a lot!), an amount explained by the fact that the town had to repair the extensive damage from the 2015 earthquake without any external help.
In Bhaktapur's Durbar
The durbar did not disappoint, with many beautiful temples and of course a former royal palace. I was visiting on the ninth day of the Dashain festival, and the Nepali military had turned out to parade in one of the squares, attracting a small crowd of onlookers.
The military joins the party
Having admired the durbar, I stopped for a rooftop coffee (this seems to be a Nepali speciality) in a shop on nearby Taumadhi Square, which gave a great view of Nyatapola Temple – Nepal’s tallest temple and survivor of four major earthquakes.
Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur
I then started exploring the town’s backstreets. These teamed with pretty small temples……..
A small side street temple, Bhaktapur
…… and pulsed with life as the local inhabitants started to prepare for the tenth and most important day of Daishin. Some people put on their best clothes and ventured out to greet friends and family……..
Ready for Dashain, Bhaktapur
……whilst others blessed their cars and motor scooters – a wise idea, since traffic accidents are a major cause of mortality in Nepal. I felt part of the celebrations as the locals greeted me with a friendly “Namaste!”.
Blessing a motorcycle for Dashain, Bhaktapur
I had really enjoyed my morning in Bhaktapur. The town was a much more manageable size than Kathmandu, the people friendly and relaxed, and it was brimming with both spectacular monuments on its main squares as well as interesting small temples down its side streets.
I had lunch in yet another roof top café, before taking a taxi to nearby Changu Narayan temple, which sat on top of a hill amongst forests and rice fields. This is Nepal’s oldest Hindu temple, being initially built in the 4th century, though the current structure dates from 1702 and was extensively damaged in the 2015 earthquake before being restored to its current state.
Changu Narayan temple
Changu Narayan temple is famous for its intricate carving but compared to the other wonders I had seen so far I was, for the first time in Nepal, slightly disappointed and was soon looking to move on. I was tantalisingly close to the famous Boudha Stupa, an iconic landmark of Nepal - if only I could I reach the main road that led back into Kathmandu, which I could see at just at the base of the hill the temple sat on. My map showed a path to get there, so I tried my luck and headed downhill on a muddy track, through sub-tropical forest, fields, and past small groups of houses – whose inhabitants greeted me with a surprised “Namaste!”. Clearly very few other tourists (or locals for that matter) ever came that way, but my courage was rewarded when I did indeed reach the main road and called a taxi.
The road was busy with traffic and lined on both sides with ugly modern construction. Suddenly my driver stopped and, to my surprise, said we had arrived. I noticed a small gap in the buildings lining the road, and on reaching it, found what I was looking for – the entrance to the magnificent Boudha Stupa, a huge white circular structure surrounded by a circular path.
The amazing Boudha Stupa
The entrance to the Boudha Stupa
The current stupa probably dates from the 14th century, but there may been other religious structures here as early as the 5th century. The main white dome is supposed to house sacred texts and possibly even relics of the Buddha himself – although no one knows for sure, since no one has been inside for centuries.
Viewing the Boudha Stupa from a rooftop bar
A refreshing matcha affogato with the Boudha Stupa as backdrop
I was a bit tired by this time, so the first thing I did was to head up to yet another rooftop coffee shop, where I treated myself to a matcha affogato. I watched as a steady stream of visitors walked clockwise around the huge stupa – including some Buddhist pilgrims, one of whom prostrated herself every few steps. Looking around, I could see that nearly every building in the circle around the stupa had a rooftop café or restaurant – and why not? – the view was superb.
Once I had recovered my energy, I headed out to join the crowds circling the stupa and then found the place at its north end where you could climb up onto the base of the structure. The stupa and its spire gleamed white and gold against a bright blue sky, a sight I will never forget, and one that made for some great photos.
The amazing Boudha Stupa
Despite the crowds and the tourists, the place retained a strong spiritual feeling that kept me lingering there longer than I had expected. As afternoon turned to evening it was time to head back to my hotel and get an early night in preparation for a painfully early flight to Pokhara the next morning. It had been a memorable day, and I drifted off to sleep dreaming of Bhaktapur's temples and the brilliant white dome of the Boudha Stupa.
