River Kali Gandaki holds Saligram (Lord Vishnu)

River Kali Gandaki holds Saligram (Lord Vishnu)

Holy and Eternal faith makes people visit Nepal, one of such a reason to visit Nepal is because of Kali Gandaki river and Saligram, Kali Gandaki river or Narayani River, this river is well known as Narayani in Nepal and Gandak in India also holds the name Krishna Gandaki, Krishna is another name for Lord Vishnu, Kali Gandaki covers a total area of 46,300 square kilometer mostly in Nepal. This river is also very famous for holing Saligram (Lord Vishnu)

Saligram is the most sacred stone worshiped by the Hindu followers which is occasionally used during a pooja at home, this is used to worship Lord Vishnu in an abstract form that means “God with no form”

As it is said in Sanskrit

Gandakayas caiva dese ca salagrama sthalam mahat, pasana tad bhavam yat tat salagramam iti smrtam

It is said near Kali-Gandaki river there is a big place called shalagram, the stones which appears in this place is called shalagram shila, these shaligrams comes in different colors and shapes out of which black color shaligrams are easily available and other color shaligrams are hard to find, each color and shapes

Each color carries some special values behind it like the yellow and golden colour saligrams are considered most auspicious and it is said it brings wealth and prosperity to the devotee different shapes and forms also holds sacred values these are one the basis of chakra's made on them like one chakra shaligram is known as Sudarshan ,enjoyment and salvation (bhukti-mukti)

Two chakra shaligram is known as Lakshminarayana, kingdom of heaven

Three Acyuta- Trivikrama wealth

Four Janardan- Caturbhuja destruction of enemies

Five- Vaasudeva freedom from birth and death

Six- Pradyumna fame and prosperity

Seven- Sankarshan Balabhadra sons and grandsons

Eight- Purushottama fulfilment of desires

Nine- Navavyuha high position

Ten- Dasavatara kingship

Eleven- Aniruddha immense wealth

Twelve- Ananta fulfilment of desires

Thirteen or more Paramatma bliss and liberation

It is said that these Saligram stones are shelters for a small insect known by the name of “Vajra Keeta” it is said that this insect has a diamond which cuts through the shaligram stone and stays inside it, These Shaligrams are often associated with different incarnations of Lord Vishnu such as Narsimha avtar, Kumara avtar, Krishna, Rama, Vasudeva and so on.

It is said that who keeps this saligrams at home need to follow strict rules as shaligram is defined as dwelling place of Lord Vishnu one should not keep shaligram on floor, need to worship it daily, shouldn't touch shaligram without taking bath.

Lord Krishna has himself described the qualities of Shaligram to Yudhistra during Mahabharat
It is said in Puranas that any stone from this land is equaly sacred to Shaligram, this reason makes Kali-Gandaki very famous and sacred too.

Visit Nepal and view this majestic Strong Streamed River – Kali Gandaki and try to find Sacred Shaligrams on its banks.

For more details and facts keep reading, please do visit our website www.nepalinfo.info

Nepal a land of Suspension Bridges.

Adding one more significance to this majestic country is none other than awesome suspension bridges in Nepal, Hilly and rigid mountains with a river running at a tremendous speed add an electrified experience, there are thousands of suspensions bridges in Nepal, some are more than 50 years old or can be more than that, it's a basic source to cut down your long and tiring time climbing rigid mountains up or down.

As more and more suspension bridges are being created some of them are making names for different reasons like the one which is created on Bhote Kosi river gives you an remarkable bungee experience of 500ft jump which is the 3^rd highest natural jump in the world, and it aims to provide for which it is created it gives you the most thrilling moment of life and it can't be more thrilling than this.

The hanging Bridge of Ghasa also claims a name for one of the extreme dangerous suspension bridge, this bridge is located in the Annapurna circuit and it was basically built to ease the traffic caused by local animal herd, the bridge sees a high amount of traffic daily, with herders and farmers using it to move goods to market. So, in fact, this walkway has proven capable of handing a large amount of weight but the word handing really adds up to its features and it gives you a tremendous experience.

Besides Extreme dangerous and Bungee jumping experience bridges Nepal has the tallest and longest suspension bridge which is located in Kusma, Being a part of Dhaulagiri zone, recently kusma-balewa suspension bridge is added there. Kusma Balewa suspension bridge is the Nepal’s highest suspension bridge. Or say, it is the tallest suspension bridge in Nepal. It is also supposed as the longest suspension bridge in Nepal.This bridge connects the headquarter Kusma and some southern regions of neighboring district of Baglung district. People of that regions are very happy and feeling safe after using this bridge. This bridge is effecting the positive effects on the Nepalese population of there. After constructing this bridge, there are 500 to 1000 passenger daily uses this bridge.

These Suspension bridges are like a lifeline for the common commuters, which ease their time, walking through these bridges gives you immense pleasure of the Natural beauty which can only be experienced in Nepal.

Daily Routine of a Nepali in the Hilly Areas

Daily Routine of a Nepali in the Hilly Areas

Every country is always known for its beauty and its people, Nepal is also very well know for its magnificent beauty like Mt Everest and for very loving people of Nepal, who's courage standstill like the Everest. They are very fair and simple thinking people they are fun loving and a very good host.
Nepal consists of multicultural people but they all are very best known for their hardworking nature, if you just go through with a daily routine of a normal Nepali who lives in a village (Pahadi or Himal region) can really amaze you.

People mostly wake up early in the morning by about 4 am or 4:30 am, the first thing performed by them is to feed their cattle's just change their water or feed them with new bunch of grass and perform the milking job, now next task to perform is to fill fresh water by going to the nearby natural water source for self consumption, getting water from nearby water source is hell of a job according to me carrying that 30 liters of water is not an easy task but they do it very conveniently.

People of Nepal never do breakfast, they simply have their lunch at about 10 am because they know they need to work really hard during day time, working in the rough fields in Nepal needs lots of energy. Men and women basically do the cultivation work, they enjoy their light snack at around 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon which mostly consists of pop-corn and tea or it can be chapati with tea. While the kids mostly have the job to roam the cattle's in the nearby areas and to cut grass for later use.

In the hilly areas people do not have access to gas facilities for cooking they need to be dependent on natural resources, they need to travel a bit distance to the nearby jungle to search woods for cooking, carrying heavy loads of wood logs on the back makes these people really hardworking.

Day ends by getting the dinner ready which is mostly cooked by the female member of the family and people goes to sleep by 6 pm or 6:30 pm in the evening
Being it any day any month or any situation all these tiring works are performed all the year round but due to their hardworking and intent behavior it looks very much easy and a tireless.

Beautiful Baglung with Maa Kalika as its saviour

Beautiful Baglung with Maa Kalika as its Saviour

There are many places in Nepal which can amaze you with its alluring natural beauty, one of such a beautiful place is Baglung, which is situated on the terrace of river Kali Gandaki and falls under Dhaulagiri Zone, Baglung is known for trading, people from different areas like Terai comes here to trade different things, Baglung Bazaar is a must visit place to experience awesome shopping experience, quaint streets and traditional buildings, Baglung is an awesome place with multicultural people from different communities holding their cultural and traditional values besides this majestic view of Mount Dhaulagiri just serves as an icing on the cake, Baglung is also very famous due to Kalika Temple temple devoted to Goddess Kali, there is a Famous mythological story behind Baglung and its relation with Maa Kalika

It is said Once King Pratapi of Galkot married the Princess of Palpa and he brought goddess kali along with him as a dowry, it was said nobody was able to carry the sword of kali but a youth from kunwar chhetri family was able to carry the sword. Due to this he was given the title Khadka which means sword. One night when the wedding procession reached where Baglung is today, the king had a dream, In his dream goddess Kali said she liked the place and wished to stay there, the King then built a temple in honor of Goddess Kali which is known as Kalika Temple and designated the Khadka as caretaker

There are many places of Interest in this region one of such a place is Kalika Temple which is famous due to its mythological history, thousands of people from Nepal and out of Nepal comes to this temple during festive season to take the blessings, besides eternal faith and holi shrine Banglung is an ideal location for thrill seekers as it offers different sports adventures like Trekking, Biking on the rough roads and rafting on the heavy streams of river Kali Gandaki, Baglung offers an awesome viewpoint for Mustang, Langtang and Mt. Dhaulagiri, Baglung do offers something for Wildlife lovers as its the only place in Nepal which has a hunting reserve its by the name of Dhorpatan Hunting reserve which is a prime Habitat for blue sheep and snow Leopard.

Best Time to visit

Banglung welcomes all the tourist all the year round with a wide smiles on their faces but if one is coming to visit holy shrine Kalika Temple then he should visit during “Chaitre Dashain” an awesome fair is help annually which draws thousands of visitors every year

How to reach Baglung

There are daily buses available to Baglung from Nepal Borders, Kathmandu and Pokhara, Baglung is located at 3 hours driving distance and can find the nearest Airport in Pokhara.

Visit Baglung once feel the amazing beauty, experience thrilling sports adventure and get some blessing from the famous holy shrine Kalika Temple

Top 5 famous food in Nepal

Food lovers are most welcome to taste the delicious food served in Nepal, Nepali food has been influenced and emerged from its surrounding neighborhood, Nepali food is quite famous due to its mouthwatering taste, spices and the nutritional values it posses.

People of Nepal take extra care of hygiene when it comes to cooking, there are different varieties of food served in Nepal and all are good in taste but today we will come with top 5 famous food that you can enjoy and which are very popular in Nepal

Gundruk Dhido - Dhido is one of a tradition food of Nepal which is made of corn flour and buckwheat which can be enjoyed with Gundruk, gundruk is a soupy food made up of dried and fermented vegetables, Local people enjoy this delicious food, One should use a right technique to gulp Dhido.

Dal-Bhat-Tarkari - Each and every person in Nepal loves this food, Dal means Lentil (in a soup form), Bhat means steamed rice and Tarkari means vegetable it is mostly in the dry form, this food has emerged from Northern India where it is also a very popular food, One can enjoy Dal-Bhat-Tarkari in any local restaurant.

Momo - This is the food which is mostly liked by the young generation in Nepal, you too can enjoy this awesome mouth watering food, Momo is a dumping which is filled with vegetable or minced meat, People can enjoy different varieties of Momo like Veg momo, Chicken Momo, Mutton momo, Pork Momo and Buff Momo (Momo with minced buffalo meat)

Tama-Aalo - This is also one of the very loved food in Nepal, Tama-Aalo is a soupy food made up of Bamboo sprouts and potatoes, this awesome food can be enjoyed with steamed rice, the taste is really spicy and gives you immense pleasure of having it.

Sel-Roti - It is one of the ancient food which is still very popular in Nepal, this food is mostly cooked during festive season like Dusshera, Sel-Roti looks quite similar like a doughnut it is prepared out of semi liquid rice flour in which different ingredients like sugar, cardamom, butter and cream are added, Its a fried food but still its quite healthy due to the ingredients it possesses.

To know more about other foods to try or things to do in Nepal keep on following my blog 

Experience Deadliest and Thrilling Zip Flyer in Nepal

Want to try the one of the deadliest Adventure just visit Nepal

Nepal has always been famous for its natural beauty, Majestic Mountains and holi shrines but besides that there are many more things which Make Nepal worth a visit, many extreme adventures can be experienced in Nepal.

All the extreme and the deadliest sports lover are welcome to Nepal to try this amazing sport by the name of Zip Flyer.

Zip Flyer is one of the deadliest extreme sport and one needs a courage to try this but who doesn't want to fly like a hawk between the mountains

You can enjoy this mouth dropping extreme sport in Sagarkot, Pokhara which claims to have a vertical drop of 600 meters over a distance of 1800 meters where you can reach up to the speed of 140-160 km/hr

This ZipFlyer is claimed to be world's longest, steepest and fastest zip line and one needs to have a courage  to try this deadliest extreme sport

Besides this One can enjoy many other extreme sports in Nepal Like water rafting, jungle safari, bungee jumping, Mountain biking, Paragliding , Canyoning, heli skiing, Every sky diving and Rock climbing

Some of the things to be known before the visit

Total Duration would be around 2.5 Hours (Include Picking from and dropping)

Adventure includes Pickup and Drop from Lake Side, Pokhara

Weight Limit- 35kg - 140kg

Closed toed Shoes is mandatory

Price: Nrs 3000/- Per Person for Nepalese & Nrs 6490/- for Other Nationality.

To know more about more thrilling Extreme Adventures in Nepal or things to do in Nepal follow my blogs

ManaKamana Temple, Goddess who fulfills all the wishes

Nepal has always been known for its Natural Beauty and loving people but there are other things which makes this country special and that is from the religious point of view, there are many sacred places in Nepal whichare worth a visit and they hold a very nice history in themselves, one of such a sacred place is the temple of Goddess ManaKamana.

ManaKamana Temple is a holy temple which is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Bhagwati, Manakamana means “any wish from the heart”, It is believed that Goddess Manakamana grants the wishes of all those who visits this shrine.

There is a very nice mythical story associated with this temple

It is said back in the 17^th century when the king of Nepal was Gorkha Ram Shah, his queen possessed some divine powers which was known only by this devotee Lakhan Thapa, One day king witnessed his queen in the form of Goddess incarnation (Goddess Bhagwati) and Lakhan thapa in the form of a Lion, the King had a mysterious death after witnessing this surprising fact. The queen committed Sati on his husbands funeral before commiting sati queen assured Lakhan Pal that she would appear in the near future. It is said that after six months when a farmer was plouging his field he saw a stone from which a stream of Milk and Blood were flowing, When Lakhan Singh knew about this incident he visited the place and performed Hindu tantric rituals which ceased the flow of milk and blood. The site where the stone was discovered became the foundation of the present shrine.

This temple is in the Pagoda style and lies 12 kilometer south of the Gorkha region and it is about 100 kilometer drive from Kathmandu

This temple is famous for 3 Main reasons 1) Fulfillment of wishes it is said the wishes are fulfilled if they are wished with a true heart 2) Sacrificing of Animals at the temple, it is said the people sacrifices animals like goats or fly pigeons if their wishes comes true 3) Cable car, this temple is also very famous due to cable car service earlier one used to walk uphill for about 3 hours to reach this holy shrine but now one can easily reach up the hill using this cable car service.

Things to Know before you visit ManaKamana Temple

Main Seasons to visit – Dashain (September-October)

Nag Panchami (July-August)

Operational timing of Cable car – 9am to 5pm and Stops during lunch break from noon to past one

Cost for Cable tickets – Normal – 345 NPR

Child - 210 NPR

Student - 260 NPR

Foreigner (Non Indian) – USD 11

Foreigner child (Non Indian) – USD 8

Note* - Cable tickets rates may have changed

So how many of you want to visit this holy shrine who ful

fills all the wishes ...

To know more about other shrines in Nepal and places to visit , Follow my blogs  

7 Interesting Facts About Nepal

Please go through with some of the amazing facts about Nepal

1)Nepali Flag: The Nepal is the only nation which doesn't have a rectangular shape flag. The flag holds two colors Red and Blue, Red is also the sign of victory in war and the blue border is for peace, The two triangles represents the Great Himalaya Mountains. 

  

2) Always a Free Country : Nepal was never invaded or colonized by any foreign country so they do not have any independence day. 

3) Living Goddess: Nepal is the only country in the world which is having their own living goddess, This goddess is known by the name of Kumari.

4) Yeti: This snowman called by the name of Yeti, its an ape like creature which is known to be living in the coldest regions of the Everest, Not many have seen this creature but stories of Yeti can terrify anyone.

5) One horned Rhino and Bengal Tiger: If one wants to see both these Great wild animals can come to Nepal, Nepal is a place where you can see both the One Horned Rhino and a Bengal Tiger

6) Bamboo as a dish : The dish is called as Tama which is made up of Bamboo Shoots, the taste is awesome one should really try this dish once in a lifetime.

7) UNESCO world Heritage site In Kathmandu: Nepal Holds Many UNESCO heritage sites and Kathmandu valley alone have 7 Heritage sites which are worth seeing.

There are many more interesting facts about Nepal, to know more about Nepal follow our blogs 

14 Majestic reasons to visit Majestic Nepal

Please go through with top most 14 reasons to visit Nepal which will surely bound you to visit again and again

1) Natural beauty of Nepal : The Natural Beauty of Nepal can amaze you, Beauty of Nepal is like paradise on earth, one of such a place is Pokhara which lies at the foot of Great Mt Everest which will certainly give you an ultimate feeling of viewing heaven on Earth.

  

2) Mt Everest : Mount Everest holds the record for the highest peak in the world besides that Nepal has 7 more peaks which cannot be neglected like Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Annapurna.

3) Pashupatinath Temple : See and feel the power of Pashupatinath, it's one of the largest Hindu Temple in Nepal which is devoted to Lord Shiva, this great temple was built in the 5^th century after Shiva Lingum appeared in the Kathmandu valley.

4) Lumbini : Find inner peace at Lumbini birth place of Gautam Buddha, Visit Lumbini to know understand the real meaning of “buddham saranam gacchami”

5) Chitwan National park : Feel the wild life at Chitwan National Park, you can enjoy elephant safari through lush green tropical and subtropical forest, One horned rhinoceros and Bengal tiger can be seen if you show some patience.

6) Value for money : Food and accommodation is cheap one can enjoy a good Veg Meal at 150 NR and a normal hotel with basic Wifi facilities can charge you up to 500-700 NR, enjoying a vacation in Nepal is pocket friendly as you get so many things to view and enjoy at a very basic price.

7) People of Nepal : You will just really love the people of Nepal due to their sweet and humble nature, People are very friendly and they treat their guests as God, They follow the concept of “atithi devo bhava”

8) Extreme Sports : All the extreme sports lovers Can enjoy sports like Rafting, Bungee jumping and paragliding in Nepal, all these breath taking adventures will surely give you a life time experience.

9) Living Goddess : Nepal is the only country in the world where you can you can see the living goddess, this living goddess is called “Kumari”. The history behind the Living godess will surely influence you to visit Nepal.

10) Nepal Land of Festival : It is said that every day is treated like a festival in Nepal, Nepali culture, tradition and festivals can really amaze you, different festivals like Dusshera (Dasai), Indra Jatra, Sindure Jatra, Janai purnima and other are the main attraction.

11) Lukla Airport : This Airport holds the record of one of the most extreme and dangerous airport in the world. I'm sure you would like to experience it once if you have a strong heart.

12) Trekking : Nepal is famous for its Trekking sites, trekking in Nepal gives an ultimate experience to the tourists who loves trekking, areas like Lantang and Mustang considered to be one of the best trekking sites in the world.

13) UNESCO Heritage : Visit the most valuable sites in Kathmandu and other areas which are listed under UNESCO, Unfortunately most of the sites are demolished by the recent earthquake but visitng the place still gives a mesmerizing experience.

14) Awesome Food : One can enjoy the Delicious food in Nepal, Momos, Thupka, Sinki jhol and Dal Bhat are some of the best vegetarian meals which can be experienced in Nepal if one wants to go for non vegaterian he can try Sekuwa.

I hope these 14 reasons will surely help you as a tourist guide for Nepal

Please follow other posts to know more about Nepal, to know how you can find peace in Nepal.

The power of Shiva at Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath Temple is devoted to the Hindu's diety lord Shiva which lies in the banks of Bagmati River, Lord Shiva is known by almost 1008 names out of which Pashupati is one of them, Pashupati means “Lord of all animals”.There are many mythological myths for the origin of Pashupathinath, let me let you one of such a myth it is said that Lord shiva and Parvati were so impressed by seeing the beauty of kathmandu valley they transofrmed themselves into antelopes and walked through the valley, Since Shiva lived by the Bagmati river in the form of an antelope he said he would like to be known as Pashupatinath, He decided to remain there in the form of Shiva Lingam, he also said whoever will come and beheld the Shiva Lingam would never reborn as an animal.

Something about Nepal and Nepali's

While having a cup of tea with one of my client Mr Andrew he asked to tell something about Nepal and Nepali's, he was very much eager to know about Nepal, it's culture, places to visit and much more. I asked him are you planning to visit Nepal? He said yes.

I said Nepal is a place for all, Andrew got stunned at my answer and wanted to know what i really meant. To which I said Nepal is a place which beholds everything from highest mountains in the world to the bravest Gurkha's (Army Men). Nepal is a place for the one who is looking for eternal peace to the one who is looking for extreme adventure.

It just depends on your purpose of visiting Nepal if you want to experience eternal peace there are Buddha peace stupas and many holy places in Nepal like Pashupatinath, Muktinath or if you want to experience extreme adventure you can enjoy different sports like river rafting, paragliding, bungee jumping, trekking, mountaineering,  kayaking and much more. You can experience rich tradition and culture of Nepal which is an amalgamation of Hinduism and Buddhism.

You can enjoy the beautiful experience when the morning sun rays falls on Mt Everest and it shines like a gold.

If I talk about people of Nepal this quote really suits them “ It's hard to snatch a smile from the Nepali's face”. After experiencing such a tragic earth quake which took the life of more than 8800 people, thousands were injured and houses were destroyed they all faced the situation and stood together helping each other to overcome from the pain of this tragic natural disaster. Nepal is a land of openhearted and peace loving people, they are hard workers and i believe they are the perfect hosts. Guests are treated like Gods since Hinduism is followed in Nepal they believe in "atithi devo bhava" which means the guest is equivalent to god.

I guess Andrew will surely visit Nepal and information given by me might have helped him and all the readers who are reading this blog to know little more about Nepal and it's people. Please do visit Nepal to get a beautiful travelling experience of your life and i believe once you visit this majestic country will come back again.

Please do follow the blogs to know the places to visit, things to do in Nepal and much more.