Bell Blessing Ceremony

Today was the blessing ceremony for a bell that Semanta and his family and friends are providing for a temple near the viewing point at Nagarkot. So Naryan picked me up from school on the motorbike and drove me all the way up the windy roads to the viewing tower, from where we walked to the temple. The ceremony took about an hour, and involved the priest and Semanta doing all the Hindu rituals and prayers to bless the bell. It hasn't actually been hung yet, as the renovation of the temple needs to be completed first, so that will probably happen in a few days time. After that we all got given tika by the priest, and had thread wound around our wrists.

After that we all had lunch - rice pudding and cauliflower curry, which was a bit of a strange mixture but very nice nonetheless. All the people who work around the viewing tower were invited to eat as well, which was nice.

Next week I promise there will be photos of my class and school. I did start taking some today (see below), but then the camera got taken over by the students and I have to sort out the good ones and the rest. But anyway, here are some to be going on with - the views from my windows, and the classroom itself, albeit empty of students. As you can see, the students have to sit in rows, and there is absolutely no chance of rearranging the furniture - all those benches and desks are made of iron, bolted to each other, and extremely heavy.


Well, that's all for today. Take care of yourselves,

Vivienne