flying things, himals, lapsi and valley floor

 we were up in kot over new years... the winter haze covered most of the valley as well as the himals. mornings with chirping and flitting birds were wonderful- to hear and see.  as usual primary activity in kot is looking at mountains, the valley floor, trees, and things that fly, including birds and planes! 

a pair of himalayan bulbuls, जुरेलि,  atop a lapsi tree.. some lapsis decided to brave the winter chill!

.. and then these little birds... not much bigger than the lapsis... this yellow beauty is the himalayan black-lored tit...

... and this other one.. the cinerous tit atop a lapsi cluster...

had a hard time identifying this oriental turtle dove ढुकुर .. turns out it is a juvenile one and doesn't yet have spots on the sides of its neck

what a beauty this blue whistling thrush.. equally melodious its whistling...

... and different sizes and hues if the great barbet न्याउली with their almost mournful cries

... the one on the right is large cuckoo shrike... and a closer look of the bird on the left is below...

... the large billed crow कालोकाग...

... and below are bird sounds in the morning.. from little chirps to cackling...

... it is fascinating to watch the immediate southern view of the valley with its mist-wrapped terrain early in the morning before sunrise...  the pinkish sky...

... that begins to turn orangish...

... and this is the northern view of the himalaya... before sunrise...

...an early morning panorama of the valley below and the himals beyond...

... once the  sun's rays hit the himals.. the birds (the steel ones) चीलगाडी take flight to the everest region and back.. this an atr...

...  and this an lta-410 ... off on a mountain flight or a trip to lukla..

... ganesh himal range glowing a deep orange with the added haze..

.. and himalchuli with manaslu.. the annapurnas were blocked by the winter haze..

.. close-up of ganesh 3...

...ganesh 2...

... ganesh 1...

.... and himalchuli...

... a closer look at the mushrooming houses now hugging the hillsides of the valley...

... ganesh himal range behind the lapsi tree, as the sun comes further up...

... and of course the mountain flights comeback to kathmandu..
shree's bombardier dash-8

... buddha's atr...

... and yeti's  twin otter...

... this was the last sunset of 2023...

... and this the first one of 2024...

... the lapsi trees catch the ruddy evening light of sunset...

... and as night falls, the birds are silent... but its the dogs in the distance barking on and on...

.. and what is a chilly hillside evening without a warm fire in an upcycled

washing machine drum!

... iti...

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!