Kathmandu Summary and Important Questions for class 9th 

An excerpt from Heaven Lake by Vikram Seth is called Kathmandu. It is a travelogue that describes two of Kathmandu's most well-known temples. The Pashupatinath Temple is one, and the Baudhnath Stupa is the other.

When the author first arrives at the Pashupatinath temple, he discovers total mayhem there. Entering the shrine is restricted to Hindus only. After that, he goes to the Buddhist shrine known as the Boudhanath Stupa.

Kathmandu Summary and Important Questions-This stands in contrast to the shrine of Pashupatinath. There is a sense of quiet in and around the shrine; there are no people.

Kathmandu Summary

This passage from Vikram Seth's book "Heaven Lake" recounts his travel to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. When he visits two temples on his journey, he finds that they are very different from one another. The Pashupatinath temple was one of the Hindu temples visited by pilgrims.

Kathmandu Summary and Important Questions-The Buddhist Baudhnath Temple was the next building after that. He observes that only Hindus are allowed admission to the Pashupatinath temple. As a result, there was a lot of pandemonium among the pilgrims, visitors, and priests. The River Bagmati was also being contaminated by people washing their clothing, taking baths in it, and discarding dried flowers in it.

He then proceeded to the Baudhnath temple. He noticed that this place's situation was entirely different from the one at the Pashupatinath temple. This Buddhist temple featured a massive white dome. It was a very serene and tranquil place. There was a Tibetan market outside the temple, with vendors offering a variety of goods, including clothing, accessories, and bags.

Kathmandu Summary and Important Questions-He observes all that Kathmandu has to offer, from tourist attractions to places of worship. In addition, it features a number of stores selling chocolates, cameras, cosmetics, antiques, and other items. However, the city is also quite noisy due to street sellers, music, and car horns. In the city, he liked to have maize, coca-cola, and marzipan bars. Following that, he read romance novels, comic books, and Reader's.

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On returning to Delhi, he thought of taking an adventurous route which comprises of a bus or train journey and then a boat ride, but he dropped the idea for that would have been too tiring. Thus, he booked a flight back. He saw an interesting flute seller outside his hotel. He had a pole with a lot of flutes on it and seemed like a porcupine body.

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The flute seller kept playing his flutes and also did so in different tunes. But, what set him apart from the other flute sellers was that he played the flute thoughtfully. He did not scream to attract customers, he played it. This attracted the author and he wondered that flute is so common all over. Then, he compares it to the human voice and says how he is noticing even the little things now.

Character In Kathmandu

1. Vikram Seth:

The traveler who narrates the story describes his trip to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. When he travels to two temples, he observes significant variations. One temple, the Pashupatinath temple, was a Hindu pilgrimage site where only Hindus were permitted admission. As a result, there was a lot of pandemonium among the pilgrims, visitors, and priests. The River Bagmati was also being contaminated by people washing their clothing, taking baths in it, and discarding dried flowers in it.

The second one was the Buddhist temple of Baudhnath. In contrast to what he seen in the Pashupatinath temple, the situation here was very different. A massive white dome adorned a Buddhist temple, and the location was really quiet and calm. There was a Tibetan market outside the temple, where vendors were offering a variety of goods, including clothing, accessories, and bags.

Kathmandu Important Questions and Answers

1. Describing the streets around the Baudhnath stupa, why does the narrator say this is a haven of quietness in the busy streets around?

The narrator observes a sense of stillness at the Buddhist shrine, the Boudhanath stupa. Its immense white dome is ringed by a road with small shops selling items like felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery. The quietness of the stupa stands out amidst the busy business activities that go around it. Thus, the narrator regards this place as a haven of quietness in the busy streets around.

2. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca-Cola”. What does all this’ refer to?

All this’ refers to the eatables that the writer enjoys on the road surrounding the Boudhanath stupa. It includes a bar of marzipan and a roasted corn-cob that he enjoys along with the fizzy, carbonated drink, Coca-Cola. Besides, he also gets some comics with love-stories and a copy of the Reader’s Digest magazine to indulge himself mindlessly.

3. Which is the longer route from Kathmandu to Delhi? Which route does the author opt for?

The author takes the long route from Kathmandu to Delhi by traveling first to Patna and then over Benaras, Ganges to Allahabad, and finally crossing the Yamuna into Delhi. The shorter way is to take a flight from Kathmandu straight to Delhi.

4. Why does Vikram Seth decide to buy a ticket directly for the homeward journey?

Vikram Seth has been away from home since quite some time. He is feeling very exhausted and homesick. Though his enthusiasm for travelling tempts him to take a longer route to reach back home, his exhaustion and homesickness impel him to buy an air-ticket directly for the homeward journey to Delhi.

5. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?            

The author points out that while other hawkers shout loudly to attract the customers for their wares, the flute seller plays upon his flute slowly and meditatively. He does not indulge in excessive display nor does he show any desperation to sell his flutes. Although the flute player does not shout, the sound of the flute is distinctly heard above the noise of the traffic and of the hawkers.

 

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