Barahabise to Charikot Trek

A relatively new trekking route, this trek begins west of the Rolwaling and Khumbu trekking regions, to the east of the capital, Barahabise being the take-off point. This five-six days’ trek ends at Charikot of Dolakha district, which is nestled on Gauri Shanker Himal’s southern slope. Gauri Shanker (7, 134 m) is a revered peak, as is obvious from its name itself. If you have a week of free time at hand, you should go on this trek, one that is easy to reach. You drive on the Arniko Highway, heading northeast from Kathmandu, to reach Barahabise in just about two-and-a-half hours.

Then, you start trekking on the trail along the Sunkosi River watershed, going east up to the Tamakosi river valley. The first day is easy, and you’ll reach a village called Karthali soon enough, then, it becomes more of a regular hiking trail, one that’s dusty and rough. And, you won’t find any shade for quite a few miles, so, hat on, folks! Karthali village, lodged between two ridges, can provide comfortable dormitory-type accommodations in a lodge operated by an organization called Eco-Himal. From here, you can see the Sunhkosi River far below, its flow tranquil and serene. All around are huge mountain ranges. The following day, you hike to Dolangsa, a Sherpa village, at a height of some 2,500 meters, where houses are built all over the hillsides. Here, there’s a lodge propped up near the monastery located at quite a height. The trail carries on to Bigu, and getting there is pretty challenging. The trail is pretty narrow, and it’s cut into the rock face, and what’s more, it’s steeply uphill to the Tingsing La pass (3,300 m). However, your strenuous efforts will be rewarded with a spectacular view of Gauri Shanker peak. You’ll also see Chhoba Bhamare to the west and Pigpherago and Numbur Himal to the west if there are no clouds. The descent is easy enough on a winding trail down the hillside. On the way, you’ll see some chalets decorated with carved windows. Soon, however, you got to undertake a sharp climb up the hillside on a dusty path before arriving at Bigu.

Sleep well here, you’ve deserved it, and there’s comfy arrangements at the Bigu Lodge, which is near the Bigu Gompa, a 75-year-old Kargyapa-sect nunnery that has many marvelous images of Avalokiteshwara, a multi-armed, multi-headed deity, along with rows of elaborately embossed chortens. The next day, you hike to Loting, passing through Laduk, on a trail leading to the river. A night-halt is called for at Loting, and the following morning you trek on to Sinagti on a trail that descends steadily. You get to walk across a swaying suspension bridge before you come to Solung Khola. Then on, the trail goes along the left bank of the river, and finally reaches Singati, from where you can get a bus ride to Charikot, a rough one, it must be said! The final part of your adventure sees you on a bus back to the capital.

Many More Reasons to Visit Nepal

With the march of the years, Kathmandu Valley is offering more to tourists. Where, once upon a time, places like Nagarkot and Dhulikhel were the shining new hopes on the hills, which were meant hopefully to add a couple of days, if not a week, to the usual tourist itinerary to Nepal, now there are many more additions that are being highlighted with some vigor. It is not that the above-mentioned hill stations have lost their charms; on the contrary, there are some pretty interesting developments taking place there to make the visitor more comfortable by offering extra convenience and even a bit of luxury. You see, we understand that visitors from other realms (the West, especially) have become habituated, no, addicted, to the modern ways of living and doing things. So, no matter how high you go in Nepal (what to say about Kathmandu Valley?), you’re assured of things like TV, the Internet, and free WiFi. Besides, hair dryers, running hot water, whisky on the rocks, flaming Flamingoes, and what not! And, of course, the spectacular natural scenery that you can avail of from such fantastic settings as Nagarkot and Dhulikhel will never change. Hopefully. So, they are still the shining hopes they were yesterday. But, we have become more ambitious, we want you to stay still longer. I met a Chinese girl recently who has been here for the last three weeks, and I asked her, “Have you visited Boudhanath Stupa?” She hadn’t, and looked it up on her smartphone. “It’s far,” she said. Now, two or three conclusions can be made from this exchange. One, she has no clue about the historical Chinese aspect of this world heritage site monument. She doesn’t know that it is still the only stupa in Nepal (could really be in the world), where the head lama is called Chini (Chinese) Lama. This girl is a graduate student, so it was doubly surprising that she didn’t know. I mean, everybody Googles the place they are visiting before going there, don’t they now? My second conclusion is that our tourism folks haven’t a clue about how to market Nepal to the Chinese. Despite their oft-repeated litany about how we must take advantage of the stupendous increase in Chinese tourists all over the world, they still haven’t been able to promote such an important monument to them, which if done properly, could easily be at the top of every Chinese tourist’s must-visit list when coming to Nepal. Besides, of course, attracting more to come to Nepal. Seriously, organizations like NTB, HAN, NATA, etc. must take note. Those on the upper rungs of these organizations better put on their thinking caps, and not only that, put on their trekking boots, and make sincere attempts to promote Nepal to what has become today, the most important country from which to attract tourists in vast numbers. Oh yes, one more conclusion from the exchange is that our roads are horrible, the transportation system is terrible, that’s why she considered even a three-kilometer distance to be far. She must be daily commuting at least twenty and more back home! So, better roads and public transport needed urgently. Anyway, coming to relatively newer additions to the Valley’s delights, places like Kirtipur (ancient history, with great sites like Chobar, Taudaha Lake, Dakshinkali, etc.), Panauti (the fourth most important heritage city after the big three of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur), Tokha (where the air is always fragrant with the smell of fresh molass, i.e. chaku), Chandragiri Hill (with a brand new cable car soaring over hills and dales; and a history that could be hyped quite a bit), and of course, places like Bungamati and Khokana, which have become practically a neighborhood of the big city of Patan, what with roads and all. Talking of neighborhoods, quite a few are developing in the capital as attractive destinations for tourists, what with posh malls, supermarkets, and restaurants serving all kinds of cuisines, live music, and what not. Thamel overtook Freak Street a long time ago, now it is spawning a Jhamel, as well, for example! The number of five-star properties that were increasing every two decades or so in the past, are doing so now every year, and they, too, have become very active in promotional activities like regular international hi fi events and food festivals. Oh yes, you, dear tourist, in addition to your trekking plans, please do add a few more days, if not weeks, to your itinerary when visiting Nepal. We have much to offer!

Kathmandu Valley, where Old is still Gold

In the beginning, there were only Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur—three names most talked about when discussing Nepal. Freak Street and the three Durbar Squares were the places most familiar to tourists. Mount Everest and the Himalaya, too, were famous, although more intimacy with them was sought after by only a rare few of the more daring. The rest, meaning the vast majority of mostly backpackers, were content to while away the hours, and if high on hashish (as they usually were), the months, lounging in the bright winter sunshine on temple steps in the durbar squares, or sipping hot lemon and eating apple pie and Juju dhau (King curd) in some dimly-lit, smoke-filled café of Freak Street. Life for the tourist (and for the lucky locals) was far simpler in those days, which I daresay, will one day be called the golden age of Nepal tourism (not in the economic sense, but in most other ways). The streets were mostly silent, with a solitary car passing by maybe every ten minutes or so, and a taxi to be sighted was a fortunate event for someone traveling quite a distance. The weather was cool most of the year, and as for pollution, the word was not in the Nepali dictionary. Tundikhel, in the center of Kathmandu, and very close to the center of the capital’s universe, New Road and Basantur Durbar Square and Jhocchen, a.k.a. Freak Street, seemed so big that one could even believe someone’s claim that it was the biggest parade ground in Asia. Other cities around the world may have their ‘central parks’, in and around central areas, but I bet none are as open-hearted as Tundikhel. You’ll have to worry about getting mugged most of the time in those so-called ‘central parks’. But Tundikhel? Its large space uncluttered by any trees, not even shrubs, and so there was/is no chance of any muggers hiding in the bushes. Of course, it’s not a lovers’ park, but hold on, it was where boys rendezvoused with girls and vice versa in the good old days. The chaste days, one should add, when love was as pure as the Himalaya. Cinema halls were few and far between, and no English films either, so no corrupting of young minds by lecherous Hollywood flicks. Old Hindi movies would be shown, mostly, and in those days, the camera switched from a scene of the beginning of an embrace by the lead pair to two flowers swaying towards each other. Nothing chaster than that! The world was cooler, purer, calmer, and truly leisurely for the blessed people of the valley of the gods. Yes, all they had to worry about was how to keep the more wrathful gods pacified and happy. And, so, festivals every other day was what served this purpose. Most festivals were/are known as jatras, and they all involve the carrying of a god or goddess on a palanquin, or a chariot, from his/her temple of residence to another, and later, from there to here again. Meaning, another jatra! And, of course, everybody looks forward to a nourishing feast after all that carrying and pulling, right? Or even after all that plodding around the block in a procession. So, feasting follows; gods are happy, people are happier! It’s a far cry, an extremely far cry, today, from what was yesterday. True. Yet, the festivals remain, the feastings do, too. Most times, the gods have been reasonably placid, but sometimes, as we experienced two years ago, the earth shook mightily for quite some time. The gods were angry. It happens now and then, I guess that’s to be expected; after all, the gods too need to vent steam once in a blue moon. Besides efforts to keep the gods placated, the people of this ancient valley have also tried, to some extent, to honor their gifted ancestors by ensuring that their magnificent works of art, craft, and architecture remain intact. It’s not easy, all this, in the light of modern developments, which are undoubtedly needed around the world, but certainly not helpful to keeping the valley of the gods as blessed as before. Global warming, perhaps, came sooner to this once cool valley than elsewhere; the uncontrollable proliferation of mass media has corrupted souls, minds, and spirits of the once chaste and pure denizens; and the roads, the peaceful sight of which was so soothing in days gone by, are now torrents of chaos and bedlam;.
Funny thing is, even after all this destruction of age old values and aesthetics, and the creation of new and modern concepts of development, there isn’t anything new that is worth putting on the tourist brochures. It’s still the very same things that are so difficult to save from the dangerous claws of ‘development’ that we continue so desperately to trumpet as the primary reasons for visiting Nepal!

More about Nepal’s Beautiful Temples

The construction of any edifice starts with first making the blueprint. In the case of temples, it starts with the Yantra, which is described as “a geometrical diagram with abstract symbols”, and comprises of the bindu (dot) at the center, the triangle, the square, and the circle. It is considered to be a sacred enclosure of Ishta-devata (the tutelary deity). Yantras can be Tantric (most diverse and common), Vedic (ancient most), and Buddhist mandala (meaning ‘circle’), and they have different uses. Some yantras like Vastu Purush Mandala are used to design ground plans of temples. It has many squares within squares; with the simplest having 64 (8x8) or 81 (9x9) squares, and the most complex having 1,024 squares. The central group of 4 or 9 divisions is where the principal deity resides. It is surrounded by 12 squares, which are the seats of divinities related to spatial directions, and around this are 32 celestial body divinities. In simpler terms, the 3-dimensional structure of the temple originates from the 2-dimensional plan, with the mandala as the blueprint. In somewhat more complex terms, architectural yantras schematize the principles on which the sacred precincts of the temple are constructed. The actual construction starts with leveling, purifying, and consecrating the ground, and on this is drawn Vastu Purush Mandala, accompanied by some intricate rituals. The tiered roof (pagoda) is most common in Nepali temples, and as a matter of interest, the oldest pagoda temple in Kathmandu Valley is the Sulima Ratnesvara Temple in Sulima, Patan. Changu Narayan Temple is also one of the most ancient. The pagoda type temples may be Buddhist, or they may be Hindu. The former are called either bahal, vihar, or bahi, while the latter are called mandirs. Ratnakar Mahavihar, a three-tiered temple in Haklhvihar, Patan, and Hiranayavarna Mahavihar near Patan Durbar Square are excellent examples of Buddhist pagoda type shrines, while Pashupatinath is the most outstanding example of a Hindu pagoda style temple. Other temple types are the stupa and shikara styles, as well as some of the dome style. The stupa is a hemispherical mound of earth, bricks, or stones, with a square structure on top, each side painted with a pair of eyes. Swoyambhunath and Boudhanath are the best examples of stupa type shrines. The shikara style is of Indian origin. It is a tall pyramidal structure having either five or nine sections, with the final section having a bell-shaped top. One famous example is Krishna Mandir of Patan Durbar Square. A most unusual stupas in Patan is Maha Buddha Stupa, because it is built of brick and is also the only major stupa based on shikhara style. The temple of the Living Goddess Kumari in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square is built in the harmaya style, where the courtyard is surrounded on all four sides by residential buildings, with the temple deity placed directly behind the front gate. The tier-roofed, or pagoda type temples, are iconic to Kathmandu Valley. They are mostly square or rectangular in shape, with the latter usually dedicated to tantric deities like Bhimsen, Bhairab, and Bal Kumari, amongst others. Akash Bhairav Temple in Indra Chowk For one week, during Indra Jatra, the image of Bhairab is displayed outside. Bagh Bhairav Temple in Kirtipur and the three-storied Bhimsen Temple in Patan Durbar Square are other outstanding examples.

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Lure of Nepal for Chinese of the Buddhist Faith II

Now, Nepal has to make an urgent inventory of what it has to offer to attract the waiting hundreds of millions of Chinese Mahayana Buddhists. Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha and Buddhism, is no doubt the number one draw, and the sooner that long-delayed international (or, regional, whatever the case may be, it doesn’t matter) airport is completed, the better. Listen up people, it would be a good idea to acquire property around that area, if you are interested in some solid investment. Imagine a lakh or two Chinese Buddhists coming in every other month to Lumbini, and it all makes excellent sense. Now, let’s delve a bit into Mahayana Buddhism and what we have here. One section of the Lumbini Gardens is the Mahayana Monastic Zone, where you will find many striking structures made by different countries. These include Dharmodaya Sabha, with a bahal (courtyard), gumba (monastery), and stupa, like those of a typical Nepali monastery complex; the Manang Stup, constructed by Buddhists of Manang district, which reflects Tibetan Buddhism style; the Korean monastery, the Vietnamese monastery, and further on, monasteries built by French and Austrian Buddhists. Also present is the Japanese monastery, the Ladakh monastery, and two German monasteries. And, yes, you will also find the China Temple (Chinese monastery) here, with similar architecture as seen in Tinanmen Square in Beijing. So, these are great attractions that need to be fully highlighted through strong, interesting, and consistent promotion. Here’s an interesting paragraph I came across on some online site: “Mahayana Buddhism in South Asia died out in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries CE…Theravada Buddhism flourished in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. But the Newars’ Buddhism is the only surviving remnant of the Sanskrit-based, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism of South Asia. They are the only Buddhists in the world whose scriptures are still in Sanskrit…The Newars’ Buddhism is therefore of world-historical importance, and the old royal cities of Nepal – Kathmandu, Lalitpur (Patan), and Bhaktapur – which form its centres are quite rightly UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites.” So, this means there’s plenty more for all those millions of Chinese Mahayana Buddhists to see in Nepal, particularly in Kathmandu Valley, particularly if they are interested in all things to do with Mahayana Buddhism. For them, Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, the Golden Temple is a prime destination, where they will be able to pay homage at the Ratna Chaitya Swayambhu Stupa, and to Guru Vajrasattva and Pragya Paramita (holy scripture), as well as to the gods Amoghapasha Lokeshwara, Arya Tara, Vajrabir Mahakala, Namasangiti, and the four Lokeshwaras. Buddhism in its entirety is too complex a subject to be understood at a single go, but the fundamentals are easy enough to understand. It is also easy enough to understand that Nepal’s Lumbini and Kathmandu Valley hold the answers to many of the questions a Buddhist may be harboring. This includes those of different traditions, including Mahayana, and what is most important to understand, from a tourist point of view, is that the hundreds of millions of followers of Mhayan Buddhism in China could well be the answer to Nepal’s tourism woes.

Lure of Nepal for Chinese of the Buddhist Faith Part 1

Like every other nation, Nepal too has quite a few claims to fame. The major ones being—Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world, and four world heritage sites (two that are cultural: Kathmandu Valley and Lumbini, and two that are natural: Chitwan National Park and Sagarmatha National Park). Other unique attractions of Nepal include its traditional Newari architecture (of dwellings, public places, and temples and stupas), outstanding arts and crafts (pau:bha painting, and wood, stone, and metal craft, including gold and silver jewelry), amazing ecological and cultural diversity, and eight of the fourteen highest peaks in the world. A more recent attraction is the Great Himalaya Trail, the world’s longest and highest trekking route. Of course, there are many, many other unique features of this beautiful Himalayan country, besides its important strategic placement between two of the world’s most highly populated countries, China and India, which are now also two of the biggest economies. China, I hear, is for all purposes the number one economy globally, if we are to take various parameters like population size, infrastructure, and manufacturing, as well as size of domestic market, exports, imports, and so on and so forth. Oh yes, the Chinese are now also very big in international tourism, which of course has to be something akin to manna from heaven for us, if just a small percentage were to set their eyes on visiting Nepal every once in a while. Now, Nepali culture is tremendously influenced by Hindu culture, religion being the mainstay, in addition to language, food, lifestyle, etc. Politics, too! But, Nepal is not prepared for making hay while the sun shines as far as Chinese tourism is concerned. I hear that they are really pleased that we are now part and parcel of their great leap of the new millennium—the One Belt One Road initiative—which will most probably make them an unbeatable force well into the next millennium. Now, it’s good that they are happy with us for our collaboration. This should help us in getting more empathy from this powerful neighbor. But, that’s just the PR, what about the sales strategy? I don’t know how many of you know this, but China has the largest number of Buddhists in the world. That’s right, the largest. Here’s what Wikkipedia says, “China is the country with the largest population of Buddhists, approximately 244 million, or 18.2% of its total population. They are mostly followers of Chinese schools of Mahayana, making this the largest body of Buddhist traditions. Mahayana, also practiced in broader East Asia, is followed by over half of world Buddhists.” Doesn’t this have fantastic implications for Nepal tourism? There can be no more devoted a tourist than the one who is on a spiritual path. Ask the hordes of pious Christians swarming year after year to Vatican City, or the millions of devout hajis making their way to Mecca, or the lakhs of Hindus braving rain, storm, and thunder, and yes, even terrorists, to reach Amarnath. And, how about Jerusalem, which is the place to visit at least once in a lifetime for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike? Even Donald Trump, the man of the moment!

Nepal’s Magnificent Monasteries Part II

Of course, the two World Heritage Site monuments, that is, Swoyambhunath Stupa and Boudhanath Stupa, are the most celebrated Buddhist shrines in Nepal, but there are many other shrines that are also sacred to all Buddhists, both in Nepal and internationally. These are essential parts of the great Buddhist pilgrimage circuit in Nepal, as well as of joyous celebration during the most important days in the Buddhist calendar. Hiranyavarna Mahavihar, or the Golden Temple, as it is world-renowned, is situated very close to the famous Patan Durbar Square, another of Kathmandu Valley’s World Heritage Site monuments, in Lalitpur. This three-roofed shrine, built in the typical pagoda style, houses a large and shining silver statue of Sakyamuni Buddha inside silver embossed doors. It is a revered site for countless numbers of devotees, many of whom come here in the early hours of the morning every day, not only to pay homage and seek blessings, but also to imbibe and be uplifted by the serene spiritual ambience. The early hours is when you’ll see numerous butter lamps burning sparklingly bright, the sweet fragrance of many bundles of incense sticks, the rhythmic chanting of prayers, and the presence of a large number of fervent Buddhists bowing down low to the Buddha. There’s a smaller temple in front of the main one, which is also as intricately decorated with the traditional gilt roof and copper patakas (metal banners descending from the pinnacle). Inside is a silver replica of the great Swoyambhunath Stupa. As you enter the Golden Temple, you’ll come across a double lotus podium on which sits a Dharma Dhatu Mandala with a heavy vajra on top, and as you look around the courtyard, you’ll see figures of Namo Sangeeti, Vajra Satva, Mahankal, Guheswori, Tara, and Manjushree, all of them revered deities in Buddhism. Climbing up to the first floor, there’s a long gumba (prayer/meditation hall) where is located a tall statue of Amoghapasa Lokeswor (eight-handed Buddha), very ancient-looking pau:bhas (religious painting in scroll form), as well as a really big prayer wheel, which just invites you to give it a whirl. The Amitabha Sukhawati Bhawan is also on the first floor, and in it stands a large statue of Amitabha Buddha. In fact, so many are the important deities in the Golden Temple, that it is said you don’t have to visit the other shrines if you are visiting here. Another great monastery in Kathmandu is Dharmakirti Vihar, which is located at Shreega in Naghal, on the way to Thamel. It was founded in 1965 by the illustrious Newari businessman and philanthropist Bhajuratna Kansakar and his wife Jyan Jyoti Kansakar. Its primary goal is to propagate the tenets of Theravada Buddhism, also known as the "Doctrine of the Elders". This branch of Buddhism is based on the scriptural inspiration of the Tipitaka, or Pali canon, which is believed to contain the earliest surviving record of Gautam Buddha's teachings. Theravada is the predominant religion of countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. The monastery has twenty lifetime ordained nuns, who are known as anagarikas, along with the chief abbot, who is known as Aanagarika Dhammwati. While it conducts puja and Dharma Desana (preaching of Dharma) five days a month, during the month of Gunla (the month of prayer and fasting in July/August), puja are held daily. This important festival is to commemorate the so-called “rains retreat”, when Gautam Buddha led his disciples into solitary meditation some twenty-five-hundred years ago. The vihar runs regular meditation camps, spiritual classes, and ordination programs, aside from providing moral education to preschoolers though its educational foundation.

Magnificent Monasteries of Nepal Part 1

Lumbini is of course where it all began, the birth of a great new religion, Buddhism, with the birth of Siddhartha Gautam, who later on in life went on to gain nirvana and become the Buddha, or the Enlightened One. Thus, Lumbini is the primary pilgrimage site for the millions of Buddhists all around the world. At the same time, there are many monasteries (viihars and mahavihars), and stupas throughout Nepal that are also important places of pilgrimage for Buddhist devotees. One such is Seto Gumba, also known as Druk Amitabh Mountain Monastery, which is located about three kilometers from Halchok, near Swayambhunath Stupa, in Kathmandu. Hiking to this splendid monastery is a favorite pastime for many, and should take the average person about two-and-a-half hours to get there. The scenery on the way, and of course form the top, is spectacular. If you don’t feel up to walking all that way uphill, you can drive there from Sitapaila on the Ring Road. The Druk Gawa Khilwa Nunnery is also located here at the monastery, and it is a major nunnery, with about three hundred living there at any given time. This magnificent monastery is renowned for its Tibetan-style architecture, as also for its fantastic statues (some of which are very large-sized) and paintings so colorful, they are a treat to the visual sense. Seto Gumba was founded in 1989 by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, and it is open to visitors on Saturdays. That is when you’ll find lots of people, both locals and tourists, lounging about in the monastery’s lovely garden, and admiring both the visual art on display, as well as the panoramic view of the valley below. Another famous Buddhist destination is Kopan Monastery, which is located on Kopan hill, north of Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu. There’s a great big Bodhi Tree there, so called because the Buddha meditated under one, and the monastery has some three-hundred-and-sixty inhabitants that include lamas, monks, gurus, and daily workers. It is an important center for the study of Mahayana Buddhism, which is based on the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism that was founded by Lama Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), a famous monk who was born in Amdo of Tibet. Affiliated to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), Kopan Monastery was established by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1969, and the first community to live there was a group of twenty-five monks from Solukhumbu district in 1972, who underwent a dedicated program of study, meditation, and communal living under the care and tutelage of Lama Yeshe. In the present time, monks, starting as young as seven years old, flock here from throughout the country, as well as from around the Himalayan region, to receive a classic monastic education. One of Nepal’s biggest nunneries, Khachoe Ghakyil Ling (Pure Land of Bliss), was established at the base of Kopan hill in 1994, and it houses close to four hundred nuns. It had an interesting beginning; in 1979, two young women who had escaped from Tibet, were invited to join the monastery, and thereon, the number of women continued to grow, and eventually, a new nunnery had to be built nearby.

Nepal Flag will Fly High Again

“Nepal Airlines seals deal to buy two Airbus A330 jets for $209.6m.” This headline in a national daily on April 7, 2017, brought much cheer to those in Nepal’s tourism sector, which has been crying hoarse about Nepal’s tourism suffering terribly due to lack of direct flights from potential countries, a result of the national carrier’s constant depletion in its fleet down the years. 

The two new jets are expected to arrive here sometime in the second quarter of 2018, and Nepal Airlines plans to resume its London service, a most profitable destination, aside from launching four new long-haul routes with the two wide body planes with seating capacity of 280 each. The new destinations will be Seoul (South Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Daman (Saudi Arabia), and Sydney Australia). The new additions to its fleet will also enable the airlines to increase flights to other prime destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Doha.

No surprises there, since these have a heavy traffic of Nepali migrant workers, which practically guarantees very high occupancy on every flight, what with about 1,500 Nepali youth flying out daily to make whatever fortune they can in these countries. Australia, of course, is where the majority of Nepali students are flocking to for college studies, the attraction obviously all the more because of better chances of getting the coveted PR (permanent residency) after their studies are over.  

However, there’s a catch, as well. Nepal is one of the countries on the air safety list of the European Commission, and the London flight can only happen if Nepal airlines get the all clear from them. Europe is a very potential market, no doubt about that. According to a report of 2014, there were 163,058 Europeans one-way travelers between Nepal and Europe. Getting a share of that sure is a hefty prize! At the present time, Turkey, India, and Middle East airports are the major hubs for this traffic.

Direct flights to Japan is a priority that has been missed for years now. Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is a favorite pilgrimage destination for the rich Japanese tourists. Currently, the Kathmandu-Japan route is extremely expensive, as Japanese tourists have to take a longer route to reach here. With the lowering of travel costs, due to direct flights by Nepal Airlines, one can be fairly sure of getting a lot more Japanese tourists than what we are getting right now. 

And then there is China, perhaps the country with the highest potential for Nepal’s tourism sector, as well as for most other countries, I guess! Being fully aware of this potential, Nepal has put in the necessary applications for landing permission at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the third busiest airport in China.

Well, if one were to recall Nepal Airlines of the decades gone by (then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation), the national flag carrier was sure flying high, what with direct flights to Colombo, Dhaka, Karachi, Osaka, Shanghai, Singapore, London, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam, along with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Patna in India. Compare that with its present situation, with flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, Doha, and Kuala Lumpur, along with Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore in India. Lack of planes.

It’s been quite a bumpy ride for Nepal Airlines, and the going has been a tough one, doubtless. Well, the blame for such a come-down surely cannot be placed on anybody else’s shoulders other than its own. One can only hope that the future will see the airline flying as high and as further as before, and bring in visitors from all over the world to experience the great natural beauty, age-old culture, and great hospitality of this country. And, bring smiles on the lips of the countless number of Nepalis involved in Nepal tourism. 

Nepal is winning on Conservation

Admittedly, much still needs to be done in many sectors in Nepal, but there are also fronts that seem to be on the right track today. For instance, a recent report has shown that there has been an increase in forest coverage in the last decade or so. Contrast that to news reports of the those years that regularly highlighted rampant encroachment, felling of large tracts of trees by timber smuggling gangs, and the dwindling number of endangered animal species.  

According to a five-year survey done by the Department of Forest Research and Survey and National Forest Products Survey Project between 2010 and 2014, the forest area of Nepal covers 44.74% (40.36% forest, and 4.38% scrubland) of the total 147,181 sq km area of Nepal. A similar survey done between 1987 and 1998 had showed the forest coverage in Nepal to be 39.6 percent. Great going! However, there are still some areas, especially in the Terai, bordering India, where timber smuggling continues quite unabated, and vigilance needs to be increased. One can understand that it can be a dangerous task, keeping determined and well-organized timber smugglers at bay, but what needs to be done has to be done. The gains cannot be allowed to diminish again. 

Now, coming to the protected areas, 17.32% of the total forest area lies inside them. Nepal npow has 20 protected areas, covering about 23% of the country’s landmass, after the designation of Gaurishanker Conservation Area and Api-Nampa Conservation Area, in central and far-western region, respectively, by the historic cabinet meeting held at Everest Base Camp on December 4, 2009. The protected areas include 10 national parks, three wildlife reserves, one hunting reserve, six conservation areas, and 12 buffer zones.

Obviously, all this increase in forest and protected areas means more safe areas for various animal species, included many that have been listed as endangered, chief among them, the one-horned rhino, royal Bengal tiger, wild arna, gharial, etc. (in the Terai forests), red panda, snow leopard, cloud leopard, etc. (in the Himalayan region), and a variety of bird wildlife throughout the country. 

Chitwan National Park, habitat to a large number of animals, including the above-mentioned endangered Terai species, has seen a rise in the number of the rare one-horned rhinoceros. The number had drastically reduced from 800 (when the park was set up in 1950) to just 100 in 1966. Conservation efforts resulted in gradual increases through the years: 310 in 1978, 358 in 1988, 446 in 1998, and 544 in 2000, before again drastically reducing to 372 in 2005. In 2015, 605 was the recorded number. 

There’s also good news regarding the highly endangered, royal Bengal tigers. A census carried out in 2013 recorded 120 of these magnificent beasts in Chitwan, 50 in Bardiya, 17 in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, seven in Parsa Wildlife Reserve, and four in Banke National Park. In 2009, there were just 21 royal Bengal tigers in the country. In particular, their number in Bardiya National Park rose from just 18 in 2009 to 50 in 2013.

Well, looks like Nepal is doing well on the conservation front. 

Heavenly Bodies

Right from the time a child is born, parents make haste to have an astrological chart (janam patra: birth chart; horoscope) made of the child by a priest accomplished in astrology. This is a Hindu tradition followed in Nepal by those of the Hindu faith, of which there is a majority. The janam patra shows the position of different astrological bodies in the heavens at the time of the child’s birth, the reading of which is believed to foretell the coming circumstances in a person’s life.

On a more general note, the janam patra is clear proof of the date of birth of an individual (in the absence of official records, as is the case in many rural areas of poorly developed countries). On a lighter note, perhaps Barack Obama should have had one made; would have saved him all the troublehe had to go through in getting a birth certificate acceptable to Donald Trump and the ‘birther’ brigade in America!

The janam patra comes in handy on many occasions of an in individual’s life, including for determining the suitability of an individual with his/her prospective marriage partner. The couple’s charts are matched to see if they complement each other, and if they do, then the marriage can go ahead without any hindrances. However, if they do not, then the priest usually suggests conducting some special pujas to align the unmatched grahas (planets).

Of course, with modernity, this, the matching of the astrological charts, is not as essential as before, what with people marrying for love, or if not for love, then for convenience. In which case, there’s no reason take additional risks like matching horoscopes, which can lead to unnecessary complications to be faced even before the complexities that are sure to come once the honeymoon is over! On a more graven note, the janam patra is burned on the person’s cremation fire after his/her death.

Having said all that, let’s talk a bit about the heavenly bodies. They are called the Navagrahas, and they consist of the Sun (Surya/Ravi) and the Moon (Chandra/Soma), and the planets Mars (Mangal), Mercury (Budha), Jupiter (Brihaspati), Venus (Sukra), and Saturn (Sani), along with the ascending and descending lunar nodes, namely, Rahu and Ketu. It is to be noted that the days of the week in the Nepali calendar are named after the first seven heavenly bodies mentioned above (Sunday: Ravibar, Monday: Sombar, Tuesday: Mangalbar, Wednesday: Budhabar, Thursday: Brihaspatibar, Friday: Sukrabar, and Saturday: Sanibar.)

These celestial bodies have fired the imagination of astrologers and scientists since ancient times, and have been the very stuff of countless numbers of fantastic mythical stories. Tall tales? Oh yeah, and so intriguing that you’ll probably have to sit down with a soothsayer to discover the inherent and extremely complicated divinity behind them. The astral bodies occupy their own particular spaces in the vast and unlimited ocean of the universe, exerting their own specific influences on the Earth and its primary inhabitants, mankind. But the Navagrahas cannot, by any means, be the only heavenly entities to be present in a universe that has no beginning and no end.

And so, besides the Navagrahas, there also the Nakhshatras, consisting of twenty-seven or twenty-eight constellations, twelve Adityas (Sun gods), and the twelve Rashis (Zodiac signs). Obviously, all are part and parcel of astrological charts, and each plays a role in the correct reading of these charts. Additionally, some of the astral bodies have a more negative influence than others, but there are ways and means (through special pujas as decreed by the priests) to appease their effects.

More than any other heavenly bodies, it is the Sun and the Moon that are most highly regarded. The most popular author on astrology in the West, the late Linda Goodman, is famous for her two books: Sun Signs and Moon Signs. Both have become almost a part of life’s curriculum, since not only are they very interestingly written, they give an amazingly accurate account of the personalities of various signs of the Zodiac.  

The Sun and the Moon rule over all other celestial bodies. In fact, the kings of yore prided themselves on being either a Suryabanshi (having lineage of the Sun) or a Chandrabanshi (having lineage of the Moon). Surya is the king of the planets, dispelling darkness and shedding light (metaphorical depiction of knowledge). The image of the Sun god is interesting—he rides a chariot with seven flying horses, the driver is a god named Aruna, while the two attendants, Dandi and Pingala, are also called Usa (dawn) and Pratiusa (pre-dawn). Chandra is the lord of the night, and he brightens up the entire Earth. He holds two lotus stalks, and his chariot is pulled by seven geese, while his two attendants are called Sandhya (dusk) and Godhuli (twilight).

The Fascinating Garden of Godawari

In the Terai (lowlands), the indigenous Tharus call it ‘Pagalbuti” (pagal: madness, buti: medicinal herb) because it is supposed to cure disorders of the mind. In common parlance, it is known as ‘Sarpagandha’. Its English name is ‘Black Snakeroot’, and its biological nomenclature is Rauvolfia serpentina. The root of this intriguingly named plant is supposed to cure many diseases, including snake bite, and so has suffered due to over collection. The result of this is that it is now listed as ‘endangered’, and is thus a protected species. It should be noted that this plant contains powerful alkaloids like reserpine and serpentine, which can induce serious side effects.

More benign a species is the Elaeocarpus sphaericus, but it has vast significance in another way. It is commonly known as the Rudraksha, whose place of origin is the Himalaya, and which is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. For the former, the dried herbal fruits of this tree are the ‘tears of Lord Shiva’. On a more earthly level, herbalists claim Rudraksha to be the king of herbal medicine, with both preventive and curative powers over many ailments.

Interesting stuff, huh? What’s more, you can easily see these fascinating plants in the National Botanical Garden in Godawari, just ten kilometers away from Satdobato near Lagankhel of Patan. Just to whet your botanical appetite a little more, you can also see the Cinnamomum tamala. Yes, the very same tree whose dried leaves (tejpatta) and powdered bark are used so frequently in our everyday cooking here, especially in meat curries, for the marvelous flavor they impart to the dish. Now, if you go visit this premier garden of Nepal, you’ll also get to know that the tejpatta tree was first described in 1802 by Dr. Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, a Scottish surgeon who also excelled as a naturalist, and is considered to be the father of Nepal botany.

The lovely garden of Godawari sprawls over 84 hectares, and has various sections devoted to the different regions of the country, demonstrating its great ecological diversity, ranging from alpine to sub-tropic, as well as different groups of plants. As you enter the gates, you immediately come across the educational section, which is sure to engross you if you have even a tiny bit of the nature-lover in you. Strolling on, you reach the Japanese garden, full of rocks and boulders of varying sizes, a burbling brook and a small waterfall (everyone, but everyone, who comes to the garden has their photo taken in front of it !), a few wooden bridges, including felled tree trunks in places, and of course many different kinds of plants. Adjoining this part of Japanese paradise is the section for endangered plants.

There are many dirt paths that meander all over the park; one goes up to the greenhouse that’s located on a hill. Similarly, on the opposite hill, separated by an asphalted road, is a neatly landscaped and flower-laden garden featuring a wonderful fountain and some greenhouses containing various kinds of plants, including many varieties of orchids. With so much to see, it is no wonder that the National Botanical Garden is a favorite haunt for photographers, both the would-be-photographers and the professional ones. The garden is also a haven for a large variety of birds; you can hear chirping all over the area throughout the day. All in all, it is a very nice place to visit on a weekend, keeping in mind its proximity to the capital and the serenity of its surroundings that is sure to calm your traffic-jams-agitated mind, soothe your city-hustle bustle-jangled nerves, and provide succor for your urban-living-polluted lungs.

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