On a heritage high

Our audience with the Royal Kumari, aka the living goddess, was brief.

Having heard intriguing, but conflicting, stories about how the first Kumari was installed about 250 years ago, we joined a cluster of students and some Japanese tourists in a small atrium of a 16th-century house and gazed at a small second-storey window.

Everything went still when the Kumari appeared. No clicking of shutters, no popping of flashlights, no gasps — not even a whisper. Photography is forbidden, we had been warned, but even speech, it seemed at the moment, was sacrilegious.

A beautiful 10-year-old girl stood framed by the intricately carved wooden window. She glanced wistfully at the curious crowd for a couple of seconds before moving away. Then, the crowd dispersed into the Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square.

Regal feel

If it is late afternoon and you are visiting this World Heritage Site at the heart of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, you should drop by at Kumari Ghar. Now that the king's fate hangs in the balance, the institution of the Kumari could also disappear.

Yet, even as the country changes tracks, the historical legacy remains and Durbar Square is perhaps the best place to get the first feel of Nepal. Here, you will see the nine-storey Basantapur Durbar built by King Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1770 and several temples and shrines, many of them harking back to the 16th century. A tourism leaflet lists 43 places of interest in the square and adjoining areas, which it describes as "a living open museum of Nepal".

The king used to live in the palace complex, but moved residence early last century. Now, the monarch comes here every September to seek the Kumari's blessings, the only time she steps out of her home.

While you are here, don't resist the call of the flea market. You will find the ubiquitous Tiger Balm peddler, as well as scores of vendors offering masks, daggers, statuettes, brass tea-sets and chess boards and silver souvenirs.

Cellphone cameras came in handy for candid shots of the crowded streets: minibuses with passengers hanging out of the doors; two-wheelers weaving their way through gaps between other vehicles; cycle and handcart vendors hawking snacks on the footpaths; stalls displaying fish, chicken and farm produce; mini groceries; hole-in-the-wall cigarette and tobacco shops.

Kathmandu may be just a transit point if your sights are set on canyoning, white-water rafting or trekking in Nepal.

However, a day is all you need to visit a couple of stupas and temples in the capital.

At the Swayambhunath temple, also a World Heritage Site, you can get a good lay of the land on a clear day.

Monastries and temples

Devotees climb 365 steps to reach the plinth of the stupa, but we opted for another route which had only 180 steps. The main structure is an imposing white stupa with a large courtyard containing religious artworks hewn out of stone.

The shrines and the curio shops fronting the old buildings on the periphery of the square will grab your attention, as will the monkeys scampering around.

The primates have been accepted as permanent guests, so much so, that Swayambhunath is also called the Monkey Temple.

The Bodhnath stupa, another World Heritage Site, is even more imposing. Nearby, are more than 40 Buddhist monasteries built by Tibetan refugees who have made this place their home since the early 90s.

We visited one of the prayer halls and also an art school where some girls and boys were busy painting mandalas, a colourful aid for meditation. People pay to sit here for six hours, five days a week, and learn the art. The mandalas, which depict the elements and human virtues, are then sold to tourists.

Climb up the stupa to take a look at the colourful surroundings, but if you also want to have a rooftop view of the stupa itself, you will have to take a lunch break at one of the terrace restaurants.

Our guide, Prakash Manandhar, was intent on taking us to as many heritage sites as possible. So, our next stop was the Pashupatinath temple complex. The highlight on this occasion was a visit to the crematorium. You have to cross a small bridge for a vantage view of the burning ghats on the opposite bank of a small stream.

Told that a trip to Nepal would be incomplete without a close look at Mount Everest, we booked ourselves for an early-morning mountain flight on a 19-seater Buddha Air turbo jet. The round trip, which costs $142 (Dh522), takes an hour and offers a view of eight sunlit peaks at a height of 8,000m. But that morning, it was cold and foggy.

On our way back, we came across a fascinating sight: high on a pedestal at a roundabout was a statue of the king — draped in cloth. Why? So vandals will not tear it down.

Evidently, the Nepalese are eager to change history, but they don't want to erase the past.

Divine girl
The Royal Kumari

The Kumari Devi or Royal Kumari is the most revered of the 12 Kumaris in Nepal. Believed to grant strength to the monarchy, she blesses the king during the annual Indra Jatra festival in September.

The tradition dates back to the 16th century.

The Kumaris have to abdicate on attaining puberty. A committee of priests then picks a successor. Eye colour, the shape of her teeth and the quality of her voice are among the 32 physical criteria considered in a candidate. Her horoscope must also match that of the king.

Two cases are pending in Nepal's supreme court — one for and one against the institution. The complainant pleads that it deprives young girls of a normal childhood.

The fate of the monarchy is now at the mercy of the Assembly. Will the Royal Kumari be able to protect the monarchy, or will she be the last resident of Kumari Ghar?

Go there...Kathmandu

From the UAE
Air Arabia flies from Sharjah to Kathmandu four days a week. Log on to www.airarabia.com for more information.

Qatar Airways flies daily via Doha to Kathmandu from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

How much
Qatar Airways fare starts from Dh1,390 exclusive of taxes.

— Information courtesy Al Tayer Travel Agency

Where to stay
Hotels rates are seasonal and range from $40 to $110 (DH147-404).

Top-end hotels include Yak & Yeti Hotel (www.yakandyeti.com) and Hotel de l'Annapurna (www.annapurna-hotel.com).

Where to eat
There are many outlets that cater to Western and Asian tastes. There are scores of restaurants serving typically Nepali food. Bhanchha Ghar and Bhojan Griha are recommended if you are interested in a brief cultural show before dinner. You could also check out Nepali Chhulo and Kathmandu Kitchen.

Information
Study the Lonely Planet guide for walking tours. Visit www.danfetravels.com.np (Air Arabia GSA in Nepal) for packages and family tours.