"Durbar Square" appears in every Kathmandu travel guide, because this is the heart of Kathmandu, aka one of the world heritage site monument zone.
Yet, Norbu told us that Durbar means Palace in their language, and there is a Durbar Square in every state, so to be accurate, you have to tell the driver which Durbar Square you want to go as there is another Durbar Square in another province which just less than 2 hours driving distance from Kathmandu.
Yea, so the Durbar Square in Kathmandu named Hanuman-dhoka Durbar.
The destination of 2km walking tour in 2 to 3 hours in
my previous post is Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square, and this square is so contenting and
you can never see it all (the museum aka main building, temples surrounding outside and Kumari aka the living goddess ) in a few hours, so we made that day just for temples and Kumari Ghar (temple) visit, and we came back for the museum after Pokhara.
However, i'm going to write it all in this post since all is in the same area and i do not have much photo of the museum and Kumari Ghar aka temple, because photo taking is strictly prohibited.
Before i start, i'll just answer a few questions because i know you will need those information to plan your schedule.
1. How much is the ticket?
- Foreigner RS750 ('bout RM20), local is free. In fact, this square is where the local people usually hang out.
- Member of South Asian Association for Reginal Coorperation (SAARC) is RS150 ('bout RM5).
2. Do i need to buy a ticket if i just want to visit the temple surrounding but not the museum?
- Yes, the authority has set up a few ticket counters in the main road that connected to that area, if you're not in their color, the local you direct you to the counter once you step into that area.
- However, some tourist did escape by saying they're just passing by.
- One ticket is valid for museum, temples surrounding and Kumari Ghar. You'll be given an entrance ticket receipt, and you have to show it to prove quite frequently.
3. How long does i need for the museum, temples and Kumari Ghar visit?
- Again, depend on what kind of tourist are you. If you just want to see and go, you can get it done in half day.
- If you're a leisure tourist and have all the time by your own, just slow down your pace to talk to the local, they loves to talk to foreigner to practice their English, (Of course, you will meet a lot of kid speaking fantastic English, just to ask you buy their souvenir) have tea in restaurant nearby, read every description in the museum and just to see Kumari, the living goddess for another time (Kumari only meet followers and tourist twice a day, 12nn and 4pm), you will need on whole day.
4. What if i cant finish in one day? Do i need to buy ticket again for second visit in some other day?
- No, because you can extend your ticket validation date for free.
- Yes, for free.
- Just go to the office ticket near Kumari Ghar, tell the officer you want to extend your ticket and they will extend it till your visa due date.
- Local will not tell you about this, but if you've done all the research, you will know this open secret.
- For ticket extension, you will need a passport photo and your original passport for validation.
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| our visitor pass, and the officer paste our photo wrongly. =.= |
Below is the floor plan of the square, i have pointed out a few highlights and trust me, you will be referring this map over and over again when you were there.
And here we go! I will show more photos than words now.
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| Ticket counter has ticket extension information, but the front desk won't tell you. |
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| keep this ticket and extend it in the same day, extension is valid for the issue date only. |
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| As i said, the local hang out place. |
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| but you just cant ignore those amazing work. |
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| beautiful temple. |
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| and every temple is a piece of great artwork. |
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| we first thought this is a temple, until we seen the craving on the top |
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| cant see? Lets zone in. |
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| Hindi believe in Ying Yang balance, and sex is the vitality of the earth. |
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| another temple in Islam style |
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| the color of history. |
Alright, i left out one information, about the tour guide who asking you to hire them for tour.
We met a few once we step into the area, and the one in this video pestered us for like 15 minutes. We had no plan to hire one because we have Lonely Planet with us, and the price he offered is way to high, which is NPR1600 ('bout RM50)!
So we showed our shocking face and walk away, he just follow us all the way to whenever we go, we just refuse him politely by saying we're budget traveler and that is too much for us.
And guess what, eventually he made the deal of NPR600 (RM18). I kid you not, i written down this in my travel diary so no chance that my memory serve me wrongly.
But frankly speaking, we cant understand his language 100% because of accent, and too many godess names that we're not familiar with, haha.
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| This is the God he was talking about, all we got from his description is this God is a drunkard, haha. |
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| taken from another temple. |
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some God inside stupa.
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So we went back to Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square after we came back to Kathmandu from 4d3n in Pokhara.
The focus of that day was museum.
Frankly speaking, i didn't expect anything in the museum because i'm not really interested in history, things that can catch my eye are beautiful vintage old artwork.
And guess what, you get it all in the museum. In fact, the building itself is amazingly awesome!
We spent at least 4 hours in the museum, the place is so huge that you don't even know which part of the building you were, and you will feel time-wraped, because the old Palace is connected to modern European style white building, which used to or has been the place to cater diplomat.
This museum is certainly one of the best museum in Asia, and worth what you have paid.
Too bad, photo is not allowed in the entire place, you can only take the building photo from the patio, plus authorities person everywhere in the place, some even with gun, who dare to take picture la!
And that's the reason why i decided to make the 2 days posts all in one day.
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| faces that we seen outside the entrance of museum |
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| love this one too. |
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| the entrance, army is guided outside. |
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| this pic is taken in the patio after museum visit. Despite the scary AK47, the army is friendly. |
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| One and only photo we took inside the museum, a quite corner with an old artistic wooden window frame. |
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| Polaroid camera helps us to make friend! People who helped us take this in patio ohhhed happily and wait to see the photo to be clear together with us. |
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Alright, the next one is Kumari.
We made museum visit and Kumari Ghar visit in the same day.
Kumari aka the living goddess is a traditional way to worship the god. They believe God will possessed on the body of human being.
So God officer will find the one among all the little in the country, she must be virgin and young, and she have to fulfill 32 physiological characteristics to become the Kumari.
Once she was selected, she has to separate with her family to stay in Kumari Ghar, accept the worship from her follower until her first period, and that represent she is not pure and clean to be the living goddess anymore.
Traditionally, ex-Kumari represent bad luck, the entire society will avoid to see or hire her, no man would marry her because she brings bad luck.
This is very sad.
Although the younger generation no longer reject ex-Kumari, but some old people still treat them cold.
Again, this is very sad.
Old and traditional wisdom or believe is one of my biggest of live, and that make me travel to more countries with rich cultures like Nepal, but the more i know about the story behind, its some how make me feel sad.
Aihh...
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| entrance of Kumari Ghar. |
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| some craving on the way, make me feel not comfortable. :( |
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| come cross the small entrance ( purposely to make it small, so everyone has to bow to Kumari), that is a small patio that surrounding by wall like this. |
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| while waiting Kumari to wave to her follower and tourist from the window, we can still take picture one the building itself. |
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| small door and window, because this is for the little girl God. |
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| Foreigners is not allow to go into the building, and guides are watching who is taking picture in every corner. |
Once Kumari aka the little girl came to wave from the window in 3rd floor, all of her followers knee down and workship, John and I can never forget her eye, she is only 8 years old and properly don't know what she is doing right now and what's coming to her life in the future.
John and I walked out quietly right after Kumari gone back to the building for her study.
We found a cafe nearby, and had our evening tea in the place.
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| right is Kumari Ghar, left is modern office building. |
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| taken from a cafe. |
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| that is monkey temple, our next destination. |
Alright gtg, next post will be monkey temple, and i will start Pokhara post after that.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
20140209, 0952pm
Rach in itchy mood.
