Destination Pokhara and Its Beauty

POKHARA 

pokhara view

Pokhara is a remarkable place of natural beauty. Situated at an altitude of 827m from the sea level and 200km west of Kathmandu valley, the city is known as a center of adventure. This enchanting city has several beautiful lakes and offers stunning panaromic views of Himalayan peaks. The serenity of lakes and the magnificence of the Himalayas rising behind them create an ambience of peace and magic. So today the city has not only become the starting point for most popular trekking and rafting destinations but also a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Pokhara is part of a once vibrant trade route extending between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalaya. This is the land of Gurungs and Magars, hardworking farmers and valorous warriors who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are known for their entrepreneurship.

pokhara lakeside

Climate:

The climate of Pokhara is slightly warmer than Kathmandu with daytime temperature hovering around 15 degrees Celsius in winter and 35 degrees in summer. The monsoon season which lasts from mid-June to mid-September is very wet; in fact Pokhara records the highest rainfall in the country. Best time to visit is between October and April.

The activities of foreign visitors to Pokhara focus around two districts known as Damside and Lakeside (or Pardi and Baidam, in Nepali, respectively). These two areas, with their strips of hotels and restaurants, are a few kilometers south-west of the main Pokhara bazaar.

Of Interest

• Phewa Lake
• Begnas lake and Rupa lake
• Barahi temple
• World Peace Pagoda
• Seti Gandaki
• Devi's Fall
• Gupteswar Gupha
• Mahendra Gupha
• The Old Bazaar
• Bindbyabasini Temple
• Matepani Gumbha (Buddhist Monastry)
• Bhadrakali Mandir
• Museums
• Himalayan View
• Nightlife and Entertainment
• Around Pokhara

Phewa Tal (Lake)

fewa lake from Sarangkot

Phewa lake, the second largest lake in the kingdom, roughly measuring 1.5 km by 4 km, is the center of all attractions in Pokhara. The enchanting lake is an idyllic playground. Brightly painted wooden boats and sailboats can be rented on reasonable cost around lakeside.

Fewa Lake & Fishtail Mountain

The lake is neither deep (roughly 47 meters at most) nor particulary clean, but the water is warm and swimming is pleasant if you don't think about the probable pollution.

The eastern shoreline of the lake, popularly known as Lakeside or Baidam, consists of seemingly endless strip of lodges, restaurants, bookshops and souvenir shops. One of the fascinating parts of lakeside is the splendid view of the mountains, especially when the still water reflects the peaks, creating a double image.

Begnas lake 

Begnas Lake

Begnas Lake is situated in the eastern part of Pokhara valley, at a distance of 15 km from Pokhara. Tourists can relax in the lodges and resort situated along the lakeside. Yet another popular lake of Pokhara is the Rupa Lake. It is separated from Begnas Lake by a ridge known as Pachabhaiya. The lakes offer the perfect nature retreat because of their relative seclusion and opportunities for boating and fishing. There are buses running from the city centre of Pokhara to Begnas and Rupa Lakes.

Barahi temple

This is the most important religious monument in Pokhara. Built almost in the middle of Phewa lake, the two storied pagoda is dedicated to the boar manifestation of Ajima, the protectress deity representing the female force Shakti. Devotees can be seen, especially on Saturdays, carrying male animals and fowl across the lake to be sacrificed to the deity.

World Peace Pagoda

World Peace Pagoda is built by  Nipponzan  Fujii, after the II world war finished the pagoda was erected.During of the II world war many people lost their lives. At that time guru Nipponzan  Fujii became very sad, since that time he began to compaign against the violence activity.He has focuses on unity of human being in the world, according to Guru Fujii  he wanted to profounded the concept of cosmopolitan. 

Similarly,the Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds within the world and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Actually in the world peace pagoda we can see four statues of Buddha,let people informed about the four incidents of Buddha,s life.Pokhra is itself a hanging paradise on the earth, still more the pagoda has added more charm and beauty in pokhra, from World Peace Pagoda perfect view of mountain of Annapurna range.

 
 A Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myohoji Buddhist Order. Fujii was greatly inspired by his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 and decided to devote his life to promoting non-violence herewith he got very vital Consciousness through II world war too. And  In 1947, he began to construct Peace Pagodas as shrines to World peace.

By 2000, 80 Peace Pagodas had been built around the world in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Civilization is not to kill human beings, not to destroy things, not to make war. civilization is to hold mutual affection and to respect one another. -Most Ven. Fujii..

Seti Gandaki (River Gorge)

Flowing right through the city, the boisterous river runs completely underground at places. Amazingly, at certain points the river appears hardly two meters wide. But its depth is quite beyond imagination - over 20 meters! Mahendra Pul, a small bridge near the old Mission Hospital, provides a perfect view of the river's dreadful rush and the deep gorge made by its powerful flow.

Devi's Fall

Locally known as Patale Chhango (Hell's Fall), Devi's fall (also known as Devin's or David's) is an awesome waterfall lying about 2 km south-west of Pokhara airport on the highway to Tansen. An interesting modern legend says that a foreigner named David was skinnydipping in the Pardi Khola (river) when the floodgates of the dam were opened, sweeping him into an underground passage beneath the fall, never to be seen again.

Gupteswar Gupha (cave)

Gupteswar Gupha, a sacred cave, lies 2 km from Pokhara airport on the Siddhartha Highway leading southwest from the city. The entrance is right across from Devi's Fall and the cave is almost 3 km long. It has some big hall-size rooms and some passages where you have to crawl on all fours. This cave holds special value for Hindus since a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is preserved here in the condition it was discovered. An entrance fee of Rs. 5 is charged and taking pictures inside the cave is prohibited.

Mahendra Gupha (cave)

Mahendra Gufa, locally called Chamero Odhaar ("House of Bats"), is the large limestone cave. Shepherd boys are said to have discovered it around 1950. A two hour walk to the north of Pokhara, it is best to bring your own torch to see the stalactites and stalagmites, although most of them have been carted out by souvenir hunters.

Bindbyabasini Temple

Bindhyabasini temple is the center of religious activity in the old bazaar. It is dedicated to goddess Bhagwati, yet another manifestation of shakti. Worshippers flock here to perform sacrifices, and especially on Saturdays the parklike grounds take on a festive fair.

Himalayan View

The magnificent Annapurna panorama that's visible on the northern skyline of Pokhara is quite incredible. The main peaks are Annapurna I to IV and the beautiful Machhapuchhare (or Fishtail Mountaian, so named after its twin peaks). Besides these, you can also see the Himchuli, Varahashikhar, Gangapurna and other peaks. The

mountains will probably be hidden in the clouds between April and September. A nice evening on the banks of Fewa Lake with the mountain range as the backdrop is what Pokhara is really about!

Thanks,