Saturday 4 December 2021

home they came ...

installed eight centuries ago in the temple in patko tole of patan, the androgynous statue of laxminarayan, was ripped from its pedestal one night nearly 40 years ago.  trafficked by greedy folks the statue surfaced six years later while being auctioned in sotheby's. the man who bought it then loaned it to the dallas museum of art. finally in 1993 the museum started displaying the idol that had been worshipped by locals for centuries, as an object of art!  it was through sheer luck and grit of many individuals and institutions that the idol finally was flown back to the valley in spring this year.  today, 4th december 2021, the idol of laxminarayan was ceremoniously taken from patan museum and reinstalled in the temple, that had since 1993 housed its smaller replica for locals to worship.


the day started overcast and cold.. but as the time neared for the idol to be brought from the museum, the clouds parted and the sun shone through.  the laxminarayan temple was decked up for the occasion with red satin skirting and marigold garlands..


last minute garlands being strung on the pagoda

the garlanded toran 

.. the replica worshipped since 1993 stands waiting for the original idol to come and
fill up the empty space beside it! 

preparations being set up for the yagya and kshyama puja 


minister pampha bhushal who had come for the ceremony at the reconstructed bhimsen temple a stone's throw away from patko tole, also dropped by

the ornaments and regalia that the idol wore once a year during rituals on nirjala ekadashi day and had lain idle for the last 38 years were now brought out

setting up space for the yagya

and the initiation of the yagya

while the rituals to purify the space and pacify the gods for any wrongdoing committed were goign on, a procession headed towards the patan museum through the narrow mamud galli 


inside the courtyard of the museum.. paperwork was done for handing over
of the idol to the public

the idol is carried into the museum courtyard

.. waiting for the special palanquin to carry the idol from outside the patan museum premises to its home in patko tole

and the procession begins...

.. the procession winding its way through mangal bazar.. (the post-earthquake temple reconstruction taking place in the patan durbar square in the background)

the gods circumambulate the temple ...

... before being hoisted to the temple platform


the puja rituals meanwhile are still ongoing

the priest still busy

the laxminarayan idols.. the original and the replica... stand side by side under the same roof ready to be worshipped by devotees.  the temple has modern security system in place for extra protection

the idol with its regalia and offerings.. the laxmi side of the idol is draped to the ankles!
 
and that is how they came home.. the laxmi and narayan couple after a forced lonely sojourn across the seven seas!


Sunday 21 November 2021

हिमालै हिमाल -- only himals

today was an exceptionally clear day (above the haze line that is!).. and a great day for himal-gazing.  after a long time one should see the entire annapurna range clear and bright from the rim of kathmandu valley. as the day wore on, the haze lifted up, but then as the evening took over, the golden rays of the sun started doing their trick on the himalaya -- painting them yellow, gold, orange and pink.. after sunset, the himals returned to their normal white attire...
i usually focus on the prominent peaks.. but this time the rest seemed to say.. take our close ups too.. so they are here too... nameless though they are (to me) 
most of the pictures (the closeups) were taken through the nikon coolpix p600, and some of the others by my samsung galaxy 8 phone.  thus there is a mix of far off shots, himals through the trees,, and bright ones are hazy ones of the himals to the east or west.... 
the morning view to the west, when the cold air had pushed the haze down ...

and to the north

annapurna and himalchuli through the lapsi trees
.. ganesh himal...

... and langtang et al...

langtang up close

gangchhempo .. with sishapangma behind it..
dom blanc
dorje lakpa
phurbi ghyachu
proof of reducing snow cover in the himalaya.. the tooth-edge crest of phurbi ghyachu that  we never saw before a couple of years ago...
... (himalaya experts please let me know the names of these peaks!)
...
chhoba bhamare
annapurna 2
annapurna 1 and south and machhapuchhre (?)

ganesh himal

ganesh himal

...
...

gauri shankar from between the trees

as the sun's angle shifts

hazy ganesh himals

a hazy himalchuli

golden tint starts getting added to the mountains






the sun dips behind the southwestern hills, but the high himalayan peaks continue to catch its ever-fading rays

.. yellow and  orange tint paint the himals


always striking is it's shape and cape of snow.. langtang himal

ganesh himal though the lapsi branches



the himals now get a pink tint





when the sun sets... the mountains start shedding their colours










so that was it... only himals... हिमालै हिमाल... मऔसमले एकदम साथ दिएको दिन, बिहान देखि रूप बदलिँदै गरेका काठमाण्डुबाट देखिने हिमालहरू !