Prince Harry visits Nepal, is greeted by five virgins
LONDON -- Prince Harry was greeted by five virgins in Nepal Sunday ahead of an action-packed trip in the country that saw him visit temples, practise wood carvings and at one point pretend to be a tiger.
The prince was met in Kathmandu's Patan Durbar Square on the second day of his five-day trip by a group of women representing the Panchakanya, the five virgins of Hindu myth.
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They offered him flowers and a garland signifying luck and purity before he went on to tour the site, which was struck by April's earthquake that left thousands dead.
One of the women, 18-year-old Alisha Awale said she had seen the prince "on television," The Telegraph reports.
"I was really excited about meeting him and was wondering what he would be like," she added. "We freaked out when he was in front of us but it was a really happy moment."
Harry spent the rest of the day whizzing round the region, touring the city's Golden Temple, where he made an offering of a lit candle to a statue of Buddha and accepted an offer of a orange scarf.
At one point he encountered a stray pigeon and told it its eyes were the same colour as his scarf.
On Monday, Harry found himself at Bardia National Park, a huge conservation area home to rhinos, elephants and tigers.
The prince had a go at imitating a tiger, but admitted he probably hadn't pulled it off.
"You'd be a bit worried if you saw one of those walking towards you," he said.
Later Monday, he was due to meet some of the people who lost their homes in the devastating earthquake.
The prince's five-day visit continues until Wednesday.
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Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
