KATHMANDU, Nepal—Crowds filled the streets below the gold tower of the Swayambhunath temple on Monday, lighting candles at roadside stands and buying bouquets of yellow daisies and incense to offer at the altars on Buddha’s birthday, a major holiday in Nepal. See related story in B3-2.
Karma Lama, a Buddhist scroll painter, stood watching a line of robed monks chant, beat drums and ring bells beneath one of two gold statues at the foot of the temple, a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site.
“When people have a holy day, they come together and talk about what happened. It’s human nature. Then they see they are not suffering alone,” Lama, 52 said.
Buddha’s birthday took on added significance this year after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake centered northwest of Kathmandu struck on April 25, killing more than 7,276, damaging the temple and scores of other landmarks and leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and displaced.
Many of those who took to the streets of the capital on Monday to reclaim their everyday lives said it felt good, but they also acknowledged that it would likely take years to rebuild homes and livelihoods.
Rajyamuni Shakya, a grocery store owner placing candles at the foot of one of the outdoor altars, had reopened his store a few days earlier, and noticed many storefronts had reopened on Monday.
“You have seen the number of people visiting the temple. That’s another sign things are returning to normal,” Shakya, 32 said.
Shakya’s house was damaged by the quake, but he felt reassured about its safety after an engineer inspected it. The school attended by his daughters, ages 8 and 14, remained closed because of quake damage, he said.
“I have no idea when it will open,” Shakya said as the girls stood with him by the altar.
Nearby, Khada Bahadur Gamal stirred a vat of “khir,” or rice pudding, traditionally served on Buddha’s birthday, while working for a group that organized a food giveaway.
Gamal, 46, said he often works part-time catering jobs. His family was living in a tent on an abandoned lot because their home was destroyed in the quake. He said his wife suffered a head injury during the earthquake and that although she was released from the hospital, she was unable to work.
“Things may have gone back to normal, but not for me,” Gamal said.
There was an earthquake relief table set up nearby by local volunteers, but Gamal said he had yet to receive any aid.
Phurbu Dolma, 60, said she lost 90 neighbors in a building destroyed by the earthquake. She ventured out of her house on Monday for the first time since the quake to go to the temple and light candles in their memory.
Los Angeles Times/TNS
Image credits: Molly Hennessy-Fiske/Los Angeles Times/TNS