Nepal is a mystical land of snow peaks, vast screes, and shrouded valleys, home to a wealth of weird and wonderful plants and flowers, some of them common to our gardens. Now a selection of this unique flora can be seen at our recently constructed garden, a tribute to the Gurkhas and their homeland of Nepal.
Construction of the garden took just over three months once external funding was secured from the Kadoorie Foundation Trust of Hong Kong, without whose generous support it would not have been possible. The idea for this externally funded garden was conceived by Major Tom Spring-Smyth, a Friend of the Gardens, who was based in Nepal while serving with the Gurkhas. Concept became reality when Brigadier Christopher Bullock OBE, MC, Curator of the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, secured sponsorship for the garden's construction.
Where possible, the Gurkha Memorial Garden has been planted with wild-collected material of known origin, including material collected by Roy Lancaster OBE, Major Tom Spring-Smyth, and Tony Schilling.
On the top level stands a traditional Nepalese resting place, the Chautara, displaying the regimental badges of the fourteen Gurkha regiments. A Chautara is a four-walled roofless structure where weary travellers can reset while trekking across the foothills of the Himalayas. It is common in Nepal for a Chautara to be constructed in memory of a recently deceased loved one, and ours is constructed in memory of Sir Horace Kadoorie (1902-1995), benefactor to the Gurkhas and their homeland of Nepal. During the summer months, the two traditional religious trees, Ficus religiosa (Pipal) and F. benghalensis (Banyan) will be planted in the centre of the structure. They will be removed during the winter months, however, because neither tree is hardy here. It is traditional for the two trees to be married during an opening ceremony, both trees being of religious importance. The Pipal is the female tree and is worshipped because Buddha received enlightenment in the shade of one. The Banyan is the male tree and of equal importance because Lord Krishna sheltered under one as a child, and God Vishna was born in the shade of one.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man-- Shakespeare, Henry V.
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage.
Does their religion contain elements of both Hinduism and Buddhism? I was unaware that orthodox Hinduism held Buddha in any special esteem.
In connection with this, I wonder if those guys want to get a little payback for the Buddha statues the Taliban blasted...
You may or may not like to hear this, but the profession of arms when the cause is just is the most noble of all.