These temples are dedicated to Goddess Sati or Shakthi. As per the lore, the Goddess entered the fiery altar due to an altercation with her father, and her body burst into flames due to the act. The scattered body pieces of Sati are now the Shakthi peeths. The holy sites are also generally perceived as the temples of Goddess Durga.

As the the festival has taken off, we look at Nepal’s most significant Shakti peeths, which one should visit this Navaratri. Let’s dive in.

Also Read: Top 5 Famous Nepali Temples in the US

Pathibhara, Taplejung

The Shakti peeth of Taplejing is a popular pilgrimage site as both Hindus and Buddhists throng this temple. The temple is of Pathibhara, who is the Goddess of faith and holiness. Situated at an altitude of 3,794 m, the temple is 19.4 km from Phunling, the district headquarters. It takes a day to reach the temple from Phunling Bazaar by walk. The temple is popularly visited by devotees perennially.

Dantakali, Sunsari

The Dantakai temple is another Shakti peeth in Bijaypur, Dharan. The temple is built in the middle of a hill, and as per the mythos, the teeth of Sati fell there after Lord Shiva carried her charred corpse. The same legend is told by the temple scriptures Swasthani Bratakatha. Animals and other sacrifices are offered to the temple Goddess. The Hindus throng the temple during Dashain, Teej, and Swasthani Purnima. Typically, a fair is also conducted on Dashain.

Also Read: Kathmandu’s 5 Amazing Temples of Lord Shiva!

Kalinchok Bhagawati, Dolakha

The temple of Kalinchok Bhagwati is pretty famous among pilgrims and tourists. It is situated in the Kalinchok rural municipality of the Dolakha district. The temple is situated 15 km north of Charikot, which is the district headquarters. Located at an altitude of 3,842 meters , the holy site attracts pilgrims perpetually.

Palanchowk Bhagawati, Kavre

The Palanchok Bhagwati temple sits atop a hill at an altitude of 1,562 meters in the Panchkhal municipality of the Kavrepalanchok district. The temple was constructed by Lichhavi King Mandev and was dedicated to the King’s mother. The temple is primarily full of pilgrims, and they offer animal sacrifices to Goddess Bhagawati.

Also Read: 10 Important Facts About Nepal’s Budhanilkantha Temple

Manakamana, Gorkha

As the name implies, the temple is dedicated to Goddess Manakamana Bhagawati. It was built in the Gorkha region, and it is a prominent temple for Nepali Hindus. It is widely accepted that the Goddess Manakamana fulfills all the wishes of people who pray to her. It was believed that the wife of King Ram Shah of Gorkhali was the incarnation of Manakamana Bhagawati. Animals are sacrificed here on the eighth day of Dashain.

Bageshwari, Banke

The Shakti peeth located in Nepalgunj is famous as the pilgrims believe that the tongue of Goddess Sati landed at that place. The temple was built around, and it is opined that Kinnarganas worshipped the holy site.

The temple is built by the side of a pond, and it was discovered after the regions Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur were annexed.

Also Read: Famous Durga Temples To Visit During Navaratri (Dashain)

Bindhyabasini, Kaski

The holy site is dedicated to Goddess Durga and is built atop a hill close to Old Bazaar, Pokhara. With Annapurna and Macchapuchhre mountain ranges in the vicinity, the temple is at an altitude of 900 meters.

As per the lore, Goddess Bindhyabasini Bhagawati, who is deemed an incarnation of Goddess Kali, was built by King Khadag Bum Malla in the late 18th century. Since then, the temple has been thronged by a countless number of pilgrims. Every Tuesday and Saturday, most pilgrims from the Pokhara region visit this temple. The thoroughfare increases during Dashain.

Baglung Kalika, Baglung

Located in the forest southeast of Baglung Bazaar, the Baglung Kalika Bhagawati temple is located by the southern banks of the Kaligandaki river. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali, who is perceived to be the fiery form of Goddess Parvati. The temple is visited by most during Navaratri and Chaite Dashain.

Badimalika, Bajura

Reaching Badimalika temple is an experience by itself as one has to undertake a three-day walk to reach the shrine from Martadi. The temple, which is dedicated to Goddess Bhagawati, is located in the Bajara district. To commemorate the Ganga Dussehra and Janai Purnima, a huge fair is conducted here every year. The temple also attracts pilgrims from neighboring countries.

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Located on the western top of Damauli Bazar in Ward No 5 of Byas Municipality, Manahukot has become the newest popular tourist spot in Nepal.

The new tourist spot has received around 1,000 domestic tourists every day since the breath-taking pictures went viral. Surprisingly, it witnessed over 10,000 visitors on Saturday. People queued up since 3:00 am on Saturday to go to Manahukot.

“It was like a big fair organized during the festival season with the highest number of visitors to date,” said Ward Chairperson Mohan Kumar Shrestha.

Before this, Manahukot used to receive around 200-300 tourists during the tourist season. Now, the road leading to Manahukot is facing traffic jams for hours.

Meanwhile, the unprecedented tourist arrivals are drawing huge concerns as the gatherings may lead to the risk of coronavirus spread. Most tourists are from nearby districts, including Kaski, Lamjung, Syangja, Gorkha, and Chitwan.

Tourists arrive at the spot a day earlier to witness the fantastic view of sunrise over the clouds early in the morning. Besides the sunrise, the place is known for its amazing sunset, the Himalayan range, the beautiful view of the Modi and Seti rivers, and Damauli Bazar.

Stay Tuned to NepaliSansar for Latest Nepali Tourism News!

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Earlier, Dolakha was envisioned to host Nepal’s Film City, but the Prime Minister ruled out the possibility when he said that the district was not appropriate for the project owing to its unpredictable weather.

The prospect of setting up a Film City in Nepal has been in talks for more than a decade now, considering the primary agenda of luring Bollywood production houses and others to shoot films against the picturesque landscapes of Nepal.

Oli’s Declaration of Film City
In his address to the Gandaki Provincial Parliament, Prime Minister KP Oli announced the government’s plans of coming up with a Film city at the aforementioned destination.

Alongside this announcement, he also revealed that a team of Indian professionals led by Indian Director and Zee Cinema Chairperson Subhash Ghai will be coming to Nepal to gauge the possibility of constructing the said project in Pokhara.

The team will also be visiting locations around Tanahun and Gorkha.

“I have asked them to look for locations around here, I think the most viable space for a film city lies in the Gandaki province,” says Oli.

Adding further, he says, “If we can establish a film city, then within two years we could see visible change. From Mumbai, one can merely see seas, but from here, one can also see mountains and lakes. It’s not for nothing that Amitabh Bachchan came here to shoot his films.”

We hope that the new facility at Pokhara will further enhance the Lake City’s grandeur!

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As part of the agreement, India has agreed to provide USD 16.2 million to both the UN agencies, including USD 8.79 million to UNDP and USD 7.41 million to UNOPS.

This fund will be utilized for the construction of around 50,000 houses in Gorkha and Nuwakot, two of the districts badly-hit in the 2015 earthquake.

Through this fund, the UN agencies plans to provide all the needed socio-technical assistance related to rebuilding damaged sites for around 26,912 houses in Gorkha (by UNDP) and 23,088 houses (UNOPS) in Nuwakot.

Overall, this three-year project aims at ensuring the rebuilt houses are in line with the government norms and are quake-resistant.

Problems Faced So Far

As part of relief measures post the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, the Government of Nepal has called for the owner-driven approach for the renovation of quake-hit structures across the country and has had also announced USD 250 million aid and a USD 750 million Line of Credit for the same.

With this, socio-technical assistance for the procurement of related material which includes materials, technical support, finance, technologies, skill-set and land, among others.

This sort of confusion was witnessed in the reconstruction activity that has been underway since 2015, which saw a high number of householders seeking hands-on technical support, in-time funds, among others to build government-compliant and safer structures.

Now, these hassles are likely to be addressed under the new project which is promising the deployment of architects, masons, community facilitators and trained engineers for a constructive move.

“We look forward to making this partnership a success to ensure that the poor, vulnerable and marginalized households who need our support the most are able to reconstruct resilient houses speedily while leaving no one behind,” says Renaud Meyer, Country Director, UNDP Nepal.

Solution Ahead, Technical Assistance Vital

“We have learned from the experiences around the world that disasters like this tend to disproportionally affect socially and economically vulnerable people. These projects will address the special needs of those populations and make them more resilient to disasters in the future,” said UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand at the project signing ceremony while also thanking India for its support.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri opined that this project will address the technical concerns of the householders and assist them with all the needed expertise for safer construction.

“The partnership agreement with UNDP and UNOPS will enhance the availability of technical knowhow and expertise to house owners in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts to reconstruct their homes with earthquake-resilient features,” reads Puri’s statement.

Sanjay Mathur, UNOPS Asia – Regional Director was also happy at the favor extended by the Government of India and Nepal towards helping the needy.

He said, “With the generous assistance of the Government of India and in close partnership with the Government of Nepal, we will all be working together to support those families in greatest need, safely rebuild their homes and their lives. This is critical to sustainable development and we are proud to be a part of this effort.”

This three-year project will be carried out jointly by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Nepali National Reconstruction Authority, Central-Level Project Implementation Units of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration Nepal, Nepali Ministry of Urban Development and all the related local municipalities, government offices and rural municipalities in the two districts.

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