Coffee

@ home; no use of machine

Sundhara

Dharahara

Taken with Hazel j20i

Dharahara

Taken with Hazel j20i

Darhara

Dharahara (Nepali: धरहरा), also called Bhimsen Tower, is a nine story (50.2m) tall tower at the center of Kathmandu sundhara. It was built in 1832 by the Prime Minister of the time, Bhimsen Thapa of Nepal. Thapa built the tower under the orders of Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari.
The tower has a spiral staircase inside containing 113 steps and 25 steps outside it . The 8th floor holds a circular balcony for observers that provides a panoramic view of the whole Kathmandu valley. The tower has a 5.2m bronze mast on the roof. The tower has been open for the general public since 2005 for a small fee.
History
Dharahara is actually the second such tower made by Bhimsen Thapa. The original Bhimsen Tower was built in 1824 and was 11 stories high, 2 stories taller than Dharahara. Dharahara was built for queen Lalit Tripura Sundari, who was the niece of Bhimsen Thapa. She wanted a tower of her own next to Bhimshen's Dharahara.

Lalbandhi bandha

Manakamana trip

I was leaving PPS where I had worked for about two years. Already we( I and my close colleagues) were tired of working; no vacations and refreshment. After Repopt Card Distribution, we had planned to go somewhere to chill....



So, on 13th April 2011 i.e. The last of 2067BS. I, Saroj, Subash, Pusparaj and Binod, after Prakash's disapprobation, went to Manakamana temple which is located on the top of a hill in Gorkha. It is believed that the Goddess fulfils the wishes of the people. We stayed overnight there; enjoyed the beautiful hills around the temple.



a view from the back of a temple



It was drizzling when we reached there. This made the scenery more wonderful and delightful. The next day was New Year Day! We queued for two hous to worship the goddess though we'd already got up at around 3 am.

Inside the temple, there is a stone replica of the goddess. The priest were reciting the prayers. Pilgrims were ringing the bell...

Svein Westad plays two Norwegian tunes

Bouddha

The stupa is commonly known as Boudhanath, meaning lord of wisdom. The splendid dome of Boudhanath stupa is approximately 120 ft in diameter, 1hec in width and 43 m in height.

Beneath the dome, is an added terrace with a remarkable 108 niches filled with stone sculptured deities of the Nyingmapa School's pantheon. They replace the usual five Buddha shrines in defining the content of the stupa-mandala, these images were almost certainly commissioned all at once by Sakya Zangpo in the 16th century, when the present stupa was built or thereafter.
Boudhanath has been included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.