In 2007, we went to Nepal. As we only had five days for the trip, mountain trekking wasn’t really an option. Mainly we stayed in Kathmandu, although we did make a day trip to an ancient temple complex, called Changu Narayan, which lay a few kilometres out of town. Changu Narayan is believed to date to the 4th century A.D. In Kathmandu itself, we joined the throngs of pilgrims and visitors climbing the 365 steps up to the Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as the Monkey Temple for the sacred monkeys which make their home there. Both Changu Narayan and Swayambhunath Stupa had small peripheral markets, selling all kinds of souvenirs, sacred and secular. This was of course a reminder that many sacred sites are really intersection points where commerce, tourism and pilgrimage meet and engage one another. This is true all over the world, in the Vatican, Lourdes, Santiago de Compostela, Rishikesh, or these Nepali temples. And while many of the trinkets on sale seem kitsch, this isn’t so out of step with the nature of religious aesthetics, which can also tend to the gaudy. We should also remember that while tourism may be a relatively modern addition to the mix (though not as modern as one might guess), pilgrimage and commerce have a long-standing shared history.
#gallery 011
#gallery 012
#gallery 017
#gallery 016
#gallery 018
#gallery 019
#gallery 015
#gallery 022
#gallery 021