The kamis party it up at Manakamana. Pix and little story.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

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Mar 5, 1999
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9-22-04kamis2.jpg


9-22-04kamis.jpg


A very generous and one of the best of the good guys sent some money for a party for the kamis and above you see the results. The kamis said they would prefer a trip to Manakamana rather than a party if it could be arranged.

The shrine of the goddess Manakamana is one of the most popular Hindu shrines in Nepal and is located maybe 60 miles west of Kathmandu. There's a story of Manakamana and more pix somewhere on the forum. I suspect a search on Manakamana will bring it up if anybody is interested.

Bless him for his effort, Pala added some money to the forumite donation and arranged the outing. He rented a bus so we had private transportation for kamis and family members. Drove to Manakamana on Saturday AM and booked rooms for party members, lunched and then did standard Hindu puja at the shrine which you can see in the background of the group picture. Spent Saturday night and Sunday drinking beer, eating and partying in general. Drove back to Kathmandu Sunday evening. I hear it was a bang up success.

Top pix is the group. 2 and 3 are Bura (older fellow with glasses) our shop foreman, and Pradeep, our shop manager, having some good Iceberg beer and then lunch which looks like chicken tarkari and dal bhat.

Next pictures are Bura and family number 3 and Pradeep and family.

If you look closely you will see Bura has a gold chain around his neck and wife is decorated with gold bracelets and necklace. Clothes are of good quality and obviously not very old. All group members look clean, neat, well dressed and happy. This display of at least a modicum of affluence is because of BirGorkha and, yes, I'm blowing our horn. You, the forumites, and all Himalayan Imports customers make this possible and it is quite a blessing for the kamis and they know and appreciate this immensely.

Another reason for the smiley faces is Pala gave the kamis a bonus equal to about a months' pay just the day before these pictures were taken.

We can't change the world but we can make a little difference. Thanks again to all for making this possible and not to be overlooked is everybody involved gets a goodly share of + karma.
 
A WHOLE lot of the reason that things are going well for them is your fault, Bill. Don't try to shirk your responsibility.
 
Really great pictures. Really some big muscles on the younger fellow and all the women are beautiful! All look healthy too! Wonderful.
 
http://the-voyagers.tripod.com/manakamana.htm



And also from another site:
"The Manakamana Goddess goes back to the time of the Gorkha King Ram Shah (1614-1636 AD) His Queen, the story goes, possesed divine powers known only to her devotee and religious preceptor, Lakhan Thapa. On one occasion, the king chanced upon the revelation of his Queen as Goddess and Lakhan as a lion. but as soon as he told the Queen what he saw, death took him. When the Queen approached the funeral pyre to commit sati as was the custom back then, she consoled the lamenting Lakhan by saying that she would reapperar soon near his home."

I am not sure what sati is, but I am thinking that maybe it is when the husband dies and the wife throws herself on the dead husbands funeral pyre and commits suicide?
 
Great pictures!

And you are so right UB when you say "We can't change the world but we can make a little difference".

I'm glad I found the cantina so I can help, even if its just a little bit.

Mark T.
 
looks like a great time. wish I could've been there....something tells me you do too. ;)
 
I am not sure what sati is, but I am thinking that maybe it is when the husband dies and the wife throws herself on the dead husbands funeral pyre and commits suicide?

That's it.

In 2000 I did the puja at Manakamana. The locals told our group that I was the only Westerner they had ever seen enter let alone do puja at the shrine. Entrance is forbidden to Westerners and other non-Hindu people. I beat the system by telling the guardians of the shrine that I was half Nepali, mom a Brahmin from Gorkha and our group supported the story.

Ironic that one must tell a lie in order to be able to pray. Thankfully, Manakamana not only understood but approved.
 
Bill Martino said:
I am not sure what sati is, but I am thinking that maybe it is when the husband dies and the wife throws herself on the dead husbands funeral pyre and commits suicide?

That's it.

In 2000 I did the puja at Manakamana. The locals told our group that I was the only Westerner they had ever seen enter let alone do puja at the shrine. Entrance is forbidden to Westerners and other non-Hindu people. I beat the system by telling the guardians of the shrine that I was half Nepali, mom a Brahmin from Gorkha and our group supported the story.

Ironic that one must tell a lie in order to be able to pray. Thankfully, Manakamana not only understood but approved.
Click to expand...

From what I was reading it's supposed to be a super beautiful place??
 
I'm very happy that the kamis enjoyed themselves; I'm sure they just loved the private bus, booked rooms, and meal, to say nothing of Manakamana and the significance of the place for them! :cool: Bura does look like he made a nice recovery, and I enjoy the group photo very much! If they are showing the trapping of affluence, they they probably deserve it. ;) It's wonderful to see their happy faces on the screen. :)

Thanks for sharing with us, Uncle Bill!
 
I hope it's not impolite to ask, but as someone who has had occasion to spend money on gifts, how much would something like this trip run? How about a party?
 
You'll not believe this but total cost for this excursion was about $600 USD. Talk about return on investment!!!

And, yes, it is a beautiful place. I'm not sure this will make sense but Manakamana has not only the obvious beauty of setting but also an "inner" beauty, something unseen that is beautiful, that brings a sense of peace and well being to those who will allow themselves to see the unseen. Wonderful and magical place.
 
Bill Martino said:
And, yes, it is a beautiful place. I'm not sure this will make sense but Manakamana has not only the obvious beauty of setting but also an "inner" beauty, something unseen that is beautiful, that brings a sense of peace and well being to those who will allow themselves to see the unseen. Wonderful and magical place.
Click to expand...

It makes sense to me. Kind of a "power spot". I read this article once that was talking about how many holy places were built on top of holy places from another religion. Not due to conquest always, but because the particular spot was embued with SOMETHING and people could sense it. Possibly the builders didn't even realize the site they were using was a previous holy site but the spot just drew them.
 
Someone once said, "Brighten the corner where you are." Looks much brighter at GB than it would otherwise be.
 
Absolutely great pics of some of the most deserving folks in the world having a great time, at a time when there aren't that many great times to be had. Thanks to all who had a hand in making this happen, and thanks for sharing the pics. Made my day!
 
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