Stupa Stoop

I apologize for ending the last post a tad abruptly–the internet decided to enter a flaky mood, so I figured it was best to get the post up when I had the chance, as soon as the connection appeared again.  Yay, non-broadband.  Brings back memories of 1997.

And I’ll warn that my husband and I are apparently getting sick yet again.  Yay, dysentery.  Or other random bug, or bad food, or…

We were much better back at the end of the monsoon season, happily ascending Swayambhunath for some sight-seeing and pleasant exercise.  As I said yesterday, the entire hill is one continuous shrine.  From the bottom up, there’s more to look at than you can take in.  I keep studying my own photos and discovering new things in them all.

A pair of carved pillars flank one entrance to the hill.

A painted arch marks another entrance. (You're looking back down at the world outside.)

Note the kneeling deer in the picture above, and keep an eye out for them.  They’re a common symbol of Buddhism, commemorating the deer park where Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) delivered his first public sermon on Buddhism, an event that appears in artwork as commonly as the Sermon on the Mount in Christianity.  The wheel (or “chakra”) between the deer is another common symbol of Buddhism, and represents the teachings that lead to Englightenment.

Statues adorn the hillside, too.  I have numerous pictures of intricately carved stone, weathered by centuries.  But the three largest statues demand your attention as you start to ascend from the archway above.

A trio of Buddhas on the slope of the hill, each forming a different mudra (gesture of blessing and protection.)

A close-up of one of the Buddhas.

…And this is all still just the beginning.  I call it the “stoop” because, well, in case you haven’t noticed by now, I like word play.  But, too, this really is only the “porch” of the hill, the entrance, the introduction.  You may be wondering, “Where’s the stupa?”

If all goes well, tomorrow we’ll climb the steps.

Nepali of the Day:

meerga:  deer

teen:  3

paTak:  time; instance; occurrence

biraami:  sick

chu:  I am

mehina:  month

malaai ___ laagyo:  I feel ____

waak-waak:  nausea

chiso:  cold

taato:  hot

TeenpaTak, ek mahina-maa, ma biraami chu!

Malaai waak-waak lagyo.

Mero shrimaan-laai chiso laagyo.

Malaai TaaTo laagyo.