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Dhaka, Friday   15 November 2024

Eye News Desk

Published: 21:14, 6 April 2023

The beauty of Pokhara

Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal, located 200 km west of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The city of Pokhara, full of natural beauty, is called "Heaven of Nepal" and "Queen of Nepal". The Nepal Tourism Department has a slogan, "Your visit to Nepal is not complete unless you visit Pokhara."

The world's longest (140km) Himalayan mountain range can be seen from Pokhara. Pokhara is also known as the city of “Mountain View”. From here you can see the 'Annapurna' and the fish tail-like Macch Puchar (6,977 m) peak, one of the world famous four peaks. There are many sightseeing places in this Pokhara.

Muktinath can be taken out by helicopter from Pokhara to Jamsam after a couple of hours journey. Muktinath Temple and Jalamukhi Temple are worth visiting here. If the sky is clear, the Annapurna range can be seen very well from here. Manokamana Devi temple can be visited by cable car after reaching Kurintar by car from Pokhara.

Fewa Lake
It is one of the second largest natural lakes in Nepal. 4 km in length and 1.5 km in width. The first one is called “Rara Lake” which is located in the remote area of Mugu district in western Nepal. Phewa or Phewa Lake is the focal point of tourist attraction and ideal recreation center. Colorful boats are available for rent, paddle boats and sailboats are also available. Rent is to be paid on time. Tickets are available at the entrance to the lake. Ticket prices are kept much lower for SAARC countries than for foreign tourists. There is a temple in the middle of the lake, named “Barahi Hindu Temple”. All the Hindu community go to the temple by boat, many tourists also go there. I like to travel by boat.

The main attraction of Pokhara is the boat trip to Phewa Lake which must be done before dawn. Here the boat fare is determined. So there is nothing to be proud of. There are two types of boats, small and big. If you are taking a group/family, it is better to take a bigger boat. 9-10 people can go in a big boat. This lake is breathtakingly beautiful. At a glance, it may seem like a lake in Europe. Anyone will love walking along the mountain.

Peace Pagoda
Peace Pagoda has a local name – Peace Stupa. A pagoda for Buddhists built on Mount Andu. People come here for meditation. This beautiful hilltop setting will appeal to anyone. It is basically on one side of Lake Feua. Since the pagoda is at the top of the hill, you can get a good view of Phewa Lake and the entire Pokhara city from the top. This is a great place to take pictures. But keep in mind that this is not a tourist place. It is beautifully designed for religious places of worship. When entering the Peace Pagoda area, silence is written first. Although tourists are not allowed to enter the main part of the pagoda, be careful not to shout/speak loudly. It is our responsibility to show respect to their religion. If someone speaks loudly, the people in charge of the pagoda control it immediately.

Davis Fruit
Davis Falls is one of the attractions of Pokhara. A small waterfall is called Davis Falls. There is also a history with the nomenclature. Davis Falls has a dam on one side. At one time when the water in the dam was controlled, the flow of water in the fountain was not so much. A couple was bathing in the shower. At this time, if the water of the dam is released a little, the water will flow in the fountain. Instantly the woman was lost with the current. His dead body was recovered after 3 days. The Nepalese government later fenced off the site. Named after the deceased tourist. Even if the fountain is not too big, you can go to see it. The entry fee here is 30 rupees. All proceeds go to a school fund. Outside the gate you will find several shops. You can shop if you want. But take the price. Start bargaining at 40% of the asking price.

Mahendra Cave
The limestone cave opposite Davis Fall is called Mahendra Cave. The cave is named after Vikram Shahadeb, the late King Mahendra Bir. Small low power bulbs are installed inside it. A guide and a torch each are required to enter. Hindus have installed idols of Mahadev, their chief war god, inside the cave. There is also a priest. It is also a religious shrine for them. Big stones under the feet inside, low light, torch in hand, with guide, beautiful environment, must be a new experience! A little further away there is another cave called “Chameri Cave”. There are also lots of bats inside.

Sharankot
Sharankot in Pokhara is the most attractive view point for tourists, from where you can see the magnificent view of the mountains, Pokhara Valley and Phewa Lake. Sharankot is five kilometers from Pokhara, at an altitude of 1592 meters above sea level. Here tourists mainly come to see the first light spectrum of the sun on the mountain peak. New Sun on one side, Annapurna on the other, fish tail. It is a phenomenal sight!!

International Mountain Museum
The museum is located in the heart of Pokhara city, 1.5 km south of the airport. One of the features here is that three mountain peaks can be seen from here. Namely, Dholagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu. The main features of this museum are that it displays the art of mountaineering, information on major mountains around the world, geographical location of mountains, equipment used by mountaineers around the world, clothing and history of climbing.

Gurkha Memorial Museum
This museum is also located in Pokhara city itself. Here the stories of the world famous Gurkha soldiers are displayed along with descriptions of their war victories, uniforms, batches, weapons used, other equipment. The origin of the Gurkhas is near Pokhara, which is now known as Gurkha Land.

Tibetan Buddhism Monastery
Located on the outskirts of Pokhara, four kilometers from the airport along the banks of the Shweti River. It is a Buddhist shrine.

When will you go
February to May and August to November are good times to visit.

How to go
Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport is a well-known airport. Flights from different countries are going to Kathmandu regularly. Bangladesh Biman and United Air have Dhaka-Kathmandu direct flights. Port entry visa can be obtained from Tribhuvan Airport in Nepal. However, it is convenient to take the visa from the Nepal Embassy in Dhaka. Under the package tour, the cost per person for 2 nights and 3 days hotel stay including flight tickets will usually be 24-35 thousand taka.

Nepal can be entered by road through Kakarvita, Birjung, Roxul, Sunauli, Nepalganj, Dhangadhi, Mahendranagar and Sino-Nepal border Kodari on India-Nepal border.

Other places in Nepal can be explored from Kathmandu on package tours or by car. There are helicopter services for Pokhara and Muktinath. Chitwan can also be reached by air. Reach Lumbini by air or bus.

Where will you stay

There are plenty of good quality residential hotels to stay in Pokhara. Among them, some notable hotels are named –

Fewa Lake can be seen from the balcony of Hotel Lakestar Resort. There are also numerous hotels on the banks of Pokhara Fewa Lake and in the city.

Catering
The taste of food in Nepal is good. Whether you eat rice or bread, papad will be served first. It will be accompanied by jhal chutney. You will get rice, vegetables and pulses. You can find delicious food in ordinary restaurants or roadside dhabas. Rice, curries will go well with everything, papara and chutney.

Dal-rice is a famous dish of Nepal. Dal is cooked with spices, great fun to eat. Meat and fish are not available except in large restaurants. Beef is not available in normal food shops in Nepal. Kathmandu has many restaurants serving Tibetan food. Tibetan food called Momo is available here. This dish is a type of meat ball dipped in red sauce. Can be of different meats. You will enjoy playing Chicken Momo.

There are Indian restaurants as well as chain food shops like KFC and Pizza Hut. Besides Nepali language common people understand Hindi. If you can speak functional Hindi then no problem. A little better understand English in shopping centers and hotels.

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