CHAPTER VII
THE TEMPLE OF CHANGU-NARAIN
The Situation of the Temple—Pilgrims to the Shrine—The Art and Architecture of the Temple—The Pilgrims' Ritual.
A march of eight miles east of Katmandu brings the traveller to a ford across the Manchra River. Above this rises a steep hill, a spur of the Mahadeo Pokri, which, scarred by a winding path of stone steps, leads to the Vishnu temple of Changu-Narain. Our camp has been pitched on the hillside just below this edifice, and late in the afternoon we find ourselves absorbing the magnificent view of the valley lying at our feet. The cultivated fields, divided into squares of various crops, look like a great patchwork coverlet in russet greens, with purple and brown townlets nestling in the folds. From this outwork of
