Pathibhara
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Pathibhara Devi (in Nepali: पाथिभरा देवी मन्दिर, in Limbu: Mukkumlung) is one of the most significant temples in
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, located on the hill of
Taplejung Taplejung District ( ne, ताप्लेजुङ जिल्ला ) is one of 77 districts of Nepal and one of the 14 districts of Province No. 1. It is remotely located in the Himalayas in Eastern Nepal with Tibet to the north across the ...
. It is also considered one of the holy places for the
Nepalese people Nepalis (English: Nepalese ; ne, नेपाली) are the citizens of Nepal under the provisions of Nepali nationality law. The country is home to people of many different national origins who are the descendants of immigrants from India, K ...
. Worshippers from different parts of Nepal and
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
visit the temple during special occasions, as it is believed that a
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to the temple ensures the fulfillment of the pilgrims' wishes. The temple is located 19.4 North East from Phungling municipality at an elevation of . It serves as a secondary route of
Kanchenjunga Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third List of highest mountains on Earth, highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', wh ...
trek. The list of devotees includes the ex-
Royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
of Nepal. The pilgrims offer
animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...
s,
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
and
silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
to please the goddess. Pathibhara Temple is also a side route to the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek.


Legend

It is believed that local shepherds lost hundreds of their sheep while grazing at the same place where the temple stands today. The distressed shepherds had a dream in which the goddess ordered them to carry out ritualistic
sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
of sheep and build a shrine in her honour. When the sacrifice was offered, the lost herd suddenly returned. The ritual of offering sacrifices inside the temple is believed to have started after the incident. The hill goddess Pathibhara after which the place is named is believed by the devotees to be a fierce goddess who can be easily pleased with simple and selfless act of compassion, prayer and sacrificial offerings (sacrifice in Hinduism denotes sacrifice of one's ego and greed); while is unmerciful and severe to one who has malicious intentions beneath. She answers prayers and is very important to all people residing in Nepal. The Goddess at Pathibhara is believed to fulfil the long-cherished dreams of her devotees, like sons for those without sons, and wealth for the poor. Pathibhara is also one of the 'Shakti Peeths'. Shakti Peethas are the places where parts of Goddess Sati had fallen while Lord
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
was carrying her dead body. Worshippers from different parts of Nepal and India visit the temple during special occasions, as it is believed that a pilgrimage to the temple ensures fulfilment of all that the pilgrim desires


Attractions and activities

Pilgrims can also visit
monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
situated in
Olangchung Gola Olangchung Gola (locally as Walung or Holung, , historically transcribed as Wallanchoon) is a village (previously: a village development committee) in ward no. 7 of Phaktanglung rural municipality of Taplejung District of Province No. 1 in Nepal. ...
and Lungchung. The
waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
at Sawa and the pond of Timbung, during autumn and spring are worth visiting every year. The forest ecosystem along the trial offers diversity of
wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
, birds, flowers and butterflies. The whole of the Kanchanjunga range can be seen in this trek.


Natural View Tower

From the Pathibhara hill, which is also being developed as a natural lookout tower, the view of the beautiful gorges formed by the silver-shining mountain range to the north is breathtaking. Mt.
Kangchenjunga Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the T ...
and
Kumbhakarna Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character an ...
can be interviewed right in front of the eyes, while the mountains like
Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
,
Lhotse Lhotse ( ne, ल्होत्से ; , ''lho tse'', ) is the fourth highest mountain in the world at , after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. The main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu ...
, Choyu,
Makalu Makalu ( ne, मकालु हिमाल, Makālu himāl; zh, t=馬卡魯峰, p=Mǎkǎlǔ fēng) is the fifth highest mountain in the world at . It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, in Nepal. One of th ...
can be seen from a height of eight thousand meters. Similarly, most of
Panchthar Panchthar district ( ne, पाँचथर जिल्ला) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern hilly region of Nepal. It is a Hill district of eastern Nepal. The district covers of area. The 2011 census counted 191,817 popu ...
and Ilam, Tehrathum,
Sankhuwasabha Sankhuwasabha District ( ne, सङ्खुवासभा जिल्ला ) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. The district's area is 3,480 km2 with a population of 159,203 in 2001 and 158,742 in 2011. ...
and Solu including Fungling Bazaar as well as various parts of
Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
and
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
can be seen.https://www.wondersofnepal.com/pathivara-temple/ Pathivara Temple


Trek

For tourists other than pilgrims, the Limbu Cultural Trek in the region is considered equally enthralling. A week-long trek passes through ethnic villages of Taplejung, such as; Phurunga (or Phurumbu), Limkhim, Khewang, Tellok, PhawaKhola and Mamankhe.


How to get there

Pathibhara lies in Yangwarak Rural Municipality. The journey to Pathibhara starts from Suketar, which is about a 20-minute drive from Phungling Bazaar, and then 1–2 hours' drive from Suketar to Kafle Pati. Pathibhara Devi is about 3–4 hours' walk from Kafle Pati. Suketar Airport () at Suketar is the only STOL airport in Taplejung district, connecting
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
and
Biratnagar Biratnagar () is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Province No. 1. With a population of 242,548 as per the 2011 census, it is the largest city in the province and also the headquarters of Morang district. As per the p ...
by scheduled flights. Pathibhara trail passes through Deurali, Ramitedanda, Chhatedhunga, Bhalugaunda and Phedi before finally reaching the temple. Residents along the trail offer food and
lodging Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shel ...
facilities. Basic accommodation facilities are also available for pilgrims near the temple premises. The best time to visit the temple is during pre-
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
(March to June) and post-monsoon (September to November) seasons.


References


External links

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Pathivara Temple
{{Hindu deities and texts Hindu temples in the Province No. 1 Shakti Peethas Buildings and structures in Taplejung District Limbu people Hindu temples practicing animal sacrifice