Mt. Everest - Happy Rosh Hashanah (Happy Jewish New Year in Kathmandu

Rosh Hashanah in Kathmandu

We celebrated the first day of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) in Kathmandu. More to the point we celebrated it in a multicultural, religious, and cultural manner at the Boudhanath Stupa (or Bodnath Stupa) is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. It is the center of Tibetan culture in Kathmandu and rich in Buddhist symbolism. The stupa is located in the town of Boudha, on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu.

David & Dad in Front of Boudhanath Stupa

 on Rosh Hashanah

Star of David or Shatkona

This is a bit hard to see, but it looks exactly like a Jewish star.  In fact, it is a symbol composed of two overlaid equilateral triangles that form a six-pointed star  However, it is the Shatkona - a a symbol used in Hindu yantra that represents the union of both the male and feminine form. More specifically it is supposed to represent Purusha (the supreme being), and Prakriti (mother nature, or causal matter). Often this is represented as Shiva - Shakti. Many associate the symbol with enlightenment.

Monkey Temple

Rosh Hashanah was filled with religious symbolism and significance, celebrating with a visit to the sacred Monkey Temple.

View from On Top of the Monkey Temple

Concluding the Day with Respect for Those Who Have Passed

The day ended with a moment of reflection about our own mortality and with a solemn respect for those who have passed - one of the inevitable phases of all human beings everywhere.  We visited the crematorium. The bodies are brought to this sacred place by the river.  The bodies are draped in white cloth - symbolizing purity, which is used to show respect.  The red color on the cloth symbolizes fire, in this case impurities are burnt by fire.  The bodies are burned in the open and when they are reduced to dust, they are returned to the earth by placing the dust in the sacred river.

With great respect and reverence, we depart from Kathmandu, a holy city. We are honored to have been able to participate in a part of Hindu and Buddhist culture and religion on Rosh Hashanah - a sacred Jewish holiday.  Tomorrow we begin our trek to Mt. Everest.