We spent several hours touring the of the large temples in the city. Two are Buddhist and one is Hindu. To say the least, the day provided the degree of sensory overload one might expect in a large city in a “developing” country. Unruly and loud traffic, comprised more than half by motorcycles and scooters, was the norm, but it all rather flowed, like water! At the first Buddhist temple, The Monkey Temple, and the Hindu temple, panhandlers were persistent and – discovered the hard way – dishonest. Some were very young children. Monkeys and fly-covered sleeping dogs appeared many places at the first Buddhist temple. Incense, votive candles, and small fires filled the air with aromatic smoke. The Hindu temple sported all stages of cremation alongside a sickly green trickle of a stream into which ashes are dumped once the pyre has cooled. At the second Buddhist temple we enjoyed listening to a young chap describe thangka art – highly detailed, colorful painting on impregnated cotton cloth with limitless variation on three themes: lives of Buddha, the circle of life, and mandala – generally circular designs each telling stories.
Link to panorama video at the Monkey Temple.
Stewart Travels 