Patan .Timewarp in a medieval Square
They had to bring politics into temples too. Pashupatinath in Kathmandu has been made a boxing- ring to decide who is stronger - Tradition or Change. Maoists, the current rulers,have just sent the Udupi brahmins, the traditional priests, packing. Unchanging Tradition was what i experienced in abundance on a short visit to Patan ( or Lalithpur near Kathmandu), the ancient capital of The Mallas, some years ago. It did look like a land that time forgot, just as the tourist brochure had promised. But it was not love at first sight for me. 'Getting into the skin ' of the place proved a bit unsettling. Embarking on a stroll around the three Courtyards of The Durbar Square ( The Mul Chowk, Sundari Cowk and Keshab Narayan Chowk), i was enveloped by an effect i was totally unprepared for. As i stood surrounded by the burnt sienna of aging bricks and strange multi tiered roofs, i involuntarily shuddered . Inspite of the milling crowds of camera toting tourists, there was a stra...