Chapter 8: Kathmandu

Heaven Lake Extract

Vikram Seth's travelogue provides a vivid description of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. He visits two famous shrines, capturing the essence of the city's religious and commercial bustle.

The Contrast of Two Shrines

Pashupatinath

Hindu shrine. An atmosphere of "febrile confusion". Priests, hawkers, monkeys, and devotees create a chaotic but sacred environment by the holy Bagmati river.

Baudhnath Stupa

Buddhist shrine. In contrast, a sense of stillness. An immense white dome ringed by shops owned by Tibetan immigrants. A "haven of quietness."

Bustling Streets

Kathmandu's narrowest streets are mercenary and religious. Fruit sellers, flute sellers, and hawkers compete with the sound of film songs blaring from radios and car horns.

The Meditative Flute

Observation

The author is mesmerized by a flute seller. He notes that flute music is both "universal and most particular," connecting all of mankind through the "commonality of the living breath."

Poem: A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

A slumber did my spirit seal— I had no human fears. She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years. No motion has she now, no force— She neither hears nor sees, Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.

By William Wordsworth

Key Vocabulary

Febrile: Frantic
Haven: Safe place
Bansuri: Bamboo flute
Diurnal: Daily

Chapter Summary

  • Kathmandu is a city of sharp contrasts—chaos vs. stillness.
  • Music (the flute) acts as a bridge between different cultures.
  • The poem reflects on the stillness of death and nature's eternal cycles.