A day with holy men in Pashupatinath

Main entrance gate to the temple

It was a couple of days before Shivaratri and i went for an evening walk to Pashupatinath. As I expected it to be much crowdy so I planned only for a short visit. I never knew that i'd see such amazing things there.

renovating the temple gate for Maha shivaratri

Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple premises. But, Foreigners and Non- Hindus are allowed to go to the other places outside the temple.

A board Saying only entrance for Hindus.

Then i got out of the temple and walked towards the Bagmati river. I can many people crying performing funeral of their relatives. Then i walked towards Mrigasthali (Popular place for deer) and i saw "babas"(holymen) resting there. As they just came here from India for Maha Shivaratri they were tired.

A holymen  resting down the tree in pashupatinath

Then i walked towards the Ram Mandir(Ram temple) where i saw many Sadhus(holy men) resting down on the floor and taking sun bath. It was really amazing to see such large crowds of "sadhus"there smoking marijuana( also called gaja in Nepali) there.

sadhus resting in Pashupatinath 

Then i came down from the the temple and one man suddenly caught my attention. He was a Holy men but his hair were extremely long. Then i inquired with him and he said he came from India for Maha shivaratri. I asked him about his hair and he said he did not cut his hairs from Fourty five years.

His hairs reach till his feet

And now it was dawn and i headed towards my place remembering all those incident that happened with me today.

Volunteer at KAT center and rescue stray dogs

Volunteering is an exciting way of gaining new knowledge, ideas and getting to know with the real world. Similarly, Volunteering in this small Himalayan state has always been the dream of other people.

Many foreigners and the local people think that they have to pay for volunteering. But you can volunteer for free in this animal treatment center.

                                         Kathmandu Animal Treatment Center (KAT) is an organisation which helps street dogs and cats. Over 20,000 dogs live in the streets of Kathmandu. Many of these dogs suffer from  disease like rabies which is also very harmful to human beings and is communicable disease among dogs too. It is a non profit organisation registered in 2003 which started officially in 9th May, 2004. Many students and local people also help and volunteer here in their free time.

The rescue of kali by  KAT team

You can help by many ways. 

• You can adopt a dog or a cat.
• You can create awareness in the people
• Raise money by visiting different organisations
• You can donate items as your own wish like veterinaries.
• or you can be a basic member and donate money and sponsor a pet.

You can visit the official website of KAT center here. Here's the official Facebook page  . You can also visit its daily blog for regular updates.

Maps of Nepal, Nepal Maps, Map of Cities of Nepal

Nepal is a small Himalayan Kingdom located between two large countries( India and China).  Nepal has an area of 147,181 Square Kilo meters. Nepal is rich in landscape.

Geographical map of Nepal

Nepal is bordered by India and China
Photo Courtesy: NASA

                                                                                                                                                                     
The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu and it is the home to almost all administrative departments. Kathmandu is a valley and has a moderate climate.

Map of Kathmandu Valley 

Google map of Kathmandu

The red covered area is  Ring Road and is the part where the main city lies. Kathmandu has many places to go around.

Many tourists come to Nepal for Trekking, Hiking and other adventure Sports. Pokhara is also one of the place which attracts most of the tourists.

Map of Pokhara

Most people stay at Lake side. Phewa Lake is the attraction for all the one. 

Hiking in Kathmandu from Sankhu to Nagarkot

Hiking is always good for those who like to walk for the entire day. It's popular among both youths and adults. One famous short day hiking route in Nepal is from Sankhu to Nagarkot. Sankhu is in eastern part of Kathmandu while Nagarkot is a hill across two hills from Sankhu. You can go to Sankhu by bus and then the adventure starts. Nagarkot is 2170 meters high and it's a very serene and beautiful place.

we chose the gravel way

It's about 12 km from Sankhu to Nagarkot. You can get there via there by two routes. One is that you get to Telkot from Sankhu and walk along the road from there. It's nearly about 10 kilometers from there or else you can go the straight way which is graveled and very much adventurous. One can see beautiful scenes of mountains like Gaurishankar, Langtang and the Everest. The sunrise as well as sunset will be a memorable view for most of the people. 

It's a bit difficult climbing the hills but one can do it. Sometimes you can go the wrong way leading to local houses and cowshed but it's all very exciting. And finally when you reach there it can be a feeling like that you've reached on the top of the world.

We reached at nearly 2:30 pm in the evening. We had some snacks and started heading towards a tower from where we would have seen the Kathmandu valley and its adjacent districts. But we were running out of time and couldn't risk missing the last bus from Nagarkot to Bhaktapur so we went backwards. We finally reached Nagarkot and took a bus. The sunset from the bus was really amazing. We arrived Bhaktapur at 6 in the evening.

We were in search of some public transport from Bhaktapur to Baneshwor but didn't get any so we decided to take a bus from Kamalbinyak to Gatthaghar. But it was only half the way and it was freezing cold outside. Finally we walked nearly an hour and got a bus from Koteshwor ( it was a great feeling). When i reached home it was nearly 9 then i rushed to my dinner table asked for food and then hooked up to my bed.

I still want to go to that tower and complete my journey to Nagarkot!!!

Trekking in Nepal

Nepal is taken as one of the best places for trekking all over the world. Trekking is the supreme way of  getting acquainted with Nepal's unique blend of natural grace and cultural assests. The famous travel website  Lonely planet tells that Nepal is the third cheapest destination in terms of travel and tourism. It is also one of the most affordable and adventurous places for trekking. The 10 places which are best for trekking in Nepal are:

1.  Annapurna Base camp trek
2. Arun Valley trek
3. Classic Everest trek
4. Everest and East Nepal trek
5. Gorkha to Pokhara trek
6. Langtang Valley trek
7. Rara lake trek
8. Annapurna Circuit trek
9. Safari trek
10. Siklis valley trek

Annapurna base camp is the most famous one here and you can see some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. At Everest base camp trek one will get a chance to bath on the hot springs which fall on the way. On you journey you'll find the serpa guides very helpful and you can also get porters to carry the luggage.

Trekking is possible throughout the year but some seasons are considered fit for the best serving its objective. The seasons are March-June and September-November.

 
Preparations
Be physically fit, have an adventurous attitude and be able walk some distance. Just leave the details to the trekking agencies. You have to decide whether you are going for camp trek, lodge trek or gap trek before setting feet on the hills and mountains. You'll have no difficulty in finding a group since many people come trek in Nepal every year. Licenses cost $10 per day. Also be ready for squat toilets when you're staying at local homes. 

Precautions
Don't go too high too fast or you can be a victim of Mountain sickness.Descend to a lower height to seek medical help if you experience nausea, vomiting and breathlessness. Beware of the leeches during rainy season.

Trekking offers you to know about Nepali people and our culture and it is more than just seeing places. It'll be a good experience getting out of modern life when go to the remote places. Fun loving and adventurous people must once visit Nepal and should get to know more it. We're happy to welcome you. Once you get here you can share your experience by letting us know about it on browsenepal.

NB : Both hiking and trekking are called trekking in Nepal.

Meet Chandra. World's shortest man from Nepal

Chandra Bahadur Dangi hails from Reemkholi, a remote village of Nepal. He has outpaced Gul Mohammad from India as the world's shortest adult man in history. Measuring about 21.5 inches (nearly the height of a lawn mower) Dangi was brought to fame after being spotted by a local  wood merchant. At 73 years of age he is a farmer and craftsman by profession.

Followed by mockery and scoffing in the past because of short stature he now proudly holds a couple of world records to his pocket, another being "World's Shortest Recognized Person". Never been examined by a doctor prior to his encounter with Guinness's medical official Dangi was skipped out of school after making it through some classes. He only does domestic works and consumes small amount of normal Nepali food (rice with vegetables). He has five siblings all of usual height.

He was measured thrice before being bestowed with the Guinness awards. After possessing the certificates Dangi in a jolly good mood revealed his desire of travelling across Nepal and foreign lands. He does not want to get married but wants to meet the prime minister in person. He aspires to promote the country and its people to the world through his titles.

Privacy Policy