The Makwanpur Gadhi Fort

Not only for the strategic purpose but also it was the governing place of the “Sen dynasty”.

As there are many historical monuments in Nepal, which are out of sight of the concerned authority. But the Makwanpur fort is one out of those, which is being strictly taken care by the Nepal army. Having some extra ordinary features, The Makwanpur fort is very famous in the history of Nepal. Not only for the strategic purpose but also it was the governing place of the “Sen dynasty”.

The Makwanpur fort, which lies in about 17 kilometers north from Hetauda is the great achievement of the Sen dynasty. Before the unification of Nepal “The Sen dynasty” ruled over Makwanpur till 1819 B.S. The then ruler of Palpa “Mukunda Sen” divided his huge state into four parts among his four sons and so Makwanpur came under his youngest son “Lohang Sen”.

Parsa Wildlife Reserve

Parsa Wildlife Reserve occupies parts of Chitwan, Makawanpur, Parsa and Bara districts in central Nepal. The reserve headquarters is situated at Adabar on the Hetauda? Birgunj highway and the Reserve covers 499 sq. kms. and established in 1984.

The dominant landscape of the reserve, the Churiya hills ranging from 750m. to 950m. run east?west of the reserve. The reserve has sub?tropical monsoon climate. The forest is composed of tropical to subtropical forest types with sal constituting 90% of the vegetation. In the Churiya hills Chir pine grows and along the stream and rivers Khair, Sissoo with silk cotton tree occur. Sabai grass a commercially important grass species grows well in the southern face of Churiya hill. The reserve supports a good population of resident wild elephant, tiger, leopard, sloth bear, gaur, blue bull, wild dog. Other common animals are sambar, chital, hogdeer, barking deer, langur, striped hyena, ratel, palm civet, jungle cat etc. There are nearly 300 species of birds in the reserve. Giant hombill, peafowl, red jungle fowl, flycatchers, woodpeckers etc. are few other common birds found in the reserve. Many kinds of snakes like king cobra, common cobra, krait, rat snake, pythons are found in the reserve due to hot tropical climate.

Access: Parsa wildlife reserve is easily accessible from Hetauda, being well connected by a national highway and daily flight to Simra.

Everest View Tower

Daman's pride is the Everest View Tower and Lodge, an ugly cement structure built and run by the government. The view is incredibly comprehensive: all the five Annapurna peaks, the impressive form of Himalchuli, Ganesh Himal, the rarely seen Shishapangma (Gosainthan) in Tibet, Langtang, the Jugal Himal, and the many peaks of Khumbu Himal, including an excellent view of Everest. The eastern Himalaya is partly obscured by a forested ridge, but climbing up past the schoolyard gives a completely unobstructed view. The pivoting telescope, if it's working, is a marvelous idea that lets you zoom in on selected peaks.

The viewtower is crowned by a glassed-in, circular room with four beds at Rs50 each. The setting is unique, but flaws include outdoor toilets, cramped quarters, and shattered windowpanes which make it freezing in winter. The battered guestbook makes good reading–evidently the windows have been broken since 1984. There's no electricity in the tower, but the moonlit mountain views are incredible, and turning the telescope upwards yields the advertised "Whole Mountains and Space View from Bed." A few tea stalls near the viewtower dish out daal bhaat and will put up travelers in a pinch. The small hilltop gompa about a half-hour walk up the road makes an interesting excursion.

Daman To Hetauda
Continuing south, the Rajpath crests at the pass of Sim Bhanjyang (2487 meters), three
km past Daman, then rolls down the gently sloping Lami Danda all the way to Bhainse. The succession of altitudes is laid out as clearly as in a botany textbook, as pines give way to rhododendron forest, jungle, and terraced fields.
The industrial town of Hetauda (466 meters), about 50 km from the pass, is the usual overnight stop for cyclists from India. Motel Avocado, tel. (57) 20-429, set in a shady grove north of the bazaar, is a pleasant surprise in this nondescript town, with rooms for Rs. 250-550 and the only guacamole in Nepal. Travelers to Chitwan National Park should catch a bus to Narayanghat/Bharatpur and get off at Tadi Bazaar, a quick 60 km from Hetauda. The bus park is in the southwest corner of town.
Hetauda itself is a dull roadside town noted only for its location at a major highway intersection. Its main claim to fame is as the starting point for a cableway to haul goods over the mountains into Kathmandu (visible from the highway, and again in the Kathmandu Valley from the Ring Road, near Kirtipur). A ropeway has been in use since the 1920s; the current version was installed in 1958, and is still used to carry cement from the Hetauda factory.

Daman to KathmanduThe tiny ridge top village of Daman, 75 km southwest of Kathmandu, offers some of the finest Himalayan views in Nepal. The route there, the Tribhuvan Rajpath, is the most exciting–indeed, hair-raising–of the country's mountain roads. Before its completion in 1956, the Kathmandu Valley was isolated from India and the outside world. Teams of porters lugged supplies, dignitaries on palanquins, even automobiles over the rugged mountains. It took India more than three years to build the stretch from Bhainse to Kathmandu: drive down it and you'll see why. Nepal's Hills simply were not made for roads, and this particularly rugged stretch was an enormous challenge.
Today most vehicles on the Kathmandu-India route use the Butwal-Narayanghat-Mugling road, longer in distance but wider and less nerve-racking. This leaves the Tribhuvan Rajpath nearly empty, perfect for mountain bikers, motorcyclists, and private cars.
Daman is about a three-hour drive from Kathmandu, four or five hours by bus. You might pass through here en route to Birganj and India, or as an alternate route to Chitwan National Park–it's only an hour longer than the usual road. Day-trippers to Daman risk missing mountain views lost in afternoon haze, but overnighters are virtually guaranteed clear morning views. There's a limited selection of rough and soft lodging available.
Reaching Daman by bus is problematic as there's only one Sajha bus a day each way between Kathmandu and Hetauda, departing at 7 a.m. Night buses are more common, but the thought of making those hairpin curves in the dark is terrifying. Mountain bikers proclaim this the best ride in Nepal. By cycle it's a tough one-day haul from Kathmandu to Daman; the trip could be extended to Chitwan National Park or down into India. If you're cycling up from India, the Tribhuvan Rajpath is undoubtedly the best way in, as the main Pokhara-Kathmandu road is too crowded to be fun, or even safe.

Hetauda To BirganjThe Rajpath ploughs south over the Churia Hills, the final range of foothills separating the Himalaya and the Terai. A few km past Amlekhganj is the entrance to Parsa Wildlife Reserve, an adjunct of Chitwan National Park providing extra territory for its wide-ranging tigers. Parsa is not equipped to deal with individual tourists, though you can enter on foot, with a guide, after paying an entry fee of Rs650.
The Indian border lies four km south of town, a half-hour ride in a cycle rickshaw (Rs40). Customs and immigration offices are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. The Indian town of Raxaul is just across the border; catch another rickshaw to get to the Raxaul bus station. From here it's a five-hour bus ride to the Patna railway station.
Thank you.

The Martyr's Memorial Park

Human civilization history is full of revolution and struggle. Alike in other parts of world, in our country Nepal, Martyrs have contributed their life for the sake of people's freedom and prosperity. Those who invested their life for other's happiness are absolutely great.

The word "Martyr" is respectable in itself. Either Bhakti Thapa who fought against the British feudalism; Dasrath Chand, Dharmabhakta, Gangalal and Sukraraj who fought with Rana family rulings; Ratna Kumar Bantawa, Captain Yagya Bahadur Thapa, Durganand Jha etc. who existed their life on deferent struggle all these are great and respectable for Nepal and Nepalese people.  Martyr is a history in itself. Human history will be incomplete without referring the contribution of martyrs. Giving honor to martyrs on just ritual basis could not reflect a true honor to them. Internalization of the martyr's thought and materialization of their dreams into practice is the true way of giving honor to them. This is today's real need.  Today, we are confining martyrs on political boundaries that could not be perceived a healthy practice. Martyrs are not anyone's personal / group property. So, their contribution should be evaluated irrespective of group politics viewpoint. Internalizing this truth, Hetauda Municipality has tried to establish a Martyr's memorial park including 12 martyr's statues, which is a new type effort in Nepal. However, this is just a small effort and which is very negligible in comparison to the martyr's contribution.

Background of the Martyr's Memorial Park

The place selected for this park is situated into east-west highway at Hetauda Municipality ward No. 11, 4 km approx. northwest from Hetauda city.  Previously, according to religious thought, this area was famous by naming "Punya Kshetra" (Holy Area). Nature and full of natural scenic beauty also bless this area.  From the east-west highway, this place is accessible within 5-7 minutes by vehicle and could be there within 10-20 minutes by foot. Nearby the park, an idol of god Laxmi Narayan that is established by Manab Dharma Sewa samittee is famous by name of "Holy Area" which attracts to the religious people. The local people are also using this place as a good picnic spot.

In 2047 BS, naming “Martyr’s Memorial Garden” first started this park. Later, Hetauda Municipality targeted to develop this place as a park and a tourist place as well. Many institutions have contributed to develop infrastructure of this park for which Hetauda Municipality is always obliged. It also expects such cooperation from all in future.

We have tried our best to provide brief introduction of 12 martyrs whose statute is established in park. However, some important information may be missing here. We apologize for the same.

Publisher: Hetauda Municipality
Writing/Editor: B.K Maharjan, Tej Bahadur Khadka (Govinda)

The Memorial Monument

The main attraction is the carved monument itself. The rock has 12 faces engraved on its three sides. On the south side are: Bhakti Thapa, Shukra Raj Shastri, Dasharath Chandra, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, and Ganga Lal Shrestha.
On the east are: Bhim Dutt Panta, Biren Rajbanshi, Yagya Bahadur Thapa, Durgananda Jha and Muneshori Yadav.
On the West Side are: Prabhakar Paudel and Ratna Kumar Bantawaa.This engraving of 12 faces in a single rock stands unique in Nepal.

 

 

The Fountain Park

Nepal Tobacco Co. has contributed to set up a park with wooden benches surrounding an artificial fountain. One can rest and have a good view of other attractions from this area.

 

The Tower

A two-tier view tower that gives good view of the monument, mini zoo, temple as well as the industrial district of HID, River Rapti and other scenic surrounding was constructed courtesy of Narayani Transportation Workers Association.

The Temple

Local entrepreneur Ranjendra Singhal has constructed a goddess temple, which now serves in such ceremonies as marriages and rite of passages (Bratavandha), for boys.

The Mini Zoo

To the north of the monument about 10 katthas of land has been acquired to make a mini zoo. At present there are two Chittals (dears), three Ratuamrigas (red dears), one peacock and about 30 rabbits and other birds and animals in open as well as closed encampments.

The Martyr's

The rock was brought from the Local River Saraswati. Three students from Fine Arts Campus (Lalit Kala Campus, Bhotahiti) Govinda Chaudhari, Kamlesh Maharjan and Prithvi Shrestha worked for almost a year to engrave 12 faces to complete the main memorial. The martyrs included are: more...
Bhakti Thapa, BS 1802-1872, Deuthal, British
Dasharath Chandra, BS 1960-1997, Sobha Bhagwati, Rana
Ganga Lal Shrestha, BS 1975-1997, Sobha Bhagwati, Rana
Dharma Bhakta Mathema, BS 1965-1997, Siphal, Rana
Shukra Raj Shastri, BS 1950-1997, Pachali, Rana
Bhim Dutt Panta, BS 1983-2010, Dadeldhura, Transition govt.
Durga Nanda Jha, BS 1999-2020, Janakpur, Panchayat
Biren Rajbanshi, BS 2001-2029, Sukhani, Panchayat
Cpt. Yagya Bahadur Thapa, BS -2035, Okhaldhunga, Panchayat
Ratna Kumar Bantawa, BS 2008-2035, Evang, Panchayat
Prabhakar Poudel, BS 2021-2036, Hetauda, Panchayat
Muneshori Yadav, BS 2001-2046, Yadkuwa, Panchayat

Friendship Garden : A Enchanting Journey

Nepal is called the heaven of lands. From the 502 mtr. lower level from the sea shore to 8848 mtr. highest peak of the world is a wonderful combination of climates. One can feel the deference of the climatic versatility in a short geographical distance. The countless Himalayas and many rivers originating from the Himalayas has made Nepal a second richest country in hydropower worldwide. From the tourist viewpoint, Nepal has its own global importance. To add more value on this, 1998 AD was celebrated as "Visit Nepal Year". To enhance the domestic tourism and to establish a tourist center in Makwanpur district, a friendship garden was established at Simbhanjyang on 1stjanuary 1998 ( 2054 Poush 17 BS ) under the leadership of District Development Committee Makwanpur. Simbhanjyang is the highest place of the Makwanpur district. For the management of this garden, a committee has been formed under the Chairmanship of District Development Chairman.

This garden is situated on 2529 mtr altitude from the sea level. Traveling from Hetauda on Tribhuwan Highway , crossing the places named Bhainse, Chuniya, Lamidanda, Aghor which takes nearly 2 hours by the small vehicles, we can arrive to this garden. The garden is located approx. 90 mtr. downside from Simbhanjyang. This garden is being developed as a picnic spot for Nepalese people and foreigners as well. Some of the attractive points about this garden are as follows:

• Many snow capped peaks and Terai landscapes can be seen from this point.
• This garden will be always snow covered from Poush to Falgun each year when it seems very beautiful and enjoyable to play with snow.
• This place provides cool physical and mental relaxation when other places are getting hotter in summer season.
• Various herbal spices of flora and fauna made this place a sensational area of research for Botanists.
• In mid of the Falgun month, jungle area of this place will be covered by red Lali Gurans, the national flower of Nepal.
• A memorial stone exists here, which consists all human right sections declared in the UN charter.
• Garden management committee is considering for providing infrastructure facilities such as electricity, water, picnic shades.

 Let us visit once the friendship garden and feel its real magic !!

Source : Purna Bahadur Khadka, DDC Member

The cycling route in Makwanpur

The Tribhuwan Rajpath is Nepal’s most magnificent and hair raising highway. It heads west out of Kathmandu Valley and down to Naubise before hurling itself through an astounding number of switchbacks, straight over the highest ridge in the entire area (Mahabharat Let) before dropping to the Terai at Hetauda. The Rajpath was built by Indian engineers in the mid-1950’s and was the first highway to link Kathmandu with the outside world - before that, VIP’s were carried to the capital by palanquin, and the prime ministers’ automobiles had to be portered from India, fully assembled by 200-strong teams of coolies. History has proved the route chosen by the Indians to be completely idiotic however, and even Nepalese avoid it, preferring to go the long way round via Narayanghat and Mugling. The road is therefore ideal for cyclists: challenging, varied, scenic and almost devoid of traffic. Route KM Comments Kathmandu - Naubise 30 1st 14km is a slow wander out of Thamel through a warren of back roads.The next 12km is downhill along a fanstastic winding road which barely clings to the hiilside. Unfortunately heavy traffic and smoke-belching trucks spoil the ride. Grotty accomodation in Naubise. Naubise - Shikarkot 42 1,085m climb out of Naubise for 32km to the top of the ridge at Tistung (alt. 2030m) cycling an impressive number of switchbacks and passing terraced farmland & pine forests. Gradual descent in to the Palung Valley passing a multitude of picture postcard terraces. Minimal traffic. Shikarkot - Hetauda 66 Delightful zigg zagging 13km climb to Sim Bhanjyang (alt. 2,388m). From Daman, there are unfolding views of the Himalayas, resulting in a glorious panorama of 8 out of the worlds 10 highest peaks (best seen in early morning). At the summit, the road badly breaks up for 18km of the 41km descent. It’s a dizzy 2,000m descent through woodland with hundreds of tight hairpin bends and dramatic drops to the valley floor far below. Gradients ease off after Bhaiase. Superb route with minimal traffic. AA at Daman (9km), 12km (expensive looking Everst Panorama Resort) and at 37km. A 5* route with minimal/no traffic. Good food and accommodation at the Motel Avocado - ask to see the ‘cyclists rumour book’. Misc. It is possible to get by in Nepal with just a sleeping sheet and using the blankets provided hotels/guest houses. We brought our sleeping bags and were glad to have them. Outside Kathmandu and Pokhara most of the blankets were in a dreadful state and were the possible home to lots of little furry creatures.

Guidebooks The Rough Guide of Nepal, was our favoured guidebook as it had a very good section on cycling Nepal (the section above on Tribhuwan Rajpath is copied from the guidebook). It detailed a lot of the places we were visiting that weren’t covered in the Nepal Lonely Planet guide. For mountain biking, a good map is contained in the Insight Guide to Kathmandu. The book itself is poor and out of date but the map is the best of the area and has over 10 mountain biking routes around the Kathmandu Valley rim highlighted. The book can be purchased from the Pilgrims Bookshop in Kathmandu for 640 rupees. Roads In places the Nepalese roads were superb but they can quickly deteriorate in to rubble. After my experience of suffering a broken steerer column on my fork and a broken spoke, I would recommend a mountain bike rather than a tourer in Nepal if attempting any of the mountain roads or if wanting to go off the beaten track. Weather A typical day in the hills was a cool, clear start. The day would quickly warm up to mid 20’s and then the clouds would roll in. In the afternoon it would be cloudy and occasionally we would get a dramatic thunderstorm. During the evening it would quickly cool down and our jumpers were useful. On the Terai, it got hot during the day (high 20’s to low 30’s) but the evenings were pleasant. The low humidity dried out our skins (quite a change from Thailand) and moisturiser & lip balm was very useful.

Indrasarowar the Pride of the Nation

Indrasarowar (Indra Lake) is a reservoir (cistern) for Kulekhani Hydro Electricity project that produces 92 Megawatt electricity. The reservoir covers the land which was occupied by for about four thousands Ropani cultivated land four hundred fifty houses and fifty corn mills. The reservoir is 7 km long and 100 meters deep. The name “Indrasarowar” has been given after the name of Her Royal Highness Indra Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, whose statue has also been kept there. It is in 21-km southeast from the place called “Kunchhal “ in Tribhuwan highway, which links Hetauda, famous industrial town, to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is in about one thousand five hundred thirty-meter above the sea level. The minimum water level enough to run two water turbines is 1,480 meter and it takes 30 cm to 50 cm of water in a day to generate electricity. The lake, where water is collected from the rivers and streams in the northern part of Makwanpur district Daman, Palung, Tistung, Chitlang and Markhu is very important for tourism point of view.   The main feature of this reservoir is that water can be reserved here when the electricity is not produced. There is no another reservoir of this system in Nepal. The project supplies about one third of electricity of total demand in the country. The contribution of people of 12 village development committee i.e. Daman, Palung, Bajrabarahi, Tistung, Chitlang, Markhu, Kulekhani, Phakhel, Sisneri, Bhimphedi, Nibuwatar and Bhainse, who were displaced by this project is praiseworthy.   A five year plan for the protection of Indrasarowar (Indra Lake) is going to be implemented in near future in cost of Yuro Dollar fifteen million by Bagmati Integration Water Management Project in the financial assistant of European Union.   Indrasarowar is not only the pride of people of Makwanpur district but also the center of attraction of the country. The biggest artificial lake surrounded by high hill by three side and a big man made dam in one side is very suitable for entertainment by boating.   Transportation facilities and small hotels are available there. Especially people gathers there to enjoy boating in summer season. Another attraction is fish farming in the reservoir. Some go there to have nice taste of fish. Indrasarowar has fascinated all with its cool climate and natural beauty. Indrasarowar (Indra Lake) will certainly play important role for Internal Tourism Promotion of Nepal.  Source: Bhanubhakta Acharya, Hetauda

The Chisapani Gadhi Fort

Situated near the historical Bhimphedi Bazar, The Chisapani Fort is one of the most important historical monuments of the country. After two hours walk on foot from Bhimphedi, we can reach The Fort and enjoy its historical exquisiteness. Before the construction of Tribhuvan Highway, Chisapani Fort was the main gateway for the internal transaction between the Capital City and Terai region. But now it is suffering from neglect although there are many government office buildings and the houses of chief officials. As the Tribhuvan Highway was constructed, it effected the business of the area and so the merchants and the local people completely left the place in between 2017-2018.

This fort was also constructed in order to protect themselves from enemies and provide safety to the valley as the Makwanpur Fort. Constructed in about 5 Ropanies of land (1 Ropani = 5,625 sq. feet), it is surrounded by stone wall and several cannons are kept around the fort along with “Kalitop”. Inside the Fort, there is a temple of Batuk Bhairab, in which entry of the females is strictly forbidden. Not only inside the temple they are also prohibited in entering the fort. According to the custom of the temple people only sacrifice the male animals and the priest offer two glasses of alcohol twice a week to satisfy the Bhairab. To protect the historical monuments and property placed in the Fort, a troop of national army are in duty. People have started occupying the surrounding lands of the fort so the concerned authority must take suitable steps to protect the national heritage of the country.

The Kalitop The another eye-catching object of the Fort is “The Kalitop”, which is the largest cannon of our country, Nepal. According to the legend the sound of the firing of this cannon used to effect the pregnant women living within the distance of 2 Kos (1 Kos= appro. 3 kilometers) of the Fort, as a result of which caused an abortion. According to the history of Nepal, The Kalitop was brought to the Fort from Kathmandu three hundred years ago in the period of King Prithivi Narayan Sah, the leader of unification of Nepal. Consisting of two iron wheels, the cannon needs nine kilogram of gunpowder, cow dung and green leaves for one fire. To put those materials inside the barrel a long iron stick is also kept near it. In the year 2015 BS a troop of national army with 30 soldiers tried to take “The Kalitop” to Kathmandu but they couldn’t succeed.

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