Renovation of the Jana Bahaa
As Iain pointed out in one of his new posts, the Jana Bahaa is now being renovated (the official announcement came today). The blog ran by the project (official site here) is an enjoyable read and quite unique in its genre. In fact it created a genre as far as the Valley is concerned.
You can find all kinds of sites with pictures of the Jana Bahaa, and snippets of information on its history and significance written by pros and amateurs alike. These are all much better what yours truly could offer.
It is quite impossible to do justice to the magical atmosphere of this small Kathmandu courtyard with photographs. Try to enter the courtyard from the West rather than the main entry through a dark alleyway - you'll have to trespass a house for a short while but it's worth it - thus ending up at the back of the shrine. In this way the splendour of the shrine (and the pigeons in front of it) won't hit you right away. Make sure to tap one of the beams on the way and take its blessings on your head. I have no idea what this means but I have seen locals do it. Your trespassing has better chances to be forgiven.
The eastern facade.
The courtyard.
Spectacular gilt-copper images.
More of the same.
[pictures taken by the author, September 2007]
You can find all kinds of sites with pictures of the Jana Bahaa, and snippets of information on its history and significance written by pros and amateurs alike. These are all much better what yours truly could offer.
It is quite impossible to do justice to the magical atmosphere of this small Kathmandu courtyard with photographs. Try to enter the courtyard from the West rather than the main entry through a dark alleyway - you'll have to trespass a house for a short while but it's worth it - thus ending up at the back of the shrine. In this way the splendour of the shrine (and the pigeons in front of it) won't hit you right away. Make sure to tap one of the beams on the way and take its blessings on your head. I have no idea what this means but I have seen locals do it. Your trespassing has better chances to be forgiven.
The eastern facade. 
The courtyard. 
Spectacular gilt-copper images.
More of the same.[pictures taken by the author, September 2007]
Labels: gnas yig, Jana Bahaa, Kathmandu
posted by PDSz | 4:18 pm
3 Comments:
Thanks for the compliments you left on our blog at janabahaa.blogspot.com. We are wondering how you found us, and how you were able to zoom in on this very specialized topic, coming all the way from halfway across the globe. We would love to hear more from you.
Hello JHIC,
I am now in Nepal and went to Janaa Bahaa a couple of times. I can perhaps look you up for a short talk (I am fairly busy). Whom should I be looking for at the Bahaa?
With best wishes,
Peter
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