Changu Narayan temple, Nepal

I have just returned after being to Changu Narayan temple, taken a shower and with a cup of coffee am writing about it. Earlier I had made a futile attempt to visit this temple, my driver got confused about the direction and we lost our way. Wish I had seen it at that time. The recent earthquake has damaged this ancient temple a lot.

The temple still stands tall and majestic supported on wooden planks, though the surrrounding building and reliefs have been badly destroyed by the earthquake of April 2015.
A 20 minute drive from Bhaktapur on the winding road up the hill of Dolagiri or Changu at 1541 meters and we see the first glimpse of the temple's pinnacle.
After buying the ticket, a small lane passing through Changu village, leads to the temple premises.

The beauty of temple mesmerizes you for a moment and you want to absorb everything at one go.

The first view of temple roof

Built during the Licchavi kingdom in 3rd to 4th century it is a World Heritage listed site. Changu Narayan (चाँगु नारायण ) temple is the oldest temple in Nepal dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The two-storied temple is a perfect example of Newari style architecture. There have been continuous additions to the complex by ruling kings. It was destroyed sometime in the 17th century after which it has been rebuilt. The temple, as it now stands,  is made of gilded copper sheets on its top most roof, while the lower one has a tiled roof.
The overhanging roof is supported by beautifully sculptored wooden struts with 10 avatars of Vishnu carved onto them.

You enter the temple through the eastern gate. The temple premises are filled with small temples and bas-reliefs from 5th to 13th century and that gives the temple its characteristic look.
There are four doorways with decorated torans or exquisitely carved crest over the entrance.  The doorways are protected by a pair of griffins, mythical winged lions, snow lions and elephants.

I plan to encirlcle the temple and will paste my pictures in that order.

The eastern entrance

On the left side of this entrance is Chinnamasta temple, a small Ganesha temple. On its right side is a plateform.

Shiva temple:

A Shiva temple on the right side of entrance.

East facing entrance:

the temple entrance as you see on entering the temple premises

What you see is not the main entrance to temple, it is the east entrance and is guarded by a pair of griffins, a mythical figure with head and wings of eagle and body of a lion.

Torana has Vishnu in the center and Lakshmi and Garuda on either side

I turn my attention to the right side, a short video might give an idea about the placement of small bas-reliefs surrounding the temple.

On turning towards the right towards the north-east I see a set of four beautiful Vishnus.

A set of Lord Vishnus on the side of plateform. A Shivlinga is seen nearby.

                  Vishnu in the center holds a long mace in one hand and chakra in another. He rides the                          Garuda. The ones on the sides, hold a mace and chakra.

In the last one, Vishnu stands under the umbrella of Sheshnaag, the eternal serpent.

Another Vishnu stands in front of a headless figure. In the background is seen the Shiva temple.
And another extremely beautiful 10-armed Vaikunth Vishnu.

Close up of the above 

Four-armed Vishnu stands on Garuda holding a chakra and conch in his raised arms and a lotus and mace in the other two arms.

Eight-armed Vaikuntha Vishnu:

In the north-east corner, a 16th century 10 armed Vaikuntha Vishnu  with goddess Lakshmi, his consort on his lap. The Goddess sits in lalit asana (where one foot lies on top of the other thigh and the other foot dangles).

Vishnu has 4 heads including two lion (Narsimha) on each side and one above the head in the center. He is seen riding 3- armed Garuda. Vishnu's one avatar is Narsimh where he has the head of a lion and body of a man.

Eight-armed Goddess:

                  Eight armed Durga on the east side near the platform. The features were not very clear.

The temple courtyard has small shines of Lord Ganesha, and Lord Krishna.

North facing entrance:
The next entrance to temple is guarded by mythical winged lions.

sculpture on side of entrance

another on the other side

Notice the torana is different

Lord Krishna playing flute on the torana in this side of entrance

Ornately decorated temple door

One very small easy to miss stone tablet with Vishnu, Durga and Shiva carvings in front of this entrance.

Lord Vishnu has four arms and holds a mace and Chakra in his raised arms. Eight armed Goddess Durga has a sword, damru, a trident, and also chakra or disc, her one leg placed over the lion, her mount.
Lord Shiva has four arms with a trident, damru in his raised arms and a pot in one arm and the other raised in varad mudra (blessing posture). He has a Shivlinga in front of him.

The other entrance, as we turn towards the western side, is the main entrance.

Full view of the temple from the main entrance

The sides of the temples have two columns, one having a conch and the other the chakra.

Beautifully carved Vishnu on wooden struts

Heavily gilded main entrance guarded by snow lions

gilded doors of the main entrance  with Lakshmi, Vishnu and Garuda on torana

Garuda:

A 5th century Garuda with snake around his neck sitting in anjali mudra, a posture of salutation. This is said to be oldest Garuda in Nepal.

Metal statue of Bhupatindra Malla:

King Bhupatindra Malla and his queen in a gilded cage in front of the main entrance.

Just near the pillar of Chakra is the inscriptions pillar.

The inscriptions provide information from the Licchavi kingdom (Buddha's mother was a Licchavi princess) and also about the history of Nepal.

It is said to be the oldest written document in Nepal.

The column rests on a tortoise. The conch has Aum inscribed on it.

Kileshwar temple:

The Shivling in this two storied temple of Kileshwar Mahadev is said to have appeared to protect the people and the hill.

entrance to temple

Shivlinga inside the temple

Narsimha avatar:

This 11-12 th century Narsimha Avatar, the half man and half lion avatar of Vishnu, who killed Hiranyakashyap to protect and support his devotee, Prahlaad.

Shiva temple:

Shiva temple damaged by the earthquake. Shivlinga lies in the center of temple. Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva still sits unadhered.
Beautiful stone work lies on side, probably to be used in reconstruction.

Jalnarayan Vishnu:

Also known as Budhaneelkantha, a replica lies here in this temple. I had earlier written about this in detail in my earlier post,Shiva and Vishnu (Pashupatinath and Budhaneelkantha)

Vishnu Vishwaroop or Viraatrupa:
Many stone relics existed pre-earthquake and this is one of them. I saw its replica at Kathmandu airport, have taken its photo shot and am putting it here.

The 5th- 6th century, universal form of Vishnu image known as Viraatrupa () or Vishhwarupa () is a masterpiece.
This form of Vishnu is his supreme form which he revealed to Arjun, one of the brothers of Pandavas during the battle of Mahabharata.
The whole universe is said to immanate from him and within him.
In this form, Vishnu has 10 heads and 10 arms.
In his hands, Vishnu holds weapons associatd usually with him as conch, mace, chakra.
All around him, conch shells have been etched.

Garudasan Narayan:

In the northwest corner of the temple is the 7 century statue of Vishnu sitting on the back of Garuda, Garudasan Vishnu ( गरुड़ासन विष्णु ).
Vishnu holds a chakra wheel and a long mace club in his raised hands and a conch in the hand on his lap.

Notice the above relic adorns the center of the 10 rupee note issued by the Nepal Rashtra Bank.

Nepal 10 rupee  note

South entrance:

This entrance is flanked by a pair of elephants on either side.

On the torana, Vishnu sits on Garuda with a chakra and mace in his hands

The center strut is the varah avatar (वारा अवतार) or the boar avatar.

multi-armed deity on wooden struts

a close-up

Chinnamasta temple:

Chinnamasta temple which is dedicated to Chinnamasta Devi, who beheaded herself offering her blood to feed hungry Dakini and Varnini. The temple is guarded on one side by an elephant. 

A small Ganesha shrine is seen on one side. 

On its other side, the Shiva temple has been destroyed by the recent earthquake.

The temple is guarded by two snow lions.

I have circled the temple and have come back to the starting point.

 Girl doing the Tankha painting

Lots of tankha paintings can be seen on side of the street leading to the temple. A small painting can take a month to finish and a larger one around 3-4 months by the artist working 8 hours a day.

 preparing for winters

Winters would soon be approaching and in the absence of fresh vegetables, people dry corn and use it during the winters.
On the way, lots of souvenir shops.

getting the wooden masks ready

 masks for sale

 Kumar in front of a house

The Newar community in Nepal worship Kumar or Kartikeya, brother of Lord Ganesh. Every house has the symbol of Kartikeya outside.

hiti

The above hiti or water spout is said to be in existence since the times of Licchavis.

Changu Narayan temple was considered as sacred as the Pashupati Nath temple. The proximity of the later to the city makes it easily accesible by people and it is therfore more crowded. Changunarayan is a little further from Kathmandu and on  a hilltop, making it less frequented.

This is a beautiful temple and masterpiece carvings exist in this temple. It has been rebuilt four timess already and sadly the time has now come to rebuild it again.

Gender bias

Gender bias or giving preference to one sex is almost universal. But, why the preference to one sex alone? I have noticed preference towards one sex of the child.

Parents would often also say to their spouse your daughter and my son. Why is'nt it our son or our daughter? When I think about my children, I can never decide as to whom I love most. For me, both have their own personality, they are so different from each other, having different qualities. On what basis do I weigh them?

Do the parents wish for a child so that they are taken care in their old age? Or is it the enjoyement of rearing them?

I also hear people say, oh I had always wanted girls and I am glad that I have them. Never do I hear that they wanted a boy and have got one. This has made me think about this issue and analyse the statement.

Is it that we consider girls inferior and by saying this, I am trying to come to terms with myself? When I chose one sex over the other, be it a girl or a boy isnt it being gender biased too?  Why do I have to consider one gender superior and the other inferior? It makes me happy when I ask an expectant mother as to what does she want and she says she would just want a healthy child.

After all there are 2 genders. Some people say they want a son and criticism is loud and obvious if you express such feelings. But if one says he only wanted daughters then they are praised as if this is the obvious and right thing to say. But then are you not expressing a bias against sons by saying this? Or is it merely a way to assuage your feelings about not having a son by loudly proclaiming you wanted only daughters? or are we just trying to be politically correct? Do we all not want a balanced family with both sons and daughters?

As a parent, should'nt I be treating both genders equally? Especially in a country like India, people would visit temples to grant them a son. Why do I have to ask God for favors? It is taken as a a matter of great pride if a person says that they wanted a daughter and asked God for that? What is the difference between asking God for a daughter or son?

When I write this, I am not talking about the social constraints in some communities. I am talking about a general practice.

Why we as parents do not consider both the girl and boy equally? I have noticed different rules set for them. Why? If they both are your children then rules should also be the same. For boys, it is late night and parties but for girls early night and back home early. If you decide an early night for your daughter, do not make the mistake of extending your son's party time. This difference would naturally offend your daughter and why not? only because she is a daughter?

Many a times I hear a parent saying we have reared our daughter like a son! Why do you have to do that? Never have I heard a parent saying, I have reared my son like my daughter! Why is there anything wrong in a girl being nurtured like a girl? Why do I have to treat her like a boy?

Let the children live their identity, every child is different, do not try to mould your child into someone you want. There is a lot of guilt and pressure on the child. Every child wants to make their parents proud and will do the most he can. But, we parents mar their personality by our behaviour.
Take pride in your children be it a girl or a boy. Love them equally for they love you too much to hurt you.

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is the commercial capital of Vietnam.  It is named after Ho Chi Minh, the first President of Vietnam who led the Veit Minh war against the French. Earlier known as Saigon, it changed its name from Saigon in 1976 after the war against the Americans got over in 1975.

The place is developed drastically over a short span. Gone are the days of old Saigon, Starbucks, designer wear shops, dominate the place now.

a roadside monastery

Ho Chi Minh City Hall:
This French colonial style building is not open to public and is the office of City People's Committee.

Built in 1908, this building looks beautiful at night.

City Hall by night

Ben Thanh market:

A shopper's paradise, Ben Thanh market cannot be missed by the surrounding vibrant activity. Once inside, your eyes gleam with excitement and astonishment at the collection of  lacquer wares, Vietnam coffee, fruits, silk, groceries, souvenirs, handicrafts.  Even if you do not plan buying anything, just going around the small bylanes is an experience by itself.

looking for a good bargain

There is a small section where you can taste the local cuisine. Also are seen a variety of local fruits and vegetables.

so much stuff !

collection of lacquerware

Another thing I found interesting is a framed picture of insects. Look in the above picture, silk moths, butterflies, centipedes, spiders, beetles.

 snake wine

a closer look

Do stop by and notice the snake wine. Throughout Southeast Asia, venomous snakes are steeped in rice wine to make medicinal wines. Other animals used in these wines are scorpions, armadillos, geckos and even turtles. A heavily priced one being a tiger penis wine!
Many countries consider the export and import of this wine illegal.

Saigon central post office:

Adjacent to Notre Dame Cathedral, is the central post office which was built when Vietnam was still a part of French Indochina.

It was designed and constructed by Gustave Eiffel who was the mastermind behind the construction of Eiffel tower and Statue of Liberty.

A portrait of Ho Chi Minh is seen straight ahead as you enter the building. The building clearly illustrates how important and well developed the postal service must have been at that time.

Lots of shops selling souvenirs crowd the building alley. A huge map can be seen mounted on the wall showing the Saigon region.

Notre Dame Cathedral:

The Cathedral was built by the French colonists after it won Saigon. It was earlier called Saigon church.

Built between 1863 and 1880, it has two bell towers on either side. A statue of Virgin Mary stands in front of the Cathedral.

Opera House:

Just opposite to Opera House is Highlands Coffee, and we enjoyed having Vietnamese coffee with coffee jelly. It was heavenly :)

Dining out:
Most of the people in this region prefer to dine out. By evening, all eating places start getting full. It is mainly a group eating, families or friends together.

We went to such a place and ordered a barbeque plate.

A smouldering coal oven with a mesh soon came to the table. Then came a selection of sea food and a bowl of soup. Since, I prefer to be a vegetarian, we ordered a plate of sauteed vegetables as well.

The skewered prawn and octopus is placed over the mesh and you turn them using chopsticks. The whole process is fun and it also gives time to chat in a group. Dunk the cooked food in spicy soy sauce. Fresh leaves go in your soup. What a wholesome dinner!

Some more place to visit, I might write about them in my next post.

Thechi mooli / Kumaoni radish raita

Thechi, in Kumaon means bruised or battered. This dish is made by bruising the radish, leaving it for some time with salt and then adding spices and seasonings. I remember my childhood days when it was almost a routine to sit out in the sun during winters and prepare this dish. The preparation itself used to be so tempting with scraping the radish in a steel thaali, bruising it on a sill, salting it and meanwhile peeling the lemon, taking out the filaments. It used to be a joint activity with everyone gossiping and sometimes popping a segment of lemon in mouth in between :)

Ingredients:
2 radish, washed and peeled
3 tbsp bhaanga seeds or sesame seeds
1 tbsp coriander and green chilli paste
1 tsp roasted cumin seed powder
lime wedges, only filaments needed
2 cups yogurt
sugar to taste
salt

Method:
Wash, peel radish.

Cut into long strips. This makes thrashing easier.

Cut them further into pieces.

A grinding stone (सिल बट्टा ) gives the best result. The long strips are placed on the stone and the radish are thrashed thus bruising them.
I don't have that grinding stone so used my pestle over a chopping board.

Take care of your fingers :(

Transfer the bruised radish to a bowl. Add salt liberally to the bowl. Mix properly.
Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.
The purpose behind adding salt is to remove the juices from radish. Bruising breaks open the cell walls and is more effective than grating and salting them.

Squeeze to remove the juices. Throw the juice away, you wouldn't need it.

bhaanga

The above seeds are called bhaanga (भांगा) and impart a very good flavor to this dish. Bhaanga are the seeds of Cannabis. The seeds though come from the same plant have no psychoactive constituent and are completely safe to eat.
The roasted seeds have antiflatulence property and are added to vegetables which create flatulence as cabbage, pumpkin, radish. It is also made into a spicy chutney. The seeds are roasted and made into a powder. Since I did not have bhaanga seeds, I have substituted them with sesame seeds.
I will say that using sesame seeds in no way comparable to  bhaanga seeds but impart some nutty flavor.

In the hills, huge limes called jamir are used. But, in absence of those, one is contented using whatever lemon variety is available.

Put sesame seeds in a pan and roast on medium flame.

Roast seeds till light brown. Cool and grind into a powder.

In a bowl, add squeezed radish pieces, sesame seed powder, green chilli and coriander paste, lemon filaments, roasted cumin seed powder. Add salt according to taste.

Add curd, mix. I like a blend of flavors so add sugar to balance the sourness. Amount of sugar depends on your taste.
Stir, check seasonings.

Lastly, add chopped corinader leaves and green chillies.
Enjoy the sweet and sour lip smacking raita !