Today in the main Darbur Square the Young Communist League had a rally. There were a lot of people here. I do not know much about the political situation here now, but for those who do not know anything, the Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist took over the government and defenestrated the king during a process spanning the last few years. I did not know what the speakers said, but the man in the picture used the word “America” with an uncomfortable regularity.
I went to one of the other Darbur Squares today, in Patan. Most impressive here was the museum, which signs said received remodeling from Austrian government. This museum was actually like a museum, and not just a crumbling lot of priceless artifacts stacked in a corner like some of the other museums I have seen here. My favorite piece at the museum was a bronze of Ganesh’s rodent holding a ladoo, which is a sweet.
There was some kind of women’s festival happening when I went. One of the touts said that women were doing dedication for their husbands, either present or future. The prashad they offer here has a lot more flowers than in UP and they put parts of flower in their hair, as well as paste them thickly on the forehead.
In both Darbur Squares which I have visited – there is a third, also – the touts who have approached me have been drunk. I am referring to six English-speaking touts around noontime.
Religion here in Nepal is especially troublesome for me to understand. I think that I am seeing a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion. I suspect that there might not be clear lines between these, and that all of these together may form a uniquely Nepali religion.