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The most active site is Hanuman Ghat , located straight downhill from Tachapal Tol where two tributaries join to form the Hanumante. Morning puja and ablutions are a daily routine for many, while old-timers come here just to hang out. The area is reached by passing between two jumbo shivalinga hoisted on octagonal plinths. Behind the lefthand one is the Ram temple that gives the ghat its Hanuman association: a statue of the monkey god outside the sanctum pays tribute to his master sheltered within. Another Hanuman, painted orange, keeps watch over a clutter of small linga and other Shiva imagery scattered around the confluence area. Downhill from Taumadhi Tol, Chuping Ghat 's temple complex has been partially restored and taken over by Kathmandu University's Department of Music, under joint Western-Nepali direction. If it's open you can go in - there's a lovely garden, and students may be heard practising their instruments. The long, sloping area above the ghat is the focal point on New Year's Day (Nawa Barsa) in April, when a 25-metre linga pole is ceremonially toppled by the throng. This area is inhabited mainly by members of the sweeper caste, so much of Bhaktapur's rubbish ends up nearby. Ram Ghat , below Potters' Square, has little to offer beyond a run-of-the-mill Ram temple, though it's a good place to hear evening bhajan. Mangal Ghat , further downstream, boasts a more atmospheric selection of neglected artefacts, and by following the trail of linga across the river you'll end up at a forbidding Kali temple in one of Bhaktapur's satellite villages.
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