In and around the Pashupathinath temple the atmosphere was of ‘febrile confusion’. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, monkeys, pigeons, dogs all roamed about. The worshippers who were trying to get the priest’s attention were elbowed by others pushing their way to the front; saffron-clad Westerners were struggling to get permission to enter the temple; two monkeys were fighting; a corpse was being cremated on the banks of the river Bagmati. In contrast, the atmosphere at Baudhnath stupa had a sense of stillness. There was no crowd, small shops were owned by Tibetan immigrants. The author felt as if it was “a haven of quietness in the busy streets around”.
