According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been renumbered as Chapter 8.
Summary of Kathmandu
The Class 9 English textbook ‘Beehive’ consists of a prose lesson named Kathmandu. It is an excerpt from Vikram Seth’s book ‘Heaven Lake’ that mentions his visit to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. So, does the author enjoy his visit to this place? Class 9 students can read the prose summary of CBSE Class 9 English Prose Notes – Kathmandu that is given below and know more. The summary of the prose is given in CBSE English Notes Class 9 format for students to have a thorough insight into the chapter. They can use it as a reference while preparing for their exams.
Students can also know how to write an effective essay by going through the Essay page at BYJU’S.
CBSE Class 9 English Kathmandu Summary
Kathmandu is an extract from Vikram Seth’s book ‘Heaven Lake’. It describes what he experienced on his visit to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. In his book, he describes his long journey from China to India by crossing Tibet and Nepal. This travelogue provides the readers an insight into his trip to Kathmandu and how he feels about visiting the city. During his stay, he visits two temples in the city, which are sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.
The first temple is a pilgrimage of Hindus – the Pashupatinath temple, which allows the entry of Hindu devotees only. Further, the author notices that there is a lot of chaos in the temple premises among the tourists, priests, hawkers, a few animals and pilgrims. Besides, he observes that the holy river Bagmati is also being polluted by the people who bathe in it, wash their clothes and dump used flowers into it.
Soon after, he visits the sacred shrine of Buddhists – the Baudhnath Stupa temple, which has a huge white dome that has a sense of serenity and calmness about it. Outside the temple premises, there are small shops which are owned by Tibetan immigrants. The shopkeepers sell felt bags, Tibetan print clothes and silver ornaments there. The author finds this place a safe haven with quiet surroundings around.
Apart from this, the author notices that Kathmandu has a vivid and religious culture that is filled with small shrines of deities, which are decorated with flowers that attract several tourists. Moreover, the city is filled with several antique shops, hawkers selling postcards, fruit sellers, and shops that sell Western cosmetics, chocolates and lots more.
Nonetheless, the city has noisy surroundings where film songs are played loudly on radios, car sounds and roadside vendors, etc. He buys a marzipan bar, a corn-on-the-cob that is glazed with spicy masala and drinks some cold drinks to digest the food. He also reads a few books such as love story comics and Reader’s Digest.
Soon after his adventurous trip in Kathmandu, he plans to return to Delhi via a bus and train journey to Patna. Thereafter, he would opt for a boat ride by crossing Benaras to Allahabad and then go past Agra to arrive at Delhi. Finally, he realises that this would be too tiring for him, so he books a Nepal Airlines return ticket to Delhi.
Meanwhile, he observes a flute seller near his hotel who has a pole with several flutes attached to it. The flute seller continues playing his flute melodiously to different tunes. This reminds the author about how the flute seller is different from flute players of other cultures. Although he doesn’t scream like other hawkers to attract customers, rather he plays the instrument thoughtfully. This attracts the author’s attention, and he is amazed to learn why the flute is such a popular instrument everywhere. Thus, he compares the flute tune to a human voice and realises how he has started noticing even minute details now.
Conclusion of Kathmandu
The chapter – Kathmandu teaches students that we should maintain serenity and have a pure mind while visiting holy places so that we can have thoughtful ideas and act responsibly. Here, we brought you the CBSE Class 9 English Beehive Prose Summary of Kathmandu. We hope this has guided students to get a complete insight of the chapter.
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Frequently Asked Questions on CBSE Class 9 English Kathmandu
Where is Kathmandu situated?
It is located in the Kathmandu Valley, a large valley in the high plateaus in central Nepal, at an altitude of 1,400 metres (4,600 feet).
What are the main beliefs of Buddhists?
The Basic Teachings of Buddha, which are core to Buddhism, are The Three Universal Truths, The Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eightfold Path.
Where does the Bagmati River flow?
The Bagmati River, which lies in central Nepal, originates in Bagdwar at an altitude of 2690 m and flows south through the Kathmandu valley.
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