Manakamana

Manakamana Temple

The most popular temple of Manakamana is in Gorkha. The others are in various places like Manakamana. It is said that a King of Gorkha was blessed by the goddess to get victory over small kingdoms and make a big Gorkha. Manakamana of gorkha is a popular place for a specific fair called Panchami. The temple was initially inaccessible and one had to ride on horseback for 2–3 days. Now it is easily accessible by cable car. Manakamana is the name of a Hindu Goddess. It is believed that the Goddess fulfils the wishes of the people. The term ‘Mana’ means the ‘heart’ or ‘soul’ and ‘kamana’ means the ‘wish’.

History

The queen of Ram Shah, the king of Gorkha born in 1614 AD, was a goddess known to only her devotee, Lakhan Thapa. One day the king saw his queen in the form of a goddess. He told about it to Lakhan Thapa and he died instantly, in 1636 AD. The queen committed Sati (commit cremation with the husband's pyre as per custom of that time). Lakhan Thapa lamented on her Sati. The queen consoled him to reappear again. Six months later, a farmer hit a stone while ploughing his field. Blood and milk came out from the stone. Lakhan Thapa came to know the news. He worshipped the place with 'tantric' rituals. The flow of blood and milk ceased. The site became the foundation of the present-day shrine- Manakamana Temple. Manakamana meaning wishes fulfilling goddess. The current pujari, Priest, is the 17th generation descendant of Lakhan Thapa.

Transportation

There is cable car service, the only cable car service in Nepal, from Kurintar to Manakamana; it is 10 minutes cable car ride from Kurintar to Manakamana. Kurintar is 95 km, 2 hours drive, from Kathmandu on the way to Pokhara. Kurintar is at an altitude of 258 meter high from sea level. When there was no cable car service people used to walk 3–4 hours all the way to Manakamana. Due to the Cable Car it is now very easy to get to this one of the most famous religious destination.

The temple and small village of Manakamana is situated atop the 1302 meters hill that lies just north-east of the town of Mugling, some three and a half hours by bus east from Pokhara, or about the same time by bus west from Kathmandu. A cable car runs from the cable station of Cheres, just 5 kms east of Mugling to Manakamana in fifteen minutes. It is an exhilarating ride as you pass the river and up two ridges to the top. If you want, you can return by walking down the former well-used track down to its exit on the Gorkha road, just 1 km north of the town of Abu Khareini.

The cable car operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., stopping for lunch break from 12.00 p.m. to 13.30 p.m. On Saturdays and holidays it starts operations an hour earlier. The cost is a hefty 10 U.S. Dollars plus 14% tax for foreigners, and R250 plus tax for Nepalese citizens. This is a return fare. Single fares only apply to a sacrificial goat (R140). Hindu devotees believe that a visit to this temple will bring good luck, so expect to see many animal sacrifices at the temple entrance. 

There are many simple hotels and lodges in the village, all charging about R100 to R400 per room. Some even advertise hot water in attached bathrooms, but many are run down as there was a hotel building rush a few years ago and now that the cable car operates most people do not spend the night in the village. In the quietest months most restaurants will be closed and food will consist of momos or daal bhat only.

Manakamana Cable Car

In theory it is possible to walk from Gorkha to Manakamana, passing along the hill-top ridge through forest and paddy, although you would probably need a guide. When I tried to hire a guide for this walk two years ago, the would-be guides were concerned about swollen rivers. So probably this is a walk for the dry season, although it should be an exciting walk of about seven hours or so. Added note: When the cable car opened in 1998 it was with the understanding that the local people would benefit. Numbers of people visiting the sacred temple have doubled but people walking up the path from Abu Khareini have dwindled to almost zero and scores of lodges and tea houses have lost almost all their business. Perhaps empowered by the Maoists' show of strength against big business, in late August 2001 people from the village stormed the cable car offices and destroyed the computers and ticketing machines. For the first time since they had started operating, the cable cars were silent for almost one week. Even though you can now buy only a return ticket on the cable car, you might like to consider walking up or down the path one way and buy a meal or stay overnight in a lodge en route to help the dwindling trade of people who built their business without the concept that a giant like a cable car industry could destroy them.

Manakamana cable car was inaugurated by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendera Bir Bigram Shah   Dev on November 24, 1998. The Bottom Station (258 MT) at Kurintar and the Top Station (1302 MT) at Manakamana houses the most modern cable car system imported from Austria. Facilities of international standards with high priority given to safety and customer service, Manakamana Cable Car have had an overwhelming response from all the visitors.
Cable Car Ticket Rates:
	Categories:                                                                     Rate Normal/ SAARC NRs. 390.00 Child NRs 230.00 Student/Elderly NRs 310.00 Disable NRs 290.00 Foreigner USD 15.00 Foreigner Child USD 10.00