Monkey Temple

Just down the road from our home is the sacred 'Monkey Temple'. The temple can been seen for miles throughout the Kathmandu valley. It sits atop a wooded hill, which provides great views of Kathmandu from almost any direction. It has been a Buddhist pilgrimage destination since the 5th century AD.




Before you climb the 365 steps that lead up to the temple, you must consult your doctor. Otherwise, if you are in ill health, you are most certainly left panting for breath midway, and in your moment of weakness, be eaten by one of the many rabid dogs that roam the premises. Okay, not really, but you may get the feeling that you just climbed Everest once you reach the top.



There is much to see on the Monkey Temple grounds including, well, monkeys. They are mainly pissed off, angry monkeys that hiss whenever you walk by. Or, as Axel would call them, the crap monkeys. But regardless of the kind of monkeys they are, there are plenty of them and they will take food out of any kid's hand.





In addition to monkeys, there are plenty of funky statues depicting various gods. There is even a temple placed in honor Harati, the goddess of smallpox and other epidemics. I think it is just a tad bit strange that one must build a temple in response to a communicable disease, but if you're a country still trying to battle TB, I suppose you could use all the help you could get.



To add to the significance of this place, there is a secret temple in an underground chamber that houses what is to be believed as a centuries old figure who has power over the weather. It is said that if there is a threat of a drought, the King of Nepal would visit this being to bring on the rain. I wish I knew about him during my summers in Dubai, maybe a good rain cloud would have cooled down the constantly unbearable 42 degree weather.

I don't know what is creepier, my children or the statue



The walk led us to some great shopping near the end. You can find Buddha in any color, shape or size, all the new age CD's you could imagine, and dozens of incense fragrances. And luckily for us, not one of us died from poor weather, smallpox or any nasty dog bite, the gods were looking upon us and it was a fun filled afternoon for all!