TRAVELMAN NEPAL: Durbar Square, Kathmandu Old City, Thamel. Picapolooza! (Part 3/3)
I took plenty of pictures in Durbar square and the surrounding market area. I have so many great pics and anecdotes to share! I can’t believe I’m still on the first day full day of my time in Nepal. This is the sixth post! And that’s not counting the Very Special Christmas Message episode.
I like the faces in the crowd that stand out in this pic...
This pic makes me think of a panel out of a comic strip. It opens up and closes in at the same time...
.jpg)
This is the house of The Living Goddess in Durbar Square. That’s her room, right up there on the third floor...
Who’s The Living Goddess? Well, I’m glad you asked because it’s fascinating! She is the Kumari (princess). She is a little girl who is chosen through a rigorous process which includes a test of showing no fear while sleeping in a room full of decapitated animals, she has to have all her teeth, and she has to be from the Newar Shakya caste- among other things.
This is one of her finely decorated windows...
When her first menstration begins it is believed that she leaves her body and it’s time to select a new little girl with “eyelashes like a cow” and “legs like a deer” who’s not afraid of a few bloody heads. The Kumaris last about 7-10 years before it’s time to find a new one.
There are many Kumaris but the one in Kathmandu is the most important. She stays up in that room all the time like Rapunzel without the long hair. Her feet are not allowed to touch the ground until she leaves her body, so when she does leave the room for ceremonial purposes, she’s carried.
****——This looks the same as the other pic, but trust me it’s the other side of the square courtyard. If you don’t trust me look at the details of the pic, then write a list of the differences and leave it in the reply section ...then join a book club or take boxing lessons because you need a life.——-****
If the Kumari glances down at you from the window up there, it’s supposed to bring great fortune to you.
I stood below her window for five minutes yelling, “Hey! Hey! HEYYYY! KUMARI!!! KUMARI! ....KUMARI! Look Taylor Swift! ...Hey! Ku-MARRRRRRREEEEEEE! C’mon!”
No luck.
These are in Kumari’s neighborhood of Durbar Square...
If you have a toothache, come to Kathmandu, get yourself a coin, a nail, and a hammer, find this thing, nail your coin into it, and wha-lah! Your toothache should go away. Pretty nifty, huh?
If that doesn’t work, you can choose to go to one of the twenty or so dentist offices on the same street...
Masked man selling roasted peanuts. Who was that masked man! ...It was the peanut guy.
Sorry folks, that’s all the time we have for today. Thamel went to the cutting room floor and will have to wait for the Special Boxed Set Extended Edition of this series. Thanks for reading.
Travelman log, day 177...
!steemitworldmap 27.7042 lat 85.3055 long Kathmandu Old City, Durbar Square Part 3/3 Picapalooza,Nepal, d3scr
302 Followers and counting, 828.7 steem earned. Travelman out.
It would be so crazy being the Kumari! One of my favorite stories from my childhood (one of the Chrestomanci ones) had a similar living goddess character and it always struck me as one of the most unusual life paths.
Yeah, it’s surreal. Definitely out of a storybook. It doesn’t strike me as being so great. Kind of like a demented version of the princess in Roman Holiday.
That about sums up my feelings. In the story, she was (of course) painted as a lonely and intellectually curious little girl who wanted to explore outside of her little temple. At the time, I had no idea that the "living aspect of goddesses" was a thing that existed outside of fantasy books.
Great photos and writing. I noticed the window openings are different and the arches below. I just had quick look ;) the detail of the windows and lintels are amazing.
Thank you. And thank you for teaching me the word lintel! Not knowing how to properly describe something frustrates the, the...Oh what’s the word? Um. Anyway it frustrates me.
Lol no worries. It is used to support openings above the window or door between two vertical supports. Not sure if the lintels in this case are structural or decorative
Hi @travelman! Thank you for visiting our country! I hope you are having a good time! Do visit Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square too! Enjoy your time here!
Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=travelman
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=travelman-nepal-durbar-square-kathmandu-old-city-thamel-picapolooza-part-3-3
Want to have your post on the map too?
Add the following inside your post:
!steemitworldmap xxx lat yyy long description d3scr
(replace xxx and yyy with latitude and longitude)
Interesting story about the Living Goddess. Not sure the point of her though. And not being able to go anywhere would suck.
Congratulations! This post has been randomly Resteemed! For a chance to get more of your content resteemed join the SteemEngine network!
At least it is good to see that Thailand isn't the only country with 'spaghetti style' wiring! On the fourth form last picture the guy who is sat down looks like a painted statue, was Medusa hanging around giving that look to people again?
Lovely! Thanks for sharing.
Lots of love from kathmandu!
I am back after few days off from Steemit and you uploaded so much stuff! AH! Dear old Durbar square! I miss that crowd. Did you buy anything for yourself? Did you try the tibetan bells?
Are you liking Nepali food?