Panchpokhari: A Difficult Journey, An Exciting Experience
Panchpokhari
Panchpokhari
Panchpokhari of famous religious and tourist importance of Sindhupalchowk. Located at an altitude of 4,200 meters above sea level, this pond is a beautiful destination of choice for domestic and foreign tourists. Located in the lap of Dorje Lhakpa and Jugal Himal, which is closest to the capital Kathmandu, the pond is located at an altitude of 4060 meters above sea level.
Adjacent to five ponds in one place, it is the source of the Indravati River. This fair, which has natural and religious significance, has a fair on the full moon of every year. After reaching Sindhupalchowk, many people want to reach Panchpokhari Lake once. There is no question that no one will be fascinated when the unique gift of nature reaches Panchpokhari Lake.
The blue lake in the middle of the grass surrounded by green dubu makes a stick. There is not a single lake. Panchpokhari is the confluence of one big and the other small lakes. The lake is located at an altitude of 4,060 meters above sea level in Sindhupalchok Bhotang. Lake Panchpokhari is famous not only for its beauty but also for its religion.
On the day of Janai Purnima, a big fair is held around this lake. Panchpokhari can be reached after a three-day trek from Melamchi Bazaar. Those going from Kathmandu to Melamchi can go by bus or other means of transportation. After reaching Melamchi, one can reach Bhotang on foot on the first day and stay there.
The road to Bhotang and the hotels are well arranged for eating and drinking. However, on the second day, there may be some inconvenience due to the forest road leading from Bhotang. Cows and huts are found here and there. There is a general arrangement for living in Tapkharka located at 3200 meters above sea level.
Panchpokhari can be reached on the third day of the journey. There is a simple hotel to stay in Panchpokhari. Five ponds can be reached by walking for 5 days. There is a belief that if one bathes in the pond of Mahadev’s temple near Panchpokhari and circumambulates five ponds, one’s sins will be forgiven and one’s desires will be fulfilled.
After traveling uphill for about an hour from the site of Panchpokhari, you reach the highest hill in the area. From that hill, you can see the beautiful view of the mountains.Due to lack of proper publicity, this area has not been able to become a tourist destination and physical infrastructure has not been developed.
Especially in Panchpokhari, a special fair is held on the day before Janai Purnima and on the day of Mansir Purnima. Tilman can also be passed through Panchpokhari. But it is very difficult to pass. Its height is more than 5,000 meters. The government has declared 2020 as the tourism year with the target of attracting 2 million tourists.
Therefore, the government has prepared a list of 100 ‘new and developing destinations’. That is what happened in Panchpokhari area of Sindhupalchowk. The cloud that looks like a bowl full of yoghurt gives the impression that it is the earth. Because the cloud is blocked, no geography can be seen below it.
Panchpokhari, which has a special fair on Janapurnima, belongs to Thangpal village municipality of Sindhupalchowk. Visitors from Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchok, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and most of the three districts have come to fill the Panchpokhari fair. The Panchpokhari area, which can be reached by two routes through Chautara, the district headquarters of Sindhupalchowk, and Melamchi Municipality, falls within the protection zone of Langtang National Park.
The closer the destination gets to Panchpokhari, the colder the wind starts to blow. The ears, mouth, and hands begin to turn blue. The yellow weeds found along the way give off a strange odor. The smell can also be poisonous for pilgrims. And the lake seems. However, the happier the journey, the happier the journey.
The names of all the ponds in Panchpokhari, the source of the Indravati River, are also different. The ponds here are known as Bhairav Kund, Saraswati Kund, Ganesh Kund, Surya Kund and Nag Kund. The religious aspect of this is that in the snowy section of the Skandha Purana there is a description of a great pilgrimage site called Panchpokhari, which is said to be a pilgrimage site similar to Tirtharaj Prayag and Bandganga (Kurukshetra).
Things like Sunpati, Dhupi, Churpi made from stolen milk are found here. During the flowering season, all the slopes here are at night. White guarana is also found on the route to Panchpokhari. Therefore, this route has been called by the tourism businessmen as the capital of Gurans.
How to reach ?
There is a route from Kathmandu to Melamchi via Thangpaldhap and Bhotang to reach Panchpokhari. During the rainy season, one can travel by bus to the edge of Thangpaldhap. Then the footpath begins. The road to the market of Bhotang, a former VDC with five ponds, is easy. When you reach there, you will find hotels.
Most tourists stay here for the first time. The journey up the steep hill and through the jungle, which starts from the second day, is a bit difficult, but the beauty there forgets the sorrow. Mother Yangri, Dragon Cave, Haveli, Nagi Danda and Raithaneshwari are some of the places worth visiting on this route.
After leaving the settlement, there is no other option but to stay in the middle of the hill. Some pilgrims stay at Tapkharka at an altitude of 3,200 feet above sea level, while others reach Panchpokhari on the same day. The locals have been working together to increase the number of pilgrims in Panchpokhari, which is the largest fair in the district.
Volunteers are being deployed for the rescue and first aid and assistance of the pilgrims as the lake is flooded when the common people reach the heights, said village chairman Tashi Lama Holmo. According to him, the volunteers will help the pedestrians in case of any difficulty during the journey.
Ramesh Adhikari of Melamchi, who returned from Panchpokhari for the third time, said that the problem of accommodation was not the same as before as tents have been set up in some places. After Melamchi, another route to reach Panchpokhari is from the district headquarters Chautara. From Chautara you can go to the scenic Okhreni and from Khasre to Langtang National Park.
Khasre, which has an altitude of 2,200 meters, houses are not found after the ground. Pilgrims on this route often end up on the Chocho Mountains. Chocho Mountain is in front of Jugal Himal. Kathmandu city can be seen from this hill. A tourism entrepreneur, pilgrims stay at Chocho Mountain to enjoy the view of Kathmandu at night.
There are many herds of buffaloes on this hill. The beauty of flowers of many colors is found here . On the second day, those who pass through this route will reach Panchpokhari on the third day.
Culture promotion
Jhankri dance, one of the major attractions of Panchpokhari Mela, wins the hearts of all the pilgrims. The dance is also the identity of the Tamang community, who wears a different kind of dress, dances and sings the praises of God in the Tamang language. Jhankri Chin Bahadur Tamang of Chautara Sangachokgadhi Municipality-8, Irkhu, who used to visit Panchpokhari with jhanki every year, says that he will be satisfied after worshiping there.
Everything we ask for is enough in Panchpokhari, so we go there every year with a jhanki .It takes up to seven days to reach Panchpokhari by dancing jhankris and presenting jhankis to preserve their culture. There is a belief that if one bathes in the pond of Mahadev’s temple near Panchpokhari and circumambulates the five ponds, one’s sins will be forgiven and one’s heart’s desire will be fulfilled.
Jhankri Dirgha Bahadur Tamang says that the presentation of his jhankis will not only help in the promotion of domestic tourism but also reach the temple by reaching Panchpokhari. “It’s more fun to go with the dance of the jhankris and make the journey a little easier, so they become more pilgrims,” he says.
Jhankri dance is very fun. Jhankris dance to various aspects of their own language and culture in the form of music. “There are many people who come to Panchpokhari to watch Jhankri dance,” said Dirgha Bahadur.
Hard but fun
Especially in Panchpokhari, a special fair is held on the day before Janapurnima and on the full moon day of Mansir. Significant participants from Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Bhaktapur and Kavre fill this fair. Being a mountainous region, it is difficult to travel. Some passengers even have to carry their own first aid kits as they may have a leak.
Despite the immense potential of tourism, physical infrastructure has not been developed in the region due to lack of proper publicity. Manveer Tamang, another jhanki who has been reaching Panchpokhari for a long time, says that the number of tourists will increase if the road infrastructure is developed.
“There are a lot of people who can’t walk even if they want to because the road is very difficult to walk,” says Manveer. “Local bodies and stakeholders need to pay attention to this.” However, the Panchpokhari Thangpal Municipality has studied the feasibility of a cable car to reach Panchpokhari.
It falls from the Melamchi route. “It is said to have a cable car, that is a good thing, it is development,” said Jhankri Manveer.
Legend
There is a temple of Lord Shiva in Panchpokhari. An inscription has been erected there and a legend has been kept about Panchpokhari. Legend has it that the famous hunter Bumwa Baiwa reached Panchpokhari m This shrine has become very popular due to the religious belief that if one comes to the temple of Lord Shiva in Panchpokhari and worships, happiness, peace and the desire of women to have a husband like Shiva and fulfill the desires of those who do not have children after marriage. More than 2,300 years ago while hunting. When he reached there, he saw him cultivating paddy.
As soon as one of the paddy cultivators (Mahadev) sees the hunter Bumwa, the farmer who cultivates all the paddy has disappeared in the place where the temple is located. After seeing this scene, Bumwa returned after setting up a hanging temple at the place where his hunting dog was missing. ‘
Since then, fairs have been held here every year from Ekadashi in August to Janai Purnima. This shrine has become very popular due to the religious belief that if one comes to the temple of Lord Shiva in Panchpokhari and worships, happiness, peace and the desire of women to have a husband like Shiva and fulfill the desires of those who do not have children after marriage.
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