Jiri

Jiri, mini or little Switzerland on earth, this is what most of the people here in Nepal claim. There is no doubt that Jiri is really blessed with the beauty by mother nature.But 
                                  
             “Is Switzerland really like Jiri?”

Jiri is a valley located  at an altitude of 1,905 metres (6,250 feet) in the Janakpur Zone of north-eastern Nepal. Jiri is 188 Km far away from Kathmandu and is connected by a road named as Jiri road. The busjourney from Kathmandu to Jiri stops at Lamosunga for a lunchbreak. Bus or vechiles ride takes 6 to 8 hours due to narrow, winding roads but  beautiful hills settlements like, Thulopakhar, Dadapakhar, Mude, Kharidhunga, Boch, Makaibari, Charikot, Kiratichhap, Busti, Namdu, Mainapokhari and Hanumante pass before entering into the valley and make one's journey a sweet memory.

In 1952 the Everest expeditions led by John Hunt that put Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary on the summit for the first time in the history of Everest passed through Jiri. So Jiri is also called the "Gateway to Everest". Jiri is the home of an ethnic group called the Jirels and Sunwar. late king Mahendra established his summer camp in Jiri to travel eastern mountain regions in 1963. Similarly, late King Birendra visited this place in 1983 and 1987.

Why Jiri got compared to Switzerland?

Toni Hagen also known as the first foreigner to visit Nepal and also an honorary citizenchip card holder of Nepal.After taking a diploma in engineering and geology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. He took a doctorate in the geology and then became a research assistant at the Zurich Geological Institute.Hagen first visited Nepal in 1950 with a first Swiss development assistance mission. In 1952 he was employed by the government of Nepal and also worked for the United Nations.

He travelled 14,000 km criss-crossing the country on foot over 12 years, produced books and charted out Nepal's development pathways.Toni Hagen made a detailed geological map of Nepal, plotted sites for hydropower projects like Kulekhani and the Karnali Bend, proposed a east-west electric train artery, ropeways for mountain transport, and advocated rural eco-tourism. Hagen, was really touched by the scenery of the valley. It reminded him of Zurich, Switzerland and urged his government to invest for the development of Jiri.

As a result in 1951 Swiss team headed by Mr. Schulthes came to Nepal. And on their visit to Jiri they found out a lot of similarities between Swiss alpine highlands and Jiri valley and recommended government to start the developments programs similar to Swiss Alps. In 1959 Swiss government lunched Jiri multi purpose Development Project (JMDP),which established hospital, school, cooperatives, and agricultural development center, managed Forests and conducted various skill development trainings .Swiss president Arnold Kollar (1997) world famous film director Eric valley (2007) also have recognized Jiri as one of the most beautiful place on the earth by visiting it.

Jiri is quite small but really beautiful and green. View of Jiri from top looks very beautiful. There are small houses built in swiss model and one can visit technical institute there.Charlie pye smith in his book ‘‘ Travels in Nepal " called Jiri ‘‘ half caste offspiring of an improverished Nepalese mother and wealthy Swiss father ".The steady flow of trekkers later motivated the government to construct the first airport in the hill areas of Nepal. In 1960, a Royal Nepal Airlines Twin Otter landed at Jiri Airport, carrying a team of mountaineers. Later in 1968, the government established an airport at Lukla.

Jiri is a small town with around 16,000 population  having climate and vegetation similar to Swiss Alps.The daily arrival of tourists to this gateway to Everest soon improved the economic conditions of the locals. As a result there are numerous hotels and lodges in Jiri. In addition to it has restaurants where visitors can stay and experience the cultures of Jirels through the home stay in Sikri valley, Kot, Kharayoban and Dhunge. The local Jirel people are friendly and helpful.

Lukla- The gate way to Mount Everest

                                                           Lukla

Some people usually tourists generally describe Lukla as heaven on earth. Lukla is a town in Khumbu area in Solukhumbu District of Sagarmatha Zone of north eastern Nepal. Situated in the himalayan region it is a beautiful tourist area. It is the main gateway to Mount Everest.The town is located at an altitude of 2,860 meters (9,383 ft).

Lukla means place with many goats and sheep, there was a time when goats and sheeps were found in abundant but now-a-days tourism has become a part of livelihood earnings.Once a tiny farming community, Lukla is now a large trekkers town, with numerous accommodation options, many shops selling almost everything from batteries and soap to yak hair gloves and North Face jackets, and even a couple of internet cafes.Lukla is basically just an airport and a strip of hotels. There are two expensive, up-scale places which offer such luxuries as hot tubs, while the other hotels are pretty much a sameness.

Air transport is the only  means to reach Lukla due to the lack of roads.One can reach Tenjing Hillary Airport of Lukla by taking a half an hour flights from Kathmandu Airport. Usually fights take places between 7 am to12 noon as sky in the afternoon gets covered with fog and dust. One can have a breathtaking view of Mt Kongo and other Himalayas range on a clear day.

Temperatures in Lukla during prime trekking times can range from 14°F (-10°C) overnight to 55°F (13°C) during the day. It gets very cold here due to its altitude and one needs to make a proper arrangement of warm clothes and thick shoes for the journey. The price of food items is generally high as the air transport in the only means of suppling food. The ghee made yak milk, salt and garlic soup are the popular dishes of Lukla. Whereas tourists can order the food of their own choice as well. From 'Starbucks' to apple cheese cakes. you name it.

March to May and September to November months are the best time to visit.

Pathivara - The Holy Shrine

                 Pathivara -The Holy Shrine


Pathivara Devi shrine (3794m) is a popular pilgrimage destination of both Hindus and Buddhists located at a height of 12,448 ft, on the Northern side of Taplejung district, Mechi Zone in Eastern Nepal. The highest hill of Taplejung District where the holy shrine is located also called 'Pathivara Dada' is one of the attractions for the tourists in the district.

The Goddess at Pathibhara temple is believed to possess supernatural powers and is believed to fulfill the long-cherished dreams of her devotees. She is considered by her devotees as a manifestation of the divine feminine also determined with other names as AdiKali, Maha Maya, Maha Rudri among many other of her divine forms.

Pathibhara lies in the junction of three VDCS: Tapethok, Limkhim and PhawaKhola. The journey to Pathibhara starts from Suketar (2840m)  passing through Deurali, Ramitedanda, Chhatedhunga, Bhalugaunda and Phedi before finally reaching the temple, which is about 8-10 hours walk from Suketar. The airport at Suketar is the only airport of Taplejung district. Suketar is connected to Kathmandu and Biratnagar by scheduled flights. Beautiful views of Kanchenjunga and Kumbhakarna can be seen from Suketar.

The best time to visit the temple is from March through out to June and September to November. Pilgrimages can also have an opportunity to visit Kanchanjungha range, the waterfall at Sawa pokhari and the pond of Timbuk, during autumn and spring every year. The thick forest eco-system along the trail offers diversity of wildlife, birds, flowers and butterflies. 

                Story of Pathivara

It is believed that local shepherds lost hundreds of their sheep while grazing at the same place where the temple stands today. The distressed shepherds had a dream in which the Goddess Pathivara ordered them to carry out ritualistic sacrifice of sheep and build a shrine in her honor. When the sacrifice was offered the lost herd supposedly returned. The ritual of offering sacrifices inside the temple is believed to have started after the incident.

The hill goddess Pathibhara after which the place is named is believed by the devotees as a fierce goddess who can be easily pleased with simple and selfless act of compassion, prayer and sacrificial offerings (sacrifice in Hinduism denotes sacrifice of ego and greed), while is unmerciful and severe to one who has malicious intentions beneath.

Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath Temple

The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous 5th century Hindu Temple. Pashupathinath means the master or lord of all animal. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shiva, the destroyer, is historically the god most worshipped in the country. He may be worshipped as the holy ascetic, depicted with his consort Parvati and holding a trident and a small drum(damaru) or more often in the form of the linga, an elongated stone representing his generative powers. The most important linga is situating in the holy shrine of Pashupatinath. In front of Shiva temples one usually sees a statue of Nandi, the divine bull that serves as Shiva’s vehicle. It is Located in the Eastern parts of kathmandu on the Banks of Bagmati River.

Story of Pashupatinath Temple

There are several stories related to pashupathinath, some are presented below;

In hindu mythology it is always said that Lord Shiva arranges various lilla ( play, act, drama) to check the patience of his devotees, to teach a lesson, and bless the needy and worthy.

It is said that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unknown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods were worried and started searching for him. Gods knew that unlike other gods and goddess Lord shiva  dwells only in earth. They searched everywhere but couldn't find him. Finally they knew that lord Shiva was disguished in form of an antelope in the forest near Bagmati river. The gods then pleaded Lord shiva to return back to his original body. But Lord Shiva in form of the antelope tried to  run away. Gods tried to stop him by grabbing him by the horn, that made a horn get broken and thus Lord Shiva resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. 

Many years later an astonished cowherd found that his milking cows were always out of milk. He wanted to find out the truth thus he followed his cows and saw his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.

 Another story goes this way



After the bloody war of Mahabratha was over, the Pandavas realized that everything in this earth is meant to get destroyed. Their time to taste death was coming near since they were getting old every day. Thus they wished to atone for the sins of killing lots of people during the war.Thus, they handed over the reigns of their kingdom to Pareekshit ( Grandson of Arjun and Subhhara, son of Abhimanyu and uttra) and left in search of the Lord Shiva and to seek his blessings. First, they went to the holy city of Varanasi (Kashi), believed to Lord Shiva's favourite city and famous for its Lord Shiva temple. 

 But, Lord Shiva  avoided them as he wanted to test Pandavas devotion and patience. Therefore, he assumed the form of a bull (Nandi) and hid in the Garhwal region.

Not finding Lord Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to Garhwal Himalayas. Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi (“hidden Kashi” — the name derived from the hiding act of Lord Shiva). Bhima immediately recognized the bull to be Lord Shiva. Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs. As it is a tradition in hinduism to touch the legs of elders for blessing. But the bull-formed Lord Shiva disappeared into the ground to later reappear in parts, with the hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tunganath, the nabhi (navel) and stomach surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar, the face showing up at Rudranath the head appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavas pleased with this reappearance in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Lord Shiva. The Pandavas were thus freed from their sins. It is also believed that the fore portions(linga) of Lord Shiva appeared at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu — the capital of Nepal.

Swayambhunath

Swayambhunath

Swayambhunath ( self created) is located at the west of Kathmandu. Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are monkeys living in the north-west parts of the temple.

Swayambhunath is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal.. It was was founded by the great-grandfather of King Mandev  (464-505 CE), King Varsadev, about the beginning of the 5th century CE. It is said that Emperor Ashoka had visited this site in the third century BC and built a temple on the hill which was later destroyed.

The earliest written record of the Swayambunath Stupa's existence is a 5th-century stone inscription, but some scholars believe that the shrine here can be as early as the 1st century or even before that.

Story of Swayambhunath

 Kathmandu Valley was filled with a great lake. According to Buddhist legend, a single perfect lotus grew in the center of the lake. When the bodhisattva Manjusri drained the lake with a slash of his sword, the lotus flower settled on top of the hill and magically transformed into the stupa. Thus it is known as the Swayambhu (Self-Created).

Boudhanath

Boudhanath

Boudhanath Stupa built in the 14th century and is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet.This Bouddha stupa was built just after the demise of Lord Buddha.The ancient Stupa is one of the largest in the world. It is the center of Tibetan culture in Kathmandu and rich in Buddhist symbolism. The stupa is located about 11 km (6.8 mi) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu in the town of Boudha.

Story of Boudhanath Stupa

An angel in a previous life, 'Jyajima' had to take birth in earth in a ordinary family due to the reduction of her religious merit from the heaven. She was married to  four man. The four of them were a dog trader, a pig trader, horse trader and a poultry trader respectively. She became mother of four sons(khijibu, Phagjibu,Tajibu,Jyajibu) from each of her husbands. khijibu from dog trader, Phagjibu  from a pig trader, Tajibu was born of a horse trader,  and Jyajibu  from poultry trader.

All of her sons were religious minded, everyday they practised religious rites. One day they heard about her mother's story of how she desended from heaven due to lack of religious merits. Thus they decided  to inhance their as well as their mother's religious merits and decided to construct the largest stupa.  'Jyajima' bought the land for construction , The sons arranged all the finance necessary. Some cowherds and shepherds, brahmins and others  too came forward to help them. Even animals and birds got intrested in the construction work. Soil, bricks, stones, gold and other necessary items were carried by horses, donkeys, elephants and etc. 

Four years later, after completion of four stories of the structure,  'Jyajima' died and returned back to heaven as angel. .Thousands of Buddhas and heavenly deities incarnated as Lamas entered the Boudha stupa, the rays of Bodhisattvas also entered in the form of song from heaven and the holy sound of was heard in the sky.  Three  years later her sons completed stupa.Many kilograms of gold were used in the decoration of the holy building. It took seven years in total to complete the construction of the stupa.

After the completion of the construction of Boudha stupa, all the four sons, including the shepherds, cowherds and brahmins prayed to the Stupa .Khyijibu prayed and wished to became a scholar and serve the religion. He was incarnated as the enlightened Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava in the southwest area, at Dhanakosha lake. He suppressed the Demons who were barriers to the religion and conserved and protected the religion from the Demonic attacks.Phagjibu wished to be a scholar to disseminate the religion, and he became Bodhisattva Santaraksita, an enlightened teacher in Tibet in the next birth. Tajibu prayed the stupa to become the king of the northern region to disseminate the religion, so he was the Dharma King Trisong Detsen of Tibet in his next life. Jyajibu prayed to be a minister for the protection of religion in the north and as an answer to his prayer he was born at Tibet and became the minister Bhami Thri Zher.

The cowherds and shepherds, who prayed for the protection of religion and suppression of demons (who were attempting to eliminate the holy religion), were born as Cholon Gos Padma Gung Tsan  in Tibet to conserve the religion. In the same way, Chodpurchan and Sarse, two Brahmins who prayed to the stupa to be born in the holy country and to write the holy literature were reborn in the next life as Kawa Paltsek and Chogro Lhui Gyaltshan these two translated thousands of holy teachings of Lord Buddha into Bhoti (Tibetan) Language.

All of these person prayed for themselves but they did not pray for the animals, who transported bricks, soil, and stone. So these animals became angry and the elephant prayed to be the Demon in the next life to eliminate the religion. So he became the King Langdarma of Tibet in the next life, where Tajibu had disseminated the holiest religion. In the same way, the Donkey prayed to become a minister in the next life to destroy the religion and he too became a minister Dudlon Mazhang Drompakye in Tibet.

A crow listened the prayers of these animals who prayed for the destruction of the holiest religion, and the crow prayed to the Bouddha Stupa make him a minister to protect and preserve the holy religion by killing the demonic king Langdarma  in the next life. He was born as Lha Lung Pal Gyi Dorje  in the next life, and assassinated King Langdarma with a bow and arrow.

In addition to this, two crown princes of Nepal prayed to be helpers in dissesminating the religion, and they became Denma Tsemang ) in their next lives and wrote many holy books. Along with this, the religious king of Tibet, Dechen Devachan asked the greatest teacher Rinpoche: "what could be the factor and cultural background of our previous life that made us deeply devoted in religion and active in disseminating religious matters"? He was answered and was reverently referred by the Guru as 'Jyarung Khashor.

one of the story says that

Once in ancient Nepal,there lived a very grumpy,rude and irreligious man who was detested by everyone and never once did any thing pious in his life.He owned a shop in the complex but no one really came to his shop because he used to speak ill of everyone who came there.When he died he fell straight to hell and when he was about to get sentenced for his sins but The Buddha appeared and nullified his sentence.When the demons asked the holy one why he did this the Buddha said "Yes,this man has done many sins in his life but, once he circled around Boudhanath while chasing a dog and had gained a little merit thus The Buddhas shall grant him one chance to atone."After this incident it is believed that even if a person who has committed great sins circles around the stupa even once shall be granted one chance to atone for their sins.

Kathmandu

                      Kathmandu

Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is one of the world's oldest cities. It is the only Metropolitan City in the country. The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped.It is surrounded by four major hills: Shivapuri, Nagarjun,Phulchoki, and Chandragiri.With the measurements of 49.45 km² (19.09 sq  mi) Kathmandu Valley is a part of three districts( Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu) in Bagmati Zone. It has the highest population density in the country.Kathmandu is the gateway to tourism in Nepal.