Picture: 'Burning incense sticks under the foot of a Hindu god's statue'.
I needed a small escape from my work, but what to do for fun? I thought for a while and decided to get out of the house. While walking, I reached the main gate of Ratna Rajya higher secondary school located in Baneshwor. I looked inside the open gate; some children were playing jump rope and afterwards I found myself wandering inside the school.
There were several different temples inside the school grounds and a young boy was performing small pujas and lighting incense sticks at each of the small temples, one by one. It looked more like a religious site than a school. There was also a public library, which made the place well worth visiting.
It is amazing that there is such a quiet, charming place located so close to my home. To take an evening walk inside the school was much better than wandering the crowded Baneshwor streets. Exploring peaceful places in one’s own residential area is worth the time and effort. But unfortunately, many wonderful places like this one go unnoticed. On another day, I walked to the vegetable market to buy some ingredients for that evening’s meal. The way to the market was so crowded that I was constantly bumping into other pedestrians. The traffic on the Baneshwor-Old Baneshwor road was even worse.
Along the way, I got a bad headache—most probably due to the stress from the mass of people and pollution. Upon escaping the quickly moving crowd and stench of the nearby fish shop, I reached Chaku Baku Bhagavati temple, just steps away from the main chowk. It is so close to the bustling intersection yet so peaceful and charming. That evening, a group of devotees were singing bhajans. I sat there and listened. I felt very refreshed by the pleasing environment in the temple complex. The area around the Chaku Baku temple, is a beautiful place to spend some time in the evening. And it is amazing that such a beautiful place is less than 10 metres from the hectic sidewalks and streets surrounding Baneshwor chowk.
Exploring the city can be fruitful and pleasing. Finding new places within our own neighbourhood gives us a place to escape from the norm, without having to travel far. Everyone should explore new destinations inside the city. And as I found, you can also find some nice places very close to your own home.
(Published in 'Post Platform' in The Kathmandu Post on 10th April 2011)
thikai ho :(
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