Literature Chapter 10 - Kathmandu

Brief Description:

An extract from ‘Heaven Lake’, written by Vikram Seth, this text deals with the author’s experiences in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The author is hitchhiking from China to India via Nepal, and he shares his unique experiences at Kathmandu.

Summary:

The temple of Pashupatinath was a place of pilgrimage restricted only to the Hindus. Upon his entry at this place, he was met by the grand chaos of the scene – priests, tourists, pilgrims and animals crowded the area. The local washerwomen washing clothes were polluting the holy Bagmati river flowing by the temple, children bathing and residents dumping withered flowers into the sacred waters. Small shrines protruded onto the stone platform. According to local folklore, the complete emergence of these shrines would mark the arrival of the Goddess, who would end the ‘Kaliyug’.

He then describes his visit to the Boudhanath temple, where he experienced the first significant difference. The scene was quiet and calm, unlike the Pashupatinath temple. The white building was surrounded by an outer road where there was a Tibetan market, where the refugees were selling trinkets, bags and other knick-knacks.

The author then describes the various sights and sounds one would come across in the streets of Kathmandu. The city presented itself as a place with not only religious significance but also as a business hub and tourist destination. Firstly, one would see the vast array of shops; selling all kinds of things, chocolates, cosmetics etc. Then came the sounds, music blaring from the radio, cars honking, bicycles and their ringing bells, cows mooing and vendors screaming and displaying their wares.

When it was time for him to return, he considered an adventurous route to Delhi – a bus journey till Patna, then a boat ride along the Ganges up to Allahabad, followed by another boat ride up the Yamuna to Delhi. Being tired from his journey, he sensibly chooses to take a flight to New Delhi. At his hotel, he encountered a quaint scene. Outside the hotel stood a flute player, numerous flutes poking out of a pole like the spines of a porcupine. The flute player was playing the different types of flutes he had, each for a couple of minutes. The music he played exhibited the meditative trance that he was in. Upon introspection, the author realises that the music of the flute, which was quite short-lived, had a special significance in his fleeting life. He shares with his readers how something so seemingly inconspicuous, had made a mark on him and coerced him to think of the little things more deeply.

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