Trembling Temples

Pragya Rajouria

Bhaktapur has become the first of the three old municipalities to draw public attention to low flights by aircraft over its palace complex. Aircraft carrying sightseers hover above monuments creating considerable noise and vibration.

The noise and vibration caused by planes flying low may accelerate the deterioration of old monuments says Bishnu Raj Karki of Bhaktapur Heritage Office. Duration of exposure and decibel level are two key factors in noise pollution. He recalls when a concord flew over Kathmandu valley a few years back, it shattered windowpanes at his house. Sound pollution definitely harms monuments, but it might take years before any tangible proof of sound related damages appears.

Archeological expert, Bhim Bar Singh Thapa shares Mr. Karki’s views. According to Mr. Thapa aircraft noise is detrimental to the old monuments, which have already been weakened by earthquakes and other natural forces. The building material used in these monuments have exhausted their life span. The slightest of external forces may cause the monument to collapse. The cracks that have scarred the monuments at Bhaktapur Durbar Square are not the result of recent stress. They are rather the combined effect of years of vehicle-induced vibration and other impacts.

The Bhaktapur Royal Palace built by King Yaksa Malla in 1427 AD is a major example of the damage. Its famous hall with exquisite mural paintings leading to the king’s bedchamber (kophi kotha) is no longer open to visitors. It has cracks on all four walls and the wall facing the street outside has developed a precarious bulge, making restoration extremely complicated.

Bhaktapur is the best preserved of three old cities of the Kathmandu Valley. Many shrines of Nepalese and Indian design adorn Bhaktapur Palace Square. Its temples and monuments are the architectural feats of the Malla kings. Ronald M. Bernier in his "The Temples of Nepal" writes that many of the structures in Bhaktapur may be considerably older than those in Patan and Kathmandu and of great value historically. Considering the heavy damage the town suffered in the 1934 earthquake, its monuments are remarkably well preserved. Except for the recent vandalism during the Bisket Jatra, the people of Bhaktapur are fiercely protective of their historical treasures. They have united to keep their historic city clean and keep its old monuments intact.

The recent surge in low elevation flights above the old town area by sightseeing tourists has greatly worried Bhaktapur municipality. The municipality states that the town’s ancient monuments are sitting ducks for the resulting vibration and displaced air pressure. Since Nepal has no aviation law on noise pollution, Bhaktapur municipality has requested the Civil Aviation Authority to direct helicopters and small aircraft not to fly low.

Bhaktapur municipality and archeological authorities have a message for the public. Damage resulting from natural calamities is unavoidable, but it is the responsibility of every citizen to protect monuments of the historic sites from preventable damage.

Trekking with a difference

By Graham Saunders-Griffiths

A few weeks ago I was asked whether I would like to join a group of tourism officials who were conducting a feasibility study for a brand new trekking route in the mid hill region of Nepal. I sensibly accepted the invitation and am now back in Pokhara after an adventure quite unlike anything I have previously experienced in Nepal.

Having spent the last four months in Pokhara paragliding, I was invited (ostensibly) to see if the proposed Millennium trek held any good paragliding possibilities. From the limited information I had gleaned about the route in advance, it seemed worth a closer look. In truth, paragliding possibilities were far from ideal with few suitable landing areas and awkward take-offs. However, although the area was unsuitable for paragliding it was without doubt the best trek I have ever been on.

Our route took us from Dhor Phirdi to Majhakot Sibalaya through a myriad of different environments from boulder-strewn river gorges to lush forests and beautifully carved terraced fields. The trails were generally in very good condition, although there were some areas where the path seemed to disappear without a trace, or drop down into an abyss. For four days the trekking route follows a well established ridgeline path which is flat and easy. At every turn, there are unbeatable views of the Himalaya, and as always the sunrises are an unbeatable way to start the day.

Each day, we ate, drank, walked, danced and slept the living culture of the particular village we happened to be in- some of which were Brahmin, Chetri, Gurung, Magar and Tamang. Early in the morning on our third day, our group arrived at the Gurung village of Gharedi for a light breakfast and discussion about the development of tourism in the region. Soon after breakfast, the welcome drink (local wine) took hold of events and the band started playing for the traditional dancers who accompanied us with the entire village down to the ‘Millennium Cave’ for a hysterical grand opening. Whilst cascades of water dropped from the ceiling of the cave and bats darted everywhere above our heads, a hundred people danced to the rhythm of Gurung culture echoing through the cave. The band even followed our group half way to our next destination on the trek. It was a truly memorable morning.

Each village we visited was fascinating in its own way. The village themselves were swathed in colour as the flowers and trees came into full blossom, and the intensity of colour could only be matched by the kaleidoscope of colours seen on the traditional dress of the village people. Every effort was made by the villagers to ensure that our group was well fed and entertained, and by the time the trek was coming to a close, I had put on weight and was well versed in the traditional dances of the region.

It seemed a shame that time forbade me to stay a while longer to get under the skin of the village way of life. I was interested to learn about the local schools, farming practices and cuisine, but our agenda meant that we had to keep moving. Many of the villagers here have poor water facilities and really struggle to make ends meet, yet their enthusiasm to be our host was quite overwhelming.

The incidence of local wine and dancing seemed to steadily increase as the week wore on. On some days there would be three cultural programmes to participate in, and in between we would walk maybe ten or so kilometres. The hospitality and friendship of our hosts en route began to rub off on our group. As the trip progressed, it became clear that the reception and hospitality offered by each village had exceeded all expectations of those organising this new route. At the village of Raipur, four hundred people queued up to shake my hand as I entered the village, and by the time I had taken my seat at the village VDC headquarters I was barely able to see through the mountain of flowers and malas I had accumulated.

It was a rare privilege to be a part of this journey through the real Nepal. Marisa Williams and I were treated with a special level of hospitality which on many occasions left us feeling simply speechless. Seen as the first international guests of a new trekking area, we were bestowed with gifts and looked after in every respect imaginable. I left the trip with many newfound friends and places, and an overwhelming desire to return.

There are however many real concerns in the promotion of this trekking route, not least of which is the fear that large numbers of tourists would have a negative impact on the variety of cultures encountered on the trail. Tourism inevitably has an impact on the local environment and community, but this does not necessarily mean that traditional villages should adapt their way of life to suit the needs and wants of the tourist. Cultural tourism, which is what I believed this trekking route personifies, means adapting to and learning from the traditional ways of life of the village people.

The modern traveller must recognise that he has a responsibility to work hard at preserving the cultural integrity of the environment he is visiting, and that means forgetting about creature comforts such as hot showers and western cuisine. Because it is in understanding this that the future of cultural tourism lies.

A sound policy for the sustainable development of this region as a tourism area is of paramount importance. With innovative management and marketing, the Millennium Trek will offer not only an improved quality of life to the villages, but also a real glimpse of Nepal to those tourists who are prepared to deviate from traditional forms of trekking. It is a great shame that traditional values have disappeared in many of Nepal’s trekking regions. It would be equally disturbing to witness the disintegration of this region’s cultural integrity. But there is much to be encouraged by. More tourists than ever are becoming aware of the need to consider their own personal impact on the environment, and are doing their part to ensure that sustainable tourism is, and will remain to be, a success in Nepal.

Plant cure-ios

By Manisha Bhattarai and Sheela Thapa

As part of a practical examination, Jivaka, a student of medicine at Taxila during the 5th or 6th century BC, was asked by his teacher to take a spade and go around the town for approximately 8 miles on every side and uproot any plant which did not possess medicinal properties. After a lot of searching, Jivaka to his dismay found none and reported this to his teacher. Jivaka later went on to become the much-famed physician to lord Buddha.

While it was hard for Jivaka to find plants that did not possesss any medicinal properties, it is also difficult to find ailments for which plant remedies are not available. From constipation to diarrhoea, from mental depression to hypertension, man has resorted to the use of plants and their product to cure his ailments.

All cultures from ancient times to the present day have used plants as a source of medicine. Today, according to the World Health Organization WHO as many as 80 percent of the world’s people depend on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. An interesting point is that, depending on geographical position, use of plants are different for the same diseases.

Chiraita (Swertia chirayita) the most common plant use for multipurpose diseases like cold and cough, fever, diarrhoea. The whole part is equally important. Lokta (Daphne papyraces) known for making Nepali paper but very few people know the value of its root. It is used for antipoisoning. Others are Bisma (Aconitum bisma) used for chills, intestinal parasities or as a general stomach tonic and the seeds of Timur (Zanthoxylem armatum), poisonous in large quantities, are also eaten raw as a leech repellent.

Likewise there are some common plants used in cuts and wounds. Banmara (Eupatorium adenophorum), Jhyau (Parmelia cirrhata), Abhijalo (Drymaria diandra), Titepati Artemissis dbia) etc. Root of Pakhanbed (berginia Ciliata) and bark of Okhar (Juglens regia) used for relief from body pains.

Leaf of Bel (Aegle marmelos) decreases eye pain. We shouldn’t forget the very common Bojho (Acorus calamus) the rhizome of which is used for treatment in dogbite. The roots of some plants like Ainselu (Rubus ellipticus), Siru (Imperata cylindrica), Amriso (Thysanolyaena maxima) are anthelmintic. Rootstock of Thulookhati (Astible rivularis) are used for maternity complaints. Root of Padamchal (Rehum australe) is used for stomach aches. Half of the total population in hilly regions use Sisnu (Utrica dioca) as a delicious vegetable. The root of this shrub is used to remove pimples and scabies. Kutki (Picrorhizaa scrophulariae) the national flower, are dried, ground and mixed in food to cure diarrhoea. These are some common plants used as medicine in hilly regions. Terai plants are also found to have great medicinal value.

Neem (Azadischta indica) is a well known plant in terai. It has various uses. The leaves are used as pesticides, it can be given in high fever and the stem is used to make the local toothbrush (Datiwan). Chariamilo (Oxalis corniculata) is a diffused hairy herb used to cure scurvy. Salla (Pinus roxburgi) is a very common plant, the resin of this is very effective for antiscorpion bites. Betha (chinopodium), a weed in the wheat field is a very delicious vegetable. Like wise Mewa (Carica Papaya) is a well known fruit containing vit-A. It is used in stomach swelling due to liver problems. Tite Karela (Mojordica charrantia) is a delicious vegetable and achar. Bhang (cannabis sativa), cultivated all over Nepal, also has many medicinal properties. Fruit is used as antisnake bite. Shisam (Delbergia sisso), one of the main trees of Nepal, also has high medicinal value. The leaf juice of this plant is given in high fever.

Though these are a few examples of common dedicinal plants, we still have more plants having such fascinating properties. The value of such plants is more important in a developing country like ours. Due to shortage of trained manpower and facilities, modern health services have not reached the greater part of the country where the majority of the population live. This shortage has been compensated for by existing folk health care systems in which knowledge and practices are not directly related through any of the recognized systems but comes entirely through oral tradition and personal experience. Most of the medicinal plants are being extracted for drug and pharmaceutical industries. This has adversely affected the existence of a number of plants of highly commercial value.

The value of such plants is increasing day to day, though many of them are now endangered. If this continues nothing will be left.

Now that we are in the dot.com age, few of us have time to look at the world around us. The only way to find a balance with nature is that we need to be aware. The more effort we make to know the plants, the more they will reveal to us.

Hirokazu kobayashi and the healing touch

By Rita Raj Gurung

At both small, cozy healing sessions at the homes of friends or at mass open-air gatherings, Japanese healer, Hirokazu Kobayashi holds equal sway. By drawing the physically afflicted, the mentally and emotionally "dis-eased" and the plain curious to his sessions, what is he trying to achieve? An enriching association with him that began last year, as one of his translators and co-healers, has given me considerable insight into this special young person's life.

The message, I feel is this-- there are loving, healing energies flowing freely in the universe and we must work to reconnect ourselves with this nourishing life-force energy. Kobayashi is using his precious spiritual energy to bring about this re-connection. All of us are connected to this cosmic energy from birth, meaning that each of us is innately good and our true self is always pure. But as time passes and life put us through the grind, mental and emotional blocks develop in our system which either make us lose this connection with the loving source of our spiritual, inner strength or greatly reduces this nourishing energy. Poor health, emotional hurt and pain and all-round disharmony and imbalance result.

The work of healing is not confined to the healer alone. The recipient must purely desire the highest possible connection for one's best self-interest and open up one's mind to receive the healing energies willingly. Many individuals are persuaded or literally forced by friends and family to come to a healing session, but they themselves are not willing to admit that they need help. They also have a lack of faith in a healing modality that smacks of superstition or "mumbo-jumbo". This sets up unnecessary emotional blocks within the individual and creates negative vibrations that block or delay the process of healing. So all that an individual needs to do is to accept the healing energy with childlike faith, without intellectualizing too much. During the healing sessions Kobayashi repeatedly emphasises the need for an "open-mind". He says, "Sometimes miracle cures do take place but it takes time generally, for the good effects of the healing energy to filter down into our lives- sometimes a few days, a few weeks or months or even a year, depending on the individual's faith and nature of the ailment. Chronic, deep-seated problems naturally take longer to heal but relief can be felt after a few healing sessions itself". The healing energy brings about a cleansing, purification process in the body. Many have an excellent emotional release and they cry profusely or laugh out loud. Some feel they are getting worse as their pain increases, or they may develop a slight fever, tiredness, diarrhoea, vomiting nausea, lethargy, slight depression etc. These last for a few days and are excellent signs that the disease or disharmony is being dealt with. The pure energy is working on the blocks in the energy channels to remove negative, damaging energies by activating the main Chakras and endocrine glands to dissolve toxins of all nature.

During the sessions, Kobayashi transmits energy to the gathering, time and again through his Ajna Chakra, the Third Eye point in the centre of his forehead. He asks the gathering to watch this energy point with deep concentration. As the session proceeds he transmits a higher level of energy through the added use of both his palms. This is his method of transferring energy so that each one's energy channel is opened up and one is empowered to heal himself and others. He also demonstrates how articles like watches, spectacles, jewellery, clothing and other items of daily use can be energised and used for one's benefit. A good idea is to give energy to one's food and drink before taking it. Even plants grow better and faster in the vicinity of Kobayashi because they receive loving vibrations from his presence.

During the sessions, he says, "You should not entertain angry, worried or disturbing thoughts while attending the sessions as they produce negative vibrations. This type of energy cannot be used for good work".

It is highly positive to receive energy as often as possible from the healer. It's like filling up the spiritual tank. You will be connected more and more to the higher powers of the universe and there's no limit to the blessings that such empowerment can bestow. Prophetic dreams, mystical experiences and inexplicable phenomena are signs of contact with the higher powers.

Kobayashi emphasises the fact that one can heal oneself, the family, relationships, situations, attitudes, the environment and the world with positive vibration. What we need to do is to fill our hearts with loving, compassionate thoughts and sincerely wish well for ourselves and others. Positive, healing thoughts start to flow to us and from us to others. This is what heals, for thoughts have power, energy and vibration.

We may not always be able to change the way things are but we can change the way we look at them and how we react to them. Trying to live in a state of gratitude, feeling grateful for what we've been blessed with, brings about a contented mind.

Kobayashi says, "I love Nepal. I respect the Nepali religion and Nepali people, their culture and tradition and I am very happy to work with them. I believe a divine force has brought me here to make good relations with the Nepali people". The sincerity of this statement is proved as one watches him at work with the swarms of people who flock around him during his healing sessions. He interacts with love, compassion and kindness-the stuff that builds bridges of harmony and friendship. His nature exudes warmth, spontaneity and caring. His laugh is easy and hearty-a mirror of his simple, child-like core. There is no pretence, no high and mighty attitude, no self-centredness.

Kobayashi used to hold bi-weekly Healing Workshops at "Shuvatara School". Kobayashi is not fazed by the masses. "I am happier if there are more people. I believe that if I can transfer my healing ability to more and more people, then I can empower many more to become effective "channels" to spread good vibration all around. I think many good things will happen then". In halting English, Kobayashi explains, that once individuals are reconnected to their uncontaminated source of pure universal love they will receive the life-long ability to heal themselves and others. But if anyone entertains unholy thoughts and intentions and tries to use this power for harmful purposes, it will not work. In fact, after sometime the negative vibrations will back-fire on themselves and they will go through serious "correctional" measures in the form of grave disease, misfortune, accidents and mental and emotional trauma.

Kobayashi says he feels a lot of positive vibrations in the temple areas of Nepal. He feels the Nepalese have a great deal of respect and devotion for spiritual things. This is one of the reasons why he loves to come back to Nepal. "The Western world", he says "tends to rationalize and intellectualize a lot. This can sometimes be a stumbling block".

Kobayashi communes with his light balls- brilliant balls of white light in order to receive power to heal and help. Ever since this light ball appeared seventeen years ago in his sick room where he was very ill with Asthma and entered his body, he has been blessed with the ability to heal.

These light balls guide him, communicate with him and transmit power to him. He says, "This is not my own power. It comes from another world. It is divine. Sometimes one can see the light balls in photographs. I pray to the light balls for any help". Holy monks in Thailand have told him that these light balls are Celestial Bodies like Angels and Devis, Devtas who help him to heal. He continues to see these glowing lights around him and even when he closes his eyes, he continues to see bright light. He has been told that his healing powers will continue to grow more and more even till his last days.

To dream to fly

By Binay Budhathoki

How I yearn to throw my self into endless space and float above the awful abyss." With these words the German Poet Goethe expressed the dreams of mankind since the beginning. Humans have only to watch the flight of birds to feel the weight of their earthly imprisonment. The greatest challenge since then for man was to fly freely above the horizon. Experimental flights however were believed to have started in the European middle ages when the vanguard of a long succession of "tower jumpers" trusted their lives in homemade wings built on the assumption that the bird's wing was the source of its lift and the flapping process was the source of its propulsive power. While logically correct, the early tower jumpers didn't realize the fact that the wings they made could not produce the amount of lift required to raise a human body entirely.

The answer is simple, humans are not designed to fly. An average sized person of 150 pounds would have a breastbone protruding six feet in order to accommodate the muscles needed to power a set of wings capable of lifting him off the ground. It was not until 1680 that an Italian, Giovanni Borellin, studied the details of human structure, bones and muscles. From which he concluded that, "It is impossible that man should be able to fly craftily by his own strength." However Borellin's findings may have deterred a few prospective jumpers but the bone shattering research went on.

Until the end of the 18th century little or no progress was made, except by the genius of the renaissance period, Leonardo da Vinci, who approached flight in a true spirit of science. After Leonardo for more than 200 years the attempt of flight was stalled. Not until the late 1700s did flight take a new turn when Joseph Montgolfer discovered that hot air balloons could rise. On 1783 on the grounds of Paris the balloon was set and the mooring lines were cut off, and the big balloon began to rise. Another man Zeppelin discovered hydrogen too could lift. In 1936, the Hindenburg, a hydrogen inflated balloon rose up with seventy two passengers, bar and a lounge complete with a grand piano. In the 14th month of its existence it had made 63 flights. But on May 6, 1973 when the Hindenburg was preparing to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey it caught fire and the loss of 36 lives was the tragic end of the hydrogen airship.

Historically the accomplishment of true powered flight owes a basic debt to the genius of 4 men- Sir George Cayley, Otto Lilienthal , Wilbur and Orville. Many others tried to fulfill the greatest dreams of mankind. Still it remained unsolved, but that achievement waited for the Wright Brothers, the bicycle makers from Dayton, Ohio. In 1900 after considerable study they decided to build a glider but it had poor stability and control. They did more research on the findings of others. "We saw," they later wrote, "that the calculations upon which all flying machines had been based were unreliable and that all were simply groping in the dark.

Having set out with absolute faith in the existing scientific data, we were driven to doubt one thing after another, till finally, after two years of experiment we cast all aside... Truth and error were everywhere so intimately mixed as to be indistinguishable." Finally the brothers successfully created a true powered glider. In 1903 Oliver took the controls and flew the glider at Kitty Hawk, although the flyer was airborne only 12 seconds and traveled 120 ft. man proved that an object heavier than air could rise. "This flight lasted only 12 sec" Oliver reported , "but it was, nevertheless, the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had risen by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it had started."

At last the brothers achieved mankind's ageless dream. They had over thrown the challenge of nature, instead throwing a challenge back to nature.

Fanning the faith of singers

By Binay Kr Pokharel

Nepalese pop songs have witnessed rapid headway during the past five years. The start of FM stations largely contributed to the fostering and nurturing of pop songs. The result being, a constant increase in pop singers, some of whom turn into heart-throbs for thousands of their fans. Prominent pop singers say that the major force behind their continued involvement in the pop scene is their fans, most of whom are young people and teenagers.

The demand for pop singers is constantly increasing with their ever-growing fans - mostly teenagers. No matter what the income they generate through their music, they seem very satisfied mainly due to the love, support and encouragement they get from their fans. The letters and the phone calls they receive and the audience response during live concerts all act as a boost to their spirits and give them strength to move ahead in spite of the challenges and fallbacks. The reality is that it is very difficult for the singers to sustain themselves only through music in the long run, but they continue to accept the challenges because of the encouragement they get from their fans.

The fans have had a great impact on their lives. In fan-mail received by the top singers, the fans write about songs and singers, and sometimes show feelings of deep infatuation towards the singers. On the one hand, the fan mail makes them feel good and happy, and on the other hand, they feel irritated by the repeated phone calls they get every time. "Too much of anything is bad and it is very difficult to convince them on line," said Diraj Rai, one prominent pop singer. "I give responses according to the mentality of the fans," he says. For school-goers, he makes an excuse to be their friend and to the mature ones, he tells them to be practical in life.

One heartthrob among pop singers, Navin K Bhattarai, who receives large numbers of fan mail, has kept those letters with utmost care. Showing the letters with a smile on his face, he says, "I feel lucky and happy to receive such letters from fans here and outside, who I have not seen and known personally." He feels good and considers the support and love shown as one great achievement in his life.

One of the youngest pop singers Raju Lama of Mongolian Hearts, receives around 200 fan-mail a month and tries to reply to as many as possible. He sees such mail and phone calls as a source of encouragement and confidence. Recalling one incident in a programme in Hong Kong in 1998, he says, "It was one of the biggest shows, where there were 45 artists performing their songs. Among them, I was the youngest, so was nervous. My turn came at 3.00 a.m., after long hours of waiting. As soon as I started singing I got cheers and support, which I had never thought of. The audience lifted me onto their shoulders. I feared that the microphone would slip from my hand; but I gave a very excellent performance, and this was mainly because of the confidence I got from them."

Mohan Bhusal, a handsome pop singer, keeps fan-mail with care and he feels that the best gift for him is their love and support. He says, "There is the tendency for the number of fans to increase immediately after a concert or such kind of other performance". He has more female fans than males. But, after the release of the song man mile juraunu pardaina, the number of male fans increased and he feels it might be due to them relating more to the song.

Shanta Bajracharya, singer of Deurali Band, Pokhara, feels happy when fans come up for his autograph. Due to the time pressure, it is not possible to meet fans, so he talks on the telephone. Members of the band Gloomy Guys of Banepa say, "When we meet our fans, they get surprised by seeing us mainly because they find us very simple unlike their expectation of being like a ‘Hep’ with long hair and ear-rings".

However, Jems Pradhan has more male fans then female ones ranging from children to the elderly. Female singer Mamata Dipbim has an equal number of fans both in Nepal and abroad. She says that some of them have become so close almost like family members.

Kranti Ale, singer of the new band Dr. Pilot, which is gaining rapid popularity among the fans, says, "When I picked up the phone, I heard a female voice asking about Dr. Pilot. I felt very nervous but felt very happy."

MAIN