Are you one of those travellers that love myths, mysteries and adventure? Are you a spiritual person and can’t decide where to go next? Or maybe you are one of those who have not heard of this place. We are sure……. You have landed at the right place….. Just hang on there until we unveil this place.
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Hmm.. now you might wonder……….
Table of Contents
1. Why Manakamana Temple?
Manakamana Temple is one of the most popular destinations for pilgrims visiting Nepal. It is one of the most renowned and pious temples in the country.
There are a few myths and stories surrounding this temple we heard during our visit that we would be sharing in this blog. However, despite all the myths, this temple has recently become one of the centres of attraction.
Obviously, we know what you might be thinking……..
2. How did we reach Nepal and then to this place?
Let us rewind and tell you that we were already done with our Chitwan, Pokhara and Muktinath. If you haven’t read, checkout our Nepal blog series.
Yes, indeed, by reading our blogs, you will be able to plan your own customised itinerary. In case of any queries, do reach out to us.
You might be curious to know………
3. How was the journey to the starting point of the Manakamana Temple?
It would be unfair to answer in a single sentence rather than take you all on an adventurous ride for a lifetime experience.
So coming back to our story. Let’s continue.
We returned to Pokhara from Marpha by late evening. The next day, early morning, we had to depart for Kathmandu. The distance is approximately 200 km which generally takes 6-7 hours, depending on the traffic condition. However, we decided to stop midway to visit the famous Manakamana Temple. Keeping that in mind, we started at around seven o’ clock in the morning from Pokhara to avoid the office hours traffic.
The road was much better than what we had experienced two days back while travelling to Muktinath. The bus did stop for two bio breaks and also to have our breakfast. We crossed the Mugling junction and reached the starting point or the foothill of the Manakamana Temple on the Prithwi Highway at about close to 11 o’ clock.
The driver informed us that there is a cable car facility that takes us directly to the Manakamana Temple in a matter of 15-20 minutes. On hearing that, we were as excited as you could ever imagine. But we had little or no clue that something else was awaiting us.
Now, your curiosity might have increased to know…………
4. How was the journey to the Manakamana Temple?
Okay, so hold on to your seat; our journey continues.
We jumped off the bus, super excited about getting a chance to ride the cable car after a long time. In no time, we went towards the cable car ticket counter. On the way, we found a few Indian tourists returning with gloomy faces. We learned from them that the cable car had been under maintenance for the last few days and hence closed.
Being determined to visit the temple, thought of enquiring the local shop owners and street vendors for some alternative way to reach the top of the mountain and visit the temple. We were informed about a possibility that could take us to the top. Still, we needed to go down the hill close to the cable car ticket counter and cross the Trishuli River via the hanging bridge. On crossing, we would get a jeep that would take us to the top.
Again, little did we know that something else was about to unfold.
You might now think……
5. What happened next?
As they suggested, we went down the hill to cross the Trishuli River. We could even see bikes plying on that steep, inclined downhill road that required tremendous balance and motorcycle experience. Sometimes we were glued to see the skills of the riders.
And after a 15-minute walk, we reached the hanging bridge. After crossing the bridge, we asked a few school-going kids how far the temple was, to which they replied 4-5 km maximum. We thought it was okay to travel that much in those jeeps. While crossing the bridge, we took a few snaps of the mesmerising view. However, we were shocked to see the public transport as it was not even a jeep.
It was a mini truck with a cage at the back. You think, what would you do?
Till then, let us guess your next question……..
6. How long were we stuck, and was it troublesome to get into the mini-truck?
Better you decide after reading about our experience.
Coming back to our experience, thinking of only 4 km, we decided to take the thrilling ride as we had come that far. Honestly, it was indeed difficult to sit or stand, given we were about ten persons locked in that small space.
On the contrary, we cursed ourselves for the decision while taking the ride. On top of this existing problem, the road condition was so poor that it is difficult to explain. There was only a single-lane road with large stone chips spread over the road.
Only an experienced driver could take us to the top. Even though it was close to noon, we could notice the fog at every turn of the mountain and too much dust that you could imagine. Midway, we had to plead with the driver to stop and relieve our backs that were tingling in pain. Given no option, we hopped on the truck to reach the top. It was an adventurous journey of 3 hours to reach the top. You must walk 5-10 minutes to get to the temple premises.
On the way to the top, we could notice a few homestays, shops and restaurants.
So, you can see how tough it was to reach the top finally.
Few might wonder…….
7. Where are the mystery and the myth?
We are pretty excited to answer this.
Finally, after a lot of struggle, we reached the temple premises. There was a shop nearby where we took off shoes to visit the temple. As usual, we enquired from the shop owner about the mystery and the myths surrounding the temple. He showed us an elderly person standing nearby to go to him and checkout. On his suggestion, we went to the elderly man and enquired politely.
The elderly man explained excitingly that there was a farmer named Ratna Raju. He discovered some stone with an image that was buried in the ground. The image was believed by the locals to be of Goddess Bhagwati or a deity that fulfils the wish. The temple was thought to be built around that discovered stone.
He continued that the region surrounding the temple was believed to be the kingdom of Gorkha. Someone cursed, and the kingdom was ruined. Only the temple survived that.
Even there was some local belief that there were hidden roads close to the temple that connected the Manakamana Temple to other pious places of Nepal like Pashupatinath and Muktinath. The stories did create an atmosphere of mystery around the temple.
8. Was it truly a worthy visit after so much trouble?
It will be unfair to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in a single word. Rather let us give you a glimpse.
As the interaction with the elderly person ended, the beauty of the Annapurna and Manaslu mountain ranges caught our attention. There was a little queue to enter the temple. Obviously, only some people would be interested in dropping a visit like that until you were not that adamant about visiting.
We stayed for an hour and then thought to return to our bus via the same adventurous ride. It gave us goosebumps back then when the image of that truck came in front of our eyes.
Our return journey was less painful than the onward journey, as we were a bit habituated now. It was an adventurous journey, but if we had decided to skip it, we could have missed something to cherish for the rest of our life. The temple was so beautiful that it could not be described in words.
A memorable day was about to end for us as it was close to the evening when we reached our starting point. Hope by reading this blog, you will be able to execute your plan to this pious place.
As we were already on a tight schedule, we decided to return and not stay up there. We continued our onward journey for the day.
In case you have this one last query in mind…….
9. What kind of help are we gonna provide to you?
Hmm, this question is bound to come to your mind. Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will be giving you a glimpse of our journey and also helping you to plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and keep an eye out for the next destination story of Nepal. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com
by mitkau