KATHMANDU
BY VIKRAM SETH
‘Kathmandu’ is an extract from Vikram Seth’s travelogue ‘Heaven Lake’ which narrates his long
journey from China to India via Tibet and Nepal. The present extract is an account of his time spent
in Nepal visiting two temples – the Pashupatinath and the Baudhnath stupa, the shrines
most sacred to Hindus and Buddhists respectively. He not only describes the ambience inside these
temples but also records his observations about their surroundings and contrasts the hectic activity
in the Hindu temple with the serenity in the Buddhist stupa
The author first visited Pashupatinath Temple where he finds the atmosphere of confusion. Only
Hindus are allowed to enter inside the temple. He finds people performing different rituals
performing on the bank of the holy river Bagmati .He also knew about the belief related to the
end of the Kaliyug.
Next he visited Baudhnath Shrine, there is the sense of stillness in
contrast to the Pashupatinath temple. Tibetan immigrants were
selling different things on the side of the road. After this he roams on
the streets of kathmandu and finds it the busiest and more religious
city. These streets are crowded with fruit sellers, hawkers of postcards
etc. The shops sell western cosmetics, film rolls chocolates. It is the
noisiest city because of the honking sound of the cars , bells of bicycle
and the low of the cows and filmy songs of the radios .He becomes
tired and homesick and decided to return back to his home. He buys
air line ticket and return back to his hotel .Near his hotel he hears the
melodious sound of the flute seller which enchanted him. His care free
style of selling flutes pleases him. It reminds him of the commonality
of all mankind as the music of the flutes unites all mankind in one
single thread of universality. He was fascinated to the truth of the
flutes. He returns back to his home after a long time.
THEME
The theme of this brief extract from Vikram Seth’s travelogue, ‘Heaven
Lake’, is glimpses of Kathmandu, especially the famous Pashupatinath
temple, sacred to the Hindus, and the Baudhnathstupa, a holy place for the
Buddhists. His experiences in the two temples form a kind of commentary
on the two ways of worship and the two cultures. Another aspect of
Kathmandu that forms the sub-theme is the general environment of this
place. The author briefly discusses the markets, roads etc. of Kathmandu
and also adds a few aesthetic remarks about the musical instrument, flute
after listening to a flute seller playing the musical instrument.
MESSAGE
Although the extract is a part of a travelogue and the
narration of the experiences of the author in Kathmandu
without any apparent message, still it has deeper meaning.
The author disapproves of the noise and confusion in the
Hindu temple and admires the serenity reigning supreme in
the Buddhist temple. He also reveals how we thoughtlessly
pollute our rivers washing clothes on its banks, cremating
corpses, and dumping rubbish in them. The extract conveys
the message that the purity and serenity of the holy places
must be maintained.
