A field-based learning is far more effective than classroom-based learning for the over-all development of students as it provides opportunities for them to interact with real-world situations.
Taking this fact into consideration, my school recently took students from Grade IV to VII on an educational tour to a historical place called Trishul Danda and Changunarayan Temple.
We were told to bring enough foods and water as we would be walking, too. We were also allowed to carry devices, such as mobile sets, camera, speakers, etc. However, we had to be responsible for our own gadgets. My friend and I planned the trip the day before, accordingly.
I was set well before the excursion. I had already packed my backpack with required stuffs such as foods, water, camera and a sheet of cloth. My father dropped me on the premises of the school. We were all over the moon in the morning. We were going on a bus to reach our destination. The bus was standby. Soon, all hopped in. Joyous laughter filled the bus as friends exchanged stories and jokes.
The bus started moving. Our adventurous educational excursion began. I had big expectations and so did my friends. One of my classmates brought a speaker. They blasted some party music and some even danced to it. I was also enjoying so much sitting by the window seat. On the other hand, my friend was not happy with the side seat. She kept chattering on and on about the reasons why she should have the window seat. But I did not care a hang because she was not going to be throwing up on the way, after all. I had a reason not to leave the seat for her because it was me who took the seat first.
On the way, we came across some captivating and unbelievable sceneries. I captured them on my camera. It truly felt like a scene from a fantasy movie. After a drive of a few kilometers, we first arrived at Changunarayan. We all paired up so that we wound not get lost. There was a gate-like entrance in front of us. We moved in. We then climbed up a staircase paved with slabs of stones. Then, we arrived at Changunarayan Temple, one of the world heritage sites. I was left completely astonished by the exotic view of the historic temple. It was so colorful and vibrant and so were the designs—very detailed.
We went around the temple and saw many monuments including a small statue of an elephant. A legend has it that it would let out wild screams while being constructed, said my teacher. As a result, it looked as if it was incomplete. Echoing to what my teacher said, locals added that if it were scratched or hurt, it would let out screams as if it really had life in it or were like a real creature. Hence, none of my friends dared touch it. When I asked my Khopo teacher about it, she said that it was built during the Malla dynasty- more specifically during the reign of Mandeva. I was shocked to know that some parts of the temple were made up of real gold. We roamed around the temple for a while. There was also a restroom which was surprisingly cleaner than many public toilets.
Changunarayan, also known as Changu or Dolagiri, is an ancient Hindu temple located on a hilltop in Changunarayan Municipality of Bhaktapur district. The hill is about 12 km east of Kathmandu and a few miles north of Bhaktapur.
After visiting Changunarayan, we headed towards Trishul Danda. After half an hour's drive up the hill, we arrived at Trishul Danda where we saw a huge statue of Lord Shiva alongside a tall trident. Trishul Danda is a hill station named after Lord Shiva with a huge trident.
Located in the northern hills of Bhaktapur, it provides a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley including Nagarkot, Sankhu, and Shivapuri hill stations.
By then, my stomach was starting to rumble. We opened our lunch box and had it with relish while catching a glimpse of various mountain peaks and hilltops including Nagarkot, Shivapuri and Shankhu. It was a hilltop which offered a panoramic view.
According to a legend, a monster named Banasur who intended to annihilate the human civilization in the Kathmandu Valley by stopping all important rivers of Kathmandu including Sali Nadi, Manohara, Bagmati and Vishnumati, the Kileshwor Mahadev of Changunarayan intervened in his act, and barred him from stopping the important rivers.
After having lunch and visiting Trishul Danda, the bus took us back to school. The trip was educational, gratifying and highly refreshing!
(Panjum is a seventh grader studying in Medha Secondary School.)
(Nepalkhabar encourages students to send in their articles on any issues of their interest. The article should be around 500 to 700 words in English and sent via [email protected]. We will select, edit and duly publish them in our blog section.)
