Panache of Pokhara !!!

Pokhara Valley

Kathmandu equates Nepal. Quite a few times, inadvertently one gets interchanged with the other.

Ever heard of Pokhara?

No?

Well, in which case it is time to update you on this beautiful place 200 kilometers from Kathmandu to its west which till the 60s did not even have an approach road and the only way was on foot!!

Smaller than Kathmandu in size, it more than makes up with some splendid ambiance and sceneries all around minus the traditional trappings of a metropolis. Look up from any part of this tiny province and the only thing you see are the snow-capped mountains against a clear blue sky.

Talking of blue skies, when was the last time you looked-up and saw this wonder? Pune has grown commercially which shows in its smog-filled skyline. With schools and colleges nearing their summer holidays and winters saying good-bye, isn’t it time to look for a quite place in a quiet corner where the only thing you see is serenity, the only thing you feel is the cool breeze from the mountains and the only thing you hear are the birds and bees (and very occasional humans!)? Fly-by-night tour operators with limited experience can at best take you some distance from Pune. If you want the real fun, go to the seasoned ones like Raghukul Holidays where you can afford to be carelessly enjoy such places.

Coming back to our original topic, what does Pokhara have? If natural surroundings interests you, plenty! And all this due to two features, the mountains and a river!  Well ….read on…..

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Beautiful Pokhara

     Pokhara is just 30 kms from the base of three mighty mountains,  Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu which appear in one line like a fish’e tail (also called Machhapuchhre by the locals). If you are the regular walking and trekking kinds, this can be your starting point for quite a few worthy treks. The approach to Pokhara itself is quite a challenge! Within 30 km, the elevation rises from 1,000 m to over 7,500 m! Beat that!?!

It is situated in the valley of the Seti Gandaki river. Gandaki as you might know, is the river which gives us the “shaligram”. A peculiar feature of this river is that it is not wide like normal rivers in the plain but cuts deep gorges into the earth in and around Pokhara with one point being as low as 20 meters!

    Due to the soft subsoil, caves under the earth are another interesting feature with notable ones being the Gupteshor Gupha and the Mahendra Gupha which are natural dwellings for bats and are filled with stalagmites. The first one is approx 3 kms long! The second one is of lime stone. Quite a few of these caves are well hidden behind foliage or other features like in the case of the Davi’s fall, where a man enjoying a dip in the waterfall was sucked into one of the caves underground and found his way 50 meters ahead!

     Due to Pokhara’s unique positioning, it gets the highest rainfall in Nepal all of which aid in creating water bodies at regular intervals like Phewa, Begnas and Rupa lakes. These are not very large by most standards but offer immense serenity and natural beauty. You can indulge in boating, fishing etc., etc. for which equipments are available at very nominal charges at the lake sides. The view of the mountains is simply breath-taking!

     Barahi Temple: Almost in the middle of Phewa lake, the two  storied pagoda is dedicated to the boar manifestation of Ajima, who represents the female force "Shakti". Animal sacrifice being the norm in Nepal, Saturdays see devotees carrying male animals and fowl to be sacrificed to the deity.

    Museums: For its size, Pokhara surprises you with two museums being   

o The Pokhara Museum which deals with the ethnicity of western Nepal featuring groups such asthe Gurungs, Thakalis and the Tharus, and

o The Annapurna Museum, managed by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) which displays a collection of the local birds, models of wildlife as well as samples of various precious and semi-precious stones and volcanic rocks.

Pokhara helps you unwind you so much, it takes a looong time to wind yourself back.

Need we say more? 

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Please feel free to post your comments below.

About Author :- Amit Kulkarni is the founder of Raghukul Holidays.