What's the Deal with Kathmandu? Quiz

Answer: Tribhuvan International Airport

Tribhuvan International Airport is Kathmandu's airport, named for the former king, Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah. It was originally built in 1949 and was called Gauchaur Airport - "the place where cows graze". The airport was expanded in 1957 and the runway was changed from a grass strip to concrete. In 1964, the runway was relaid in a slightly different direction. This was actually done by my grandfather who was in charge of the project. He told stories of how, despite them putting up additional fencing, cows would still come to graze on the grass on the side of the runway and how landings would get aborted when the cows would stray onto the runway.

Due to extreme congestion in Kathmandu and the airport running at capacity, additional international airports were commissioned by the Nepalese government.

Shown is the airport in Kathmandu when I was leaving the city.

Answer: Monkey Temple

Swayambhunath is a temple complex atop a hill in the western end of Kathmandu. Its name means 'self-sprung' and it is one of the most holy sites for Buddhists in the world. When you enter the complex, one of the first things that you notice is the calm and quiet, despite the many vendors trying to sell the tourists baubles and souvenirs. The temple is overrun by monkeys which is why many people call the place the 'Monkey Temple'. Climbing nearly 400 steps to get to the top of the complex, a visitor is treated to a magnificent panoramic view of Kathmandu and the valley. The stupa at the top of the site is majestic and symbolic and a must-see for all visitors to Kathmandu.

Shown is the top of the stupa at Swayambhunath.

Answer: Marketplace

Thamel is located near the center of Kathmandu and is a commercial hub for tourists especially. Everything you can ever want can be purchased here, and every price is negotiable! It is designated a vehicle-free zone (though you may still encounter some who ignore the rule) and also a WiFi zone. There are many restaurants here and you can get a good sample of local and regional cuisines. Thamel is also where all mountaineers and trekkers begin and end their journeys making it a good place to exchange stories, equipment, and team up to go on adventures.

Shown is a brightly-coloured scarf store in Thamel. One of many stores where anything can be found.

Answer: Boudhanath

Boudhanath is a giant and majestic stupa in the northeast of Kathmandu. The remains of Kassapa Buddha (the Buddha before Gautama Buddha) are supposedly interred here. Once located on the trade route from Tibet to Lalitpur (thus going around Kathmandu entirely), now Boudhanath is an important site within the city drawing many tourists and pilgrims every year. There also were many gompas built surrounding the site housing Buddhist monks. The central spire is covered in actual gold.

Shown is the top of the spire atop the stupa at Boudhanath.

Answer: Bagmati

The Bagmati flows in the Ganges River in India; it is considered a holy river and Hindu funeral pyres are lit here for all of the people who pass away. The more important you are, the higher up along the river your body can be burned. The top bier is reserved for the king and his family.

Shown is a Hindu woman being prepared for her pyre at Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River. We stayed for a while watching as they began the pyre which would burn for days.

Answer: Royal

Kathmandu Durbar Square was the royal square serving as the residence as well as the seat of government of Nepal when there was still a monarchy. It is one of three Durbar Squares in the valley; I found it surprising that there were effectively three capital cities of three different kingdoms within a day's march of the other two. There is a large statue depicting the monkey god Hanuman in the square at the entrance to the Hanumandhoka. Another interesting thing about this square is that it is the home of the Kumari - the living goddess. She is an actual prepubescent girl who is said to be inhabited by the goddess Taleju and is worshipped by Hindus.

Shown is the Gopinath Temple in the Kathmandu Durbar Square. It was mostly restored from the 2015 earthquake that devastated the country.

Answer: Dreams

Also known as the Garden of Six Seasons, the Garden of Dreams is a surprisingly quiet and serene oasis in the middle of a fast-paced city. Located just outside the former royal palace and right off of a very busy street, the high walls surrounding the garden reduce the outside noise to a mere whisper. Once inside, a visitor is treated to pagodas, pergolas, places to sit, grass to lie on, a calming fountain, and a small museum of pictures of what the garden looked like in the past.

Originally built as a private garden in 1920, this garden fell into disrepair starting in 1964 when its original owner, Field Marshal Sir Kaiser Shumsher Rana, passed away. In the year 2000, the Austrian government stepped in and renovated over the next seven years to make the garden bloom again.

Shown is the cafe at the eastern end of the garden.

Answer: Patan

Patan Durbar Square is the former royal square of the Malla Kings. They built or perhaps renovated the square in the 16th and 17th century, and the architecture from that time remains visible all around. It is a great representation of the Newa people who used to rule the Kathmandu valley.

The square itself has a number of temples, the notable ones dedicated to Taleju (the personal god of the Malla kings), to Krishna, to Bhimsen, and to Shiva. The walk through the palace is intriguing and there are several impressive courtyards where you can appreciate the history.

Shown is the entrance to the Patan Durbar Square.

Answer: 55

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a very impressive site; it is much larger and less crowded than the other two Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley. It was the home of the Kings of Bhaktapur, a third kingdom whose capital was in the Kathmandu Valley (along with Patan and Kathmandu) and it was a prosperous kingdom seeing as how Bhaktapur was more isolated. In the square one can see the palace, Nge Nyapa Jhya Laaykoo (The Palace of Fifty-five Windows), many temples and statues, and a few magnificent gates.

The palace, nowadays, is used as a gallery and depicts the history of Nepal in an informative and intriguing way. It is depicted in the picture.

Answer: Bull

Pashupatinath is a series of temples dedicated to Shiva. It is built on the western bank of the Bagmati River that flows through Kathmandu. The temple itself is for Hindus alone. There are many temples and shrines around the site aside from the main temple.

One legend about the temple is that Shiva and his wife Parvati were at the place in the form of cows and were caught by the gods. Shiva's horn was broken off and was lost. When a farmer found his cow giving an abundance of milk, he dug into the ground and recovered the horn which was revered as a Shivalingam. Pashupatinath was built at that site.

Shown is the back end of the bronze bull. As I am not a Hindu, I was not permitted any further.