Sites visited today in Kathmandu

We had a good day going to several old and important Buddhist and Hindu religious sites in Kathmandu.  We hired a taxi driver with good English and set the agenda for the day.  We went to what the Internet references list as the top two holy pilgramage sites in Buddhism.  To save some stress in writing about the history etc of these places -- below are Internet links.

Wade through as much as you want. 

Bodinath 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudhanath

The Monkey Temple

http://www.google.com/search?q=monkey+temple+kathmandu&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

We then visited an important Hindu temple.  Wikipedia: Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most significantHindu temples of Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. 

This is where Hindu cremations take place with the ashes being put in the holy Bagmati river which runs into the Ganges -- Ganga -- in India.  There were three cremations in progress when we were there. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashupatinath_Temple

An area of Kathmandu known as Patan has an historic square -Durbar Square full of temples.  It was much less hectic than the Kathmandu Durbar Square, which we plan to visit tomorrow.  So I just included that link.  Kathmandu Durbar Sq is interesting because a young girl is selected to be a living goddess and lives in the square until puberty.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patan_Durbar_Square

A couple of blocks from the Patan Durbar Sq is a Buddhist temple -- the Golden Temple.  Beautiful place. 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/around-the-kathmandu-valley/patan/sights/religious-spiritual/golden-temple

Kathmandu Durbar Square Link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basantapur_Durbar_Square

Wikipedia:  At the southern end of Durbar Square is one of the most curious attractions in Nepal, the Kumari Chowk. This gilded cage contains the Raj Kumari, a girl chosen through an ancient and mystical selection process to become the human incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess, Durga. She is worshiped during religious festivals and makes public appearances at other times for a fee paid to her guards.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/nepal/kathmandu-kumari-ghar