This is the plaza at the bottom of the steps to the Swayambhu Temple. Lots of people were present when we came back down later in the morning.

Looking down the steep stairs from the top of the hill at the Swayambhu Temple Complex

Inside the window, in the shrine sat a monk. I stood nearby and watched for a while. People would come up and give him a 5 rupee note and he would bless them. The monkey hanging on at the top of the grating received slices of banana from time to time.

Some of the many monkeys hanging around in the temple complex. Some had babies clinging to their backs. They were on the move a lot!

Kathmandu reminds me of Moscow in the late 1990’s- you cannot judge by external appearances. I walked by this building many times without noticing it, but Prem and a friend took me inside one day.

A close up view of the Buddha statue inside the shrine. Its amazing what lies hidden just under the surface of things!

If you re-examine the daytime picture of the Buddha stupa in the previous post you will see the big yellow arcs that form the petals of a lotus flower at the top layer of the structure. Those petals were formed by a guy throwing a bucket of yellow paint in an arc. Funny, simple, yet effective!

There were only a few temples and shrines in Durbar Square in Kathmandu untouched by the earthquake. This was one.

Wood carving detail of one of the many beams that support the temple roof. The carvings in Bhaktapur had deteriorated enough that the detail was not discernible, but these were in fairly good shape.

The detail and beauty of the wood carvings on all of the temples and shrines have been amazing. This is from a temple in Durbar Square (Kathmandu).

A color temple in the square.

An intact temple in Durbar square.