Back when I first visited Nepal in 2006, I met a local villager named Ram. You can see Ram and his house in Episode 2 of the video series I created about that trip.

On that trip and after my trek was completed, I went back to the village and Ram took me to meet a sadhu living in the hills nearby. For some strange reason, the video I took of that disappeared.

This time around, I contacted Ram again and went back to see Baba Srinath again.

I’ve mentioned these sadhu’s before and find their way of life fascinating. The Sanskrit term sadhu refers to “renouncers who have chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society in order to focus on their own spiritual practice” (Wikipedia). They are ascetic practitioners of yoga who can be found in caves, forests, and walking the streets all over the Indian sub-continent. An estimated 4 – 5 million sadhus are in existence today.

One problem is that many “fake babas” also walk the streets. Since they are considered holy the population of India considers it a noble act to donate money and food to the sadhus. They approach houses and business asking for some small alms, such as a handful of rice. Some take advantage of this, dressing in their finest sadhu gear.

Nevertheless, Baba Srinath is most definitely one of the more genuine sadhus around. For the past 30 years he has lived on his current hilltop with a gorgeous view of the Kathmandu Valley spreading before him. You read correctly, he has lived on this hill, never coming down and spending most of his timein one room, for 30 years. Before he ascended the hill permanently, he spent time living at the foot of the hill running menial tasks for the Baba that lived their before him, much like another sadhu performs for him fetching needed supplies from the surrounding area.

Somewhat unclear view from Srinath’s.

I brought him some sugar, like the first time I visited, and he in turn gave me some of the most delicious tea I’ve ever tasted. I’m sure his recipe is no secret, but I have no idea what he puts in it.

Srinath’s abode.

His surroundings include a couple of buildings, including the one he spends the most time is (pictured above). A trident shrine and a lingham, both dedicated to Shiva, sit nearby. Fresh running water is routed through the middle of it all and a short climb up some steps leading higher lead to some small caves used as shrines.

Inside his room, Srinath sits smoking an incredibly large chillum, placing coals from his fire on top. I’m told the fire is never allowed to go out. Among his gear in the room is a radio, though I don’t know what he listens to.

Locals and military men from the nearby cantonment come to Baba Srinath for advice and religious teachings. My first time there I found some men discussing some Hindu holy texts, and this time a young girl prone to tears and her mother approached for advice on some matter.

One interesting story was related to me about Srinath and another, more famous Baba living in Kathmandu. There is one such Sadhu who goes by the name of Milk Baba (real name: Shri Ram Krishna Das). Baba is the Hindi word for ‘father’ and given to those of perceived spiritual importance.

Milk Baba is called thus because, for the past 30 years, he has existed on nothing but milk. His natty and dreaded hair, when not wrapped around his head, falls well below the length of his body.

Now, Milk Baba and Srinath have different approaches to their religous convictions. Srinath lives rather solitary upon his hilltop. Milk Baba, on the other hand, drives around Kathmandu on his scouter and travels the world giving lectures.

About 8 or 9 years ago, Milk Baba came to visit Srinath. I’m not sure what they spoke about, but the two did not find each other amiable. Milk Baba refused to drink Srinath’s tea and eventually parted in disagreement. They haven’t met since. Interesting meeting for two approaches to the same thing.

So thats all I know about Baba Srinath. Find him if you can…

Some local kids.

With my Indian visa quickly expiring, I decided to take heed and depart Benares. Off to Nepal I head for a refresh of both my visa and head in the crisp mountains.

I entered the train station to await my train to Gorakhpur from whence buses will complete the journey to Pokhara and then Kathmandu. As I entered the crowded station I noticed a monk in auroral attire monitoring the entrance to the platform. He quickly engaged me in converstation about my destination and our plans were the same: journey to Kushinagar on the Indian side to visit the place of Buddha’s death and to Lumbini on the Nepali side where Buddha was born.

“Yes, okay, well then- just follow me, ok? I’ve been here several times!”

And just like that I met Master Roy, a monk born in Singapore living in Taiwan for many years and my companion for the next several days. He now lives at Taipei’s famed White Cloud Temple. With him was another Taiwanese pilgrim, a woman of about his age, whom he was escorting around the famous Buddhist pilgrimage points of India and Nepal.

Master Roy

Master Roy is certainly eccentric and friendly- and doesn’t he resemble Bob Hoskins, the actor from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? At the station, I thought of my freshly shaved head under my hat as I watched Master Roy apply generous amounts of some kind of oil upon his own shorn dome. It was bound to happen. With a smile I unveiled my cranium and accepted a coating of his Sri Lanken lube that left me shining like a cue ball and Master Roy chuckling with pleasure.

At both stops, Buddhist countries and organizations have spent large amounts of money to build temples of their own style. In these temples it is possible to stay and eat, donation appreciated. Master Roy has been to these sites several times and thus knows where to stay, who the head monks are, and what to see. I couldn’t ask for a better method of visitation.

Kushinagar

Our first stop was Kushinagar. Guatama Buddha would achieve parinirvana here at the age of 80 in 483 BCE. Parinirvana occurs upon the bodily death of one who has attained complete awakening, escaping samsara or the cycle of reincarnation.

According to tradition Buddha would take his final meal, either that of pork or mushroom, from a blacksmith and fall violently ill. Sensing the end was near, Buddha would instruct his attendant to convince the blacksmith, Cunda, that the meal had nothing to do with his death and was in fact a source of great merit to provide the Buddha with his last nourishment. Buddha told his disciples at his death to follow no leader, but to follow his teachings (dharma). Today, the Parinirvana Temple marks the spot of his death with a statue inside.

“All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.”

-Final words of Guatama Buddha

Parinirvana Temple, Picture courtesy Wikipedia

Picture courtesy Wikipedia

Sleeping Buddha Detail

Buddha Feet

Makutabandhana, the cremation-site. Picture courtesy Wikipedia.

Over the centuries, warring invasions left the site destroyed and jungle retook the surrounding countryside. In the 1800′s, English attached to the East India Company rediscovered the site and eventually made the connection from the ancient texts that this was in fact the site of Buddha’s death.

Of interest, The Maitreya Project aims to build a 152 meter tall statue of Buddha that will surely bring many more pilgrims to this holy site of Buddhism. The Statue of Liberty is 46 meters tall.

Lumbini

So we left Kushinagar, where we stayed at the Burmese Temple, and continued across the border of Nepal to Lumbini. This is the place of Buddha’s birth and is much more vibrant in feeling and community. We first stayed where all traveler’s rest their heads, the gigantic Korean Temple. This temple can accommodate large numbers of people in several housing building and boasts a concrete reconstruction of a traditional Korean temple. Though this was fine, we eventually used Master Roy’s connections to get us into the still under-construction Vietnamese Temple.

And what a temple it is. Vast amounts of money are creating a sort of Buddhist-Disney compound with slightly trippy statues, a crane pond, and huge main temple with dragons, lotus, and mountain sculpture.

View from top of Vietnamese Temple, looking onto the grounds.

Local resident of the Vietnam Temple

Surrounding the holy sites of Lumbini are large monastic zones separated into Theravadin monasteries on one side with Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries in another.

But we came to see the birthplace of Buddha, where Queen Mayadevi delivered young Siddhartha (“he who achieves his aim”) in a pond. She was on her way to her father’s kingdom to give birth, as custom of the time. During the celebrations over his birth, a hermit seer predicted that the child would become either a a great king or a great holy man.

Birthplace of Buddha.

Buddha’s Exact Place of Birth, picture courtesy of Wikipedia

The modern site boasts a Bodhi tree, an Ashokan pillar to mark the visit of the great king, a bathing pond, and a temple housing a marker for the exact site of Buddha’s birth.

Under the Bodhi Tree

Countryside

I ended up staying longer at these sites with the company of Master Roy and his travelling companion. He is a first class individual and a prime example of one of the first tenets of Buddhism: charity. So it was with some hesitance I took my leave and continued into Nepal. Hopefully I can meet Master Roy again when I visit friends in Taiwan.

In the last episode, Steve and I return to Kathmandu and reflect on the trip. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series and I had a blast making it. While it is hard to edit your own footage, I intentionally cuts a bit longer as my intended audience was those with a strong interest in Nepal and/or traveling. In the near future I will cut a sleeker version on DVD with faster pacing (if you interested in a copy, e-mail me).

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

Steve and I fly some kites in the Sherpa village of Khumjung on the way down.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

Steve and I tour the facilities at one of the oldest and largest Buddhist monasteries in Nepal at Tengboche.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

Snowed in with nothing to do, we brave expired Pabst Blue Ribbon and later become a bit lost.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

Steve and I reach the majestic heights around Gokyo, in the shadow of Everest.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

The journey from Namche Bazaar to Gokyo places Steve and I in some of the most stunning mountains in the world.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

We explore the Himalaya village of Namache Bazaar, including an impromptu break-down in Willy Wonka’s Magic Shop. I don’t know.. just watch it.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.

Steve and I get out first taste of the Himalayas in the trek from Lukla to Namache Bazaar.

You can also find it on YouTube. For everything Nepal related go to my Index of Nepal Journals, Video, and Photos.