Here is the biggest Shiva temple in all of Nepal. We weren't allowed in because we aren't born Hindu, though if you ask Marty, he'll say he's Hindu sometimes.
Our taxi driver, Mukti (his name means freedom), gave us the tour here. And though we didn't go into the temple, we looked in, and saw the back of a massive cow sculpture called Nandi, Shiva's sacred cow. You'll see a lot of cows outside of this temple too. They'll eat anything. One in this video is being fed chapatis.
Most of the sadhus (practitioners of yoga solely dedicated to achieving moksha, or liberation from rebirth, through meditation) wear orange colored clothing, symbolizing renunciation. And the ones who follow Shiva tend to frequent cremation grounds. The ones around this temple aren't Nepalese, they're from India. Many of them are charlatans but some are legitimate, and it is impossible to tell the difference. They were all gathering at this temple because of the coming Shivaratri celebration. They'll each choose a spot where they'll live and worship for the next few weeks.
Marty spent a little time with them, as you'll see, and said that they're either in an extremely high state of consciousness or, they were wearing some sweet rose perfume, because they smelled great even though they were covered with the ash from the cremations (which you'll see in this video).
The Bagmati River is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists and is where cremations take place. Hindus are cremated on the banks of this river. According to the Nepalese Hindu tradition, the dead body must be dipped three times into the river before cremation to purify it. The chief mourner (usually the first son - no women are allowed) lights the funeral pyre and then must bathe in the river immediately after cremation.
The steps going down to the river are known as 'ghats'. Ghats can be used for both typical purposes (bathing, doing laundry) and religious rites (ritual bathing or ablutions) and there are also 'cremation ghats' where bodies are cremated waterside, allowing ashes to be washed away into the river.
We also visited a home for elderly and destitute folks that Mother Teresa had started. We happened to catch them at meal time, but didn't film them out of respect. They were being served some really good food by women who worked for Mother Teresa mission. They lived in rooms the size of my powder room and they seemed very peaceful and well taken care of.
This visit was a great surrender to the process of living and dying. It just happens here in India, as it does in all places, but here, it is not hidden.
