Kathmandu Notes Chapter 8 Class 9 English

Author: Vikram Seth
Source: An extract from his travel book “Heaven Lake”

Vikram Seth describes his visit to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
He visits two famous temples – one Hindu and one Buddhist.
The chapter captures the sights, sounds, and experiences of Kathmandu’s crowded streets and spiritual atmosphere.
It also reflects the author’s feelings of homesickness and his thoughts about music and humanity.

A sacred place for Hindus only; a board says “Entrance for the Hindus only.”
The atmosphere is full of “febrile confusion” – meaning hurried activity and chaos.
The place is crowded with priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons, and dogs.
People try to get the priest’s attention and push each other.
A Nepalese princess arrives; everyone bows down to her.
Some Westerners dressed in saffron try to enter, but a policeman stops them because they are not Hindus.
A fight between monkeys adds to the confusion.
The holy Bagmati River flows below, where:
- A corpse is cremated,
- Washerwomen work,
- Children bathe, and
- A basket of wilted flowers is dropped from a balcony as an offering.
There is a small shrine on the riverbank.
- Belief: When the shrine fully emerges, the goddess inside will escape, ending the evil period of Kaliyug.

A huge white dome surrounded by a circular road.
Shops around it sell Tibetan goods like felt bags, silver jewelry, and prints.
The area is quiet and peaceful, unlike the crowded Pashupatinath temple.
This place is a haven of stillness in the middle of busy Kathmandu.

Streets are full of:

Fruit sellers, flute sellers, postcard hawkers
Shops selling cosmetics, chocolates, film rolls, copper utensils, and antiques.

The city is filled with sounds –

The author enjoys the liveliness and buys many small items:

Marzipan (sweet), roasted corn, comics, Reader’s Digest, and cold drinks like Coca-Cola and orange juice.

After eating and drinking, he feels refreshed and happy.

Vikram Seth thinks about which route to take back to Delhi.
He first imagines a long journey through Patna, Benaras (Varanasi), Allahabad, and Agra, but feels too tired and homesick.
He decides to fly home directly and buys a ticket from Nepal Airlines.

Near his hotel, he sees a flute seller standing in a corner of the square.
He holds a pole full of flutes, arranged like the quills of a porcupine.
The flutes are made of bamboo-cross flutes and recorders.
He plays softly and meditatively, without shouting to attract customers.
Selling seems secondary; playing music is his main joy.
The author imagines that this has been his simple way of life for years.

The author feels deeply moved by the flute music.
He thinks the flute is universal – every culture has its own version:
- Indian bansuri, Japanese shakuhachi, Chinese flute, South American flutes, etc.
The flute’s sound is closest to the human voice, as both need breath to produce sound.
For him, flute music symbolizes the unity and shared emotions of all mankind.
He is surprised that a simple sound affects him so much, something he never noticed before while returning home from abroad.