summary of Kathmandu chapter
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Kathmandu is a travelogue written by Vikram Seth. It is the description of the two famous temples of Kathmandu. One is the Pashupatinath and the other is the Baudhnath Shrine.
The author first visited Pashupatinath Temple where he finds the atmosphere of feverish confusion. Only Hindus are allowed to enter inside the temple. He finds people performing different rituals performing on the bank of the holy river Bagmati .He also knew about the belief related to the end of the Kaliyug .Next he visited Baudhnath Shrine, there is the sense of stillness in contrast to the Pashupatinath temple. Tibetan immigrants selling different things on the side of the road. After this he roams on the streets of kathmandu and finds it the busiest and more religious city. These streets are crowded with fruit sellers, hawkers of postcards etc. The shops sell western cosmetics, film rolls chocolates. It is the noisiest city because of the honking sound of the cars , bells of bicycle and the low of the cows and filmy songs of the radios .He becomes tired and homesick and decided to return back to his home.He buys air line ticket and return back to his hotel .Near his hotel he hears the melodious sound of the flute seller which enchanted him. His care free style of selling flutes pleases him. It reminds him of the commonality of all mankind as the music of the flutes unites all mankind in one single thread of universality. He was fascinated to the truth of the flutes. He returns back to his home after a long time.
KEY POINTS
Vikram Seth visit Pashupatinath temple and finds that only Hindus are allowed for darshan . There is an atmosphere of feverish disorder in and around Pashupatinath temple due to the crowd of Priests,hawkers , devotees , tourists , cows , monkeys , pigeons and dogs roam through ground .The author sees that the people are performing different rituals on the holy bank of Bagmati River.Next he visits Baudhnath Shrine which seems to him as Haven of Quietness. There is complete silence and still atmosphere. Tibetan immigrants were selling felt bags , silver jewellery antiques etc on the pavement of the road . The author finds that Kathmandu is more religious , vivid and mercenary city .It is the noisiest and busiest city because of thousands of tourists, vendors shouting, playing of film songs, honking sound of the vehicles . He enjoys his visit to Kathmandu by visiting Pashupatinath and Baudhnath shrine and roaming in the busy market eating corn –on the cob, reading comics and reader digest.Vikram enchanted by the melodious songs played by the flute seller he finds the way of selling his flute was different from other hawkers. The author becomes tired and feels home sick and decided to return home by air.
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In this chapter, Vikram Seth recalls his memories of his visit to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. He describes two famous temples of that city. The first is the Pashupatinath temple of the Hindus and the other is the Baudhnath Stupa of the Buddhists. At the Pashupatinath temple, there is an atmosphere of confusion. He finds priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roaming there. There is a crowd of devotees and people push one another to make their way to the Lord.
Only Hindus are allowed to enter this temple. A group of Westerners struggle for permission to enter. But the policeman at the gate does not allow them to go in. The author finds monkeys fighting each other. The holy river Bagmati flows by the side of the temple. He sees washerwomen at its banks. A corpse is being cremated on its banks. From the balcony, devotees drop flowers and other offerings into the river. There is a small shrine also on the river bank. Half of the shrine is submerged into the river. It is believed that when the whole of the shrine comes out of the river, the goddess inside will come out. Then the evil period of Kaliyug will end on earth.
In contrast to the Pashupatinath temple, there is a sense of stillness at the Baudhnath stupa of the Buddhists. The author does not find crowds here. It has a big white dome. The shrine is surrounded by a road. There are small shops on its outer edge. Many of these shops are owned by Tibetan immigrants.
Kathmandu is a crowded place. Apart from the two famous shrines, there are a number of small shrines in the narrow and busy streets. The author finds fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards, shops selling western cosmetics, films, chocolates, etc. He roams about in the market aimlessly. Then the author makes up his mind to return home. He enters a Nepal Airlines office and buys a ticket for Delhi. He comes back to his hotel. In a corner of the square near the hotel, he finds a man selling flutes. These flutes are made of bamboo. From time to time, the flute seller plays on flute. The author likes his carefree style. He finds it difficult to come away from there. In fact, the flute music always attracts him. The flute is a common musical organ. It is found in almost every culture. The flute reminds him of the common link between all humanity.