Muktinath | Dangerous roads of Nepal

Muktinath | Dangerous roads of Nepal

Muktinath is in the Himalayas where Lord Vishnu resides in the Shaligram stone . This is a Mukti Kshetra where man attains salvation and moksha . But to get salvation from sins, you have to cross difficult paths and come here . And you have to take bath in these 108 cold streams and pools of the Himalayas. And if you pass all these tests, then you get salvation. Just like Lord Vishnu got salvation due to the curse of Vrinda. If you have ever been to Ladakh, then you must know that the journey and the path in Ladakh are as beautiful as the destination. Our journey is also such, on the way you will find extremely beautiful views. [Music] If you want to go to Muktinath by road instead of plane, then first of all you have to come to a city which is close to the border of Nepal. We started this journey from Gorakhpur. It is 5:00 in the morning. The sun and we have set out on the journey. We are trying to enter the mountains before the heat increases . But on the way, this huge forest of teak blocked our way. The coolness that we were supposed to get by reaching the mountains, we started getting it after riding a bike for just 40 kms. On Google, we found out that there are four such big forests near Gorakhpur. Having such a natural oxygen plant or air purifier near a big city is a boon for that city. [Music] This is the India-Nepal border. Here we have to enter our IDs and vehicle numbers with the Indian security personnel. And this is the customs office of Nepal. The roads are good and as soon as we walk 20-30 kms from the border, the mountains start appearing in front. As soon as we climb the mountain from Butwal, the Tinau river starts flowing along the road. Despite being almost in the Terai region, its water is absolutely clean. This Ramapithecus Park is near Siddha Baba Temple. There is a small waterfall here which is perfect for walking and bathing and there is also a temple on the other side where we can go through this hanging bridge. The heat has started increasing as the day progresses. But because with time we are moving inwards in the mountains, so the journey is still pleasant. The road is also good. So riding is also fun. This is my friends Amir and Ruchir and this is our fourth break. The sun is shining. The temperature is around 32° right now. This is me. Today we have to go only till Pokhara and the habit of riding the bike all day has been left behind. The camera bag is also quite heavy. So every 40-50 km. we are taking a break and moving ahead enjoying the journey comfortably . Actually we have gone on a ride after a long time. There is no tension of work today. The traffic is also less and the green roads turning left and right are giving double the fun of riding. The architecture of the houses here or the painting style is amazing. We are getting to see some villages or towns which make me feel like stopping here. [Music] [Music] We are convincing the mind but how to convince the stomach? It is sometimes asking for chips, cold drink, sometimes water and sometimes momos. [Music] Pokhara is about 190 km from Sunauli. It is a 6-7 hour journey and on the way there are Butwal, Palpa, Tansen, Galiyang and many such spots where you can visit. [Music] This is the Kaligandaki river. Our journey will be around this river till we reach Muktinath . This entire journey passes through many small rivers, seasonal and some permanent waterfalls in the mountains . Because greenery is seen all the time and the landscape also keeps changing. So neither do we feel bored during the journey nor does fatigue dominate the body. I liked this spot after Palpa very much for taking a long break. There is a temple on the other side where you can go through this bridge. Such bridges are seen in large numbers in Nepal and they play an important role in connecting the villages. Mountains, water, bridge and fire always seem to be a very deadly combination to me. And here this swinging hanging bridge, strong wind, cotton flakes flying from the snow in the air and this sunset are giving a different feeling of natural beauty. And to rush towards the destination without feeling these feelings would be dishonest to this journey. We stopped here for a while and drank tea and watched the sunset and then left for Pokhara . The journey till now has been very good. But the clouds gathering in the sky and the smell of rain in the air are telling that now the style of the journey is going to change. [Music] This is Nepal House Martin. In Nepal, they are also known as good luck birds . It is believed that if they make a nest in your house, then it brings happiness and prosperity. Here everyone takes care of their convenience. [Music] Climate change, its impact on Nepal There are many. Today our morning started with the chirping of these good luck birds. We are staying in Pame near Pokhara Phewa Lake. There is less hustle bustle here as compared to the lake site. Muktinath comes in Annapurna Conservation Area. A permit is required to go there which can be taken from the Nepal Tourism Board office. The office will open at 10:00. Till then let’s visit Phewa Lake. [Music] Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and it is also called the tourism capital of Nepal. There are 9 small and big lakes in this area. There are many philosophical places. Many mountain trails start from here. And many adventure sports like paragliding, bungee jumping, zip line are available here. Pokhara also has international and domestic airports where good flights come and go. But the thing I like the most in the morning is to sit quietly on the banks of Phewa Lake and absorb the natural beauty of this place. [Music] After Rara Lake, Phewatal is the second largest freshwater lake in Nepal. Its eastern end is the busiest and most hotels and dense population resides in this area. [Music] Situated at an altitude of 434 feet, this lake is spread over 5.7 square km and many temples and tourist places have been built on its banks. [Music] Wow! What a pleasant morning, mountains, water, birds and this peace. From Gauri Ghat, we have come to Shri Narmadeshwar Mahadev Temple. There is an egret breeding colony right in front of the temple and hundreds of their nests are built here. Now let’s start today’s journey by taking a permit from the Nepal Tourism Board. It is already 2 in the afternoon by the time we get the permit, get the shock absorber of the bike made and hit the road and today the journey is starting under a blanket of thick black clouds. We have barely walked 20 km and the bad weather has forced us to stop. And today again we are eating momos for lunch. The journey started again at 4:00 and as soon as we reached the mountains, hailstones were seen in large quantities on both sides of the road. The temperature has also gone down a lot. In the rainy season, such scenes have been created as if there is snowfall in winter. Friends, Annapurna Range is only 28 km away from Pokhara in aerial linear distance. In this area, altitude is gained very fast. So the weather here is very unpredictable. Always come here prepared. [Music] First rain, then hailstones and now fog. Today it seems that there will be nothing left to see. It is about to be 5:30 and we are about to reach Baglung. From here, the road on the right side will take us directly to Beni. But that road is under construction and there is a risk of getting stuck in the mud after rain. So we are going to Beni through a longer route from the left. This route has its own challenges. First of all, it is long. The road is very narrow further ahead and people avoid the forest area after Baglungam after 6:00 pm because there is a danger of tiger and wild animal attacks. Is this the way to go to Beni? This is not the only way to go to Beni. Go from here, go from here. It will go from the market also. It will go from the market also. Which is the best way? It will go from here. Then brother, we have to go to Beni. Beni, thank you. Beni Beni Beni Beni, yes. Jaan, we have to go straight from here only 17 km. But a lot of time was spent in asking for directions and then at 6:30 we headed towards the forest. [Music] We crossed the forest in the dark. We could not see anything and at 8:00 pm we reached Beni. Momo again for dinner. Today we are starting our day by taking the name of God. It is 9:00 in the morning. The sun has shone and we are eager to see the mountain ranges which we could not see yesterday due to bad weather. This is Thulo Dagar. You will remember that before the construction of Ram statue in Ayodhya, two big stones were loaded on a truck and passed through many cities. That Shaligram stone was taken out from here. And it was sent as a gift from Ram ji’s in-laws’ side, courtesy of Janakpur Ram Janaki temple. From this you can understand the depth of the roti-beti relationship between India and Nepal. Once again from Beni we have started walking along the Kaligandaki river. The first 4-5 km road was good but now the unpaved roads have slowed down the speed. The most important part of the story of Muktinath temple is around the Shaligram stone and these Shaligram stones are found only in the Kaligandaki river. What is the Shaligram stone which is worshipped as the form of Vishnu ji and what is it? We will also know how it looks. But first let us see the Kaligarh river. [Music] You might be surprised to know that the Kaligandaki river is older than the Himalayas. Thousands of years ago, it kept flowing from the Tibet plateau. Then the mountains kept rising due to the collision of the earth crust. The Himalayan chain was formed and with it Kaligandaki created the deepest gorge in the world. Between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, it is known as Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi. [Music] What is the nature of rivers? They keep flowing continuously and we stop on its banks. [Music] But the nature of journey is to keep moving after resting . From here we set out for Tato water. [Music] This is Tipliang village of Myagdi. It is a small but beautiful village. There are some restaurants here as well. Nearby is this iconic view point, which has been built by digging half a tunnel. Here you will remember Kalpa-Kinnaur. [Music] Today the roads, trees, mountains and the coolness of the air have completely changed compared to yesterday’s journey. Today the journey is going on in a different landscape, away from the dense population. There is a river which is flowing sometimes on the right and sometimes on the left making noise and this is a road on which we are not used to walking. It is not letting us walk fast and we do not want to walk fast either. Sometimes we are looping the chain of the bike and sometimes we are enjoying tea and snacks on coming to good spots. Walking on these roads, sometimes it feels like I am walking in the lower hills of Uttarakhand, sometimes I am getting the feeling of Himachal and sometimes I feel like going to Killer Kistwar . So Many Soni [Music] This stretch was the most challenging part of today. But as soon as you turn after crossing it, the most beautiful waterfall of this route, Rupse Waterfall, is visible in front. [Music] [Music] [Prashasa] [Music] Rupse Waterfall is about 110 km from Pokhara and 15 km from Beni. The height of this waterfall is about 1000 feet. It is said that its water comes from the melted snow of Dhaulagiri. These drops of water know their final destination. One day they will merge with the ocean. But in the meantime sometimes it melts. It descends from the mountains as a waterfall. It roars as a river. And sometimes it washes away sins on the ghats of Kashi. Our life is also like this. Everyone knows the final destination and the journey to reach there is life. Everyone will reach their destination in the end. We just have to decide what we have to do to complete this journey. [Music] [Music] The weather has started changing again. This is Ghasa at an altitude of 6594 feet. Here the permit required to enter the Annapurna Conservation Area was checked. If you have not been able to get the permit in Pokhara, then you can get it here. From here onwards, flying any type of drone without a permit is prohibited and the fee for the drone permit is ₹1 lakh Nepalese rupees. After Ghasa, the road is also good and the weather is making it even more beautiful. The views have completely changed in just a few turns . The clouds that were above the head till now are now in front of the eyes. I am feeling very excited. Now I don’t know if this is the psychological effect of entering a protected area after taking a permit or seeing this landscape. Now I am feeling like I am in the region of Himalayas. But they have completely covered the Annapurna range. If there were no clouds, then Dhaulagiri would have been visible in the hills on the left and Annapurna range on the right. But this weather has a different fun. By the way, we have reached Leti village. It is so clean and beautiful. Wow, it doesn’t seem that I am in Nepal. Here we can see houses made of slate. Meaning we have reached an altitude of around 8000 feet. It is located just below the Dhaulagiri Mountain Range. But due to the clouds, we are not able to get its view . I don’t know whether this is due to overcast weather or not. But the river appears black here, which is justified by its name. In this region, the roads are very good at some places but there are unpaved roads at other places but both are fun. Unpaved roads give the feeling of raw nature and paved roads give the feeling of a dream long drive. [Music] Have you seen the movie “Hills Have Eyes”? This is the Sky Caves of Nepal. It is quite interesting. I will tell you about them in detail after reaching Muktinath . We have reached Kubang. This is also a village situated in the foothills of Dhaulagiri. After light rain, the temperature here has come down considerably. We have not eaten or drunk anything since morning. So we have stopped here for lunch. Anyway, if you have not stopped and eaten authentic momos and thupka in the rain in Nepal So how will you know about Nepal? [Music] A little further from here, we had to take a diversion due to road construction. And now we are walking on these roads very close to Kaligandgi. [Music] Light rain has started again and the weather looks worse ahead. [Music] As soon as we came back on the road, we met some children who told us that this is Shaligram Shila and they have taken it out of the river. How much does it cost? 30₹ and 50₹ [Music] We have reached Marpha and this is Marpha’s Apple Orchid . We don’t get a chance to see it from inside while going to Muktinath by public transport, so we have planned to go to Muktinath by bike. Now you see Marpha and tell me can we afford to skip it in the trip to Muktinath ? Have you ever seen such a beautiful village before ? Friends, Marpha is made up of the combination of two words. The first word is Mar which means hardworking and the second word is Fa which means people. So Marpha means hardworking people. That is, hard working people. The people here believe in Tibetan Buddhism. A glimpse of which is clearly seen in the architecture, attire, ostentation and costumes here. Marpha is also very famous for its Apple products and by-products and the Apple brand here also has an excellent status in Nepal . Marpha, situated at an altitude of 2650 meters, is also a suitable place for night stay during the famous Annapurna Circuit. There are such gates on both sides here and as soon as you enter, you will start feeling the Tibetan culture . But the most unique thing here is the architecture here and the wooden stores kept on all the roofs. There is not a single house in the entire village that does not have sacrificial offerings kept on the roof. On asking, it was found that this is a symbol of prosperity of any house. The bigger the stock, the bigger the status of the house. Another thing that I found very interesting is the windows, door frames, doors of these houses. Here too, an excellent display of carving on wood can be seen. Here, to protect from the cold surface, yak skins were seen being used at many places and at some places, yak heads and horns were also seen on the walls. I don’t know its purpose but this is a completely different culture. Behind the main village is the old village which is now being used for storage or keeping animals after the commercialization of the village. [Music] Dholagiri base camp track starts from here. Along with this is the monastery of Marfa which is a must visit spot. [Music] One gets a view of the entire Marfa from its top. [Music] This water stream has been taken out from the entire village to fulfill the water needs. Marwa is also a suitable place to buy locally produced clothes, apple, vinegar, jam, juice etc. The day is about to end. It will not be easy to walk on these roads at night. So let’s leave for Jomsom. [Music] And what was feared happened. [Music] We reached Jomsom around 8:00 pm. I had not thought that it would be so developed and there would be so many good properties available for staying here and today we are eating not momos but Thakali thali which is famous all over Nepal. It is available and its origin was in this region. Finally today on the fourth day we are getting to see what we were not able to see for two days due to clouds and that is this Great Himalayan Range. Jomsom is located between Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri at an altitude of 8900 feet above sea level. It is the district headquarters and people of Thakali community live here. Along with the road here, there is also an airport which connects this area to Pokhara by air which is a good option to reach Mustang or Muktinath in less time. To avoid the strong winds blowing in the Himalayan region, like Ladakh, all the planes come and go here only in the morning. The distance from Jomsom to Muktinath is 24 km. Whereas the distance from Jomsom to Kagbeni is 11 km. This is Kagbeni. This is one of the oldest villages situated in the Himalayan region. Hindu devotees stop here and do special Pitru Puja for the peace of the souls of their ancestors . Then they go to Muktinath Darshan. The monastery and temple here are worth seeing. Now we are gaining attitude very fast. [Music] [Music] This is Sherathang Kagbeni View Point. From here you get the top view of Kagbeni. Also, you can see the Shaligram rock replica here . From here you can see the first glimpse of Thorang La. After crossing this you reach Tilcho Lake and Manang. [Music] Wow, this looks so beautiful. These are apple trees and flowers. These apples will turn into apples in a few days After 15 years of working in the Ministry of Textiles days, today I am seeing pure handloom. Stoles are being made on it. This entire area comes in Mustang district which is a trans Himalayan region. Due to its proximity to the Muktinath temple, it is also known as Mukti Kshetra . [Music] You can reach these stairs from the parking of the temple by walking or riding a mule . The distance from here to the temple has to be covered on foot and as soon as you climb a few stairs, you start seeing a beautiful view of the valley . As I mentioned earlier, Muktinath is a pilgrimage place for both Hindus and Buddhists. You will feel this at every place in the entire temple. At the same time, you will get to see Buddhist prayer wheels, flags, bells and the Yagyashala of Muktinath. Amidst the bells of the temple, there is a bell dedicated to the first CDS i.e. Chief of Defense Staff of the Indian Army, late General Bipin Rawat ji. Perhaps this honor was given by the Gorkha Regiment of Nepal. [Music] This is the temple of Muktinath Ji. According to Devi Bhagavat Purana, Mahapuran and Shiv Purana, Tulsi was the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and wanted to marry Lord Vishnu. So she left everything and went to Badrinath to do penance. Here, according to the law, Tulsi had a Gandharva marriage with a demon named Shankhachurna. Shankhachurra was Krishna’s best friend Sudama in his previous life. Whom Radha had cursed to be a demon in his next life. Shankhachurra had become invincible by getting Vishnu Kavach through penance. The demons led by Shankhachurra defeated the gods and expelled them from heaven. After the defeat, the gods went to Vishnu Ji for a solution. Shri Vishnu told that his killing is decided by Shiva. Then Shiva started a war against the demons. But Vishnu Kavach and Tulsi’s chastity were becoming an obstacle in killing Shankhachurra. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of an old Brahmin and asked for Shankhachurna’s armour in alms and then wearing the same armour and assuming the form of Shankhachurna, he destroyed Tulsi’s chastity. Shiva killed Shankhachurna and freed her from Radha’s curse. Here Tulsi recognized Vishnu ji and considering him emotionless for being the cause of death of her own devotee, cursed him to become a stone . Then Vishnu ji explained to her that this is the result of the penance she had done earlier to get Vishnu ji as her husband and after leaving this body, she will again exist as his wife. Mother left Tulsi’s body. The abandoned body formed the Gandaki river. Tulsi plants and cursed Vishnu became huge rocks from hair. In the Gandaki river, the insects with thunderbolt-like teeth made many marks on her body. The pieces of this that fell into the river came to be known as Shaligram stones. Muktinath is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Hindus and the only one which is outside India. Before the darshan, the visitors take bath in these 108 streams which are known as Mukti Dhara. All the streams are coming out of the mouths of animals like lion, cow, horse. It is believed that the water comes from the holy Gosai Kund lake. I do not know whether the 108 streams are connected to the 108 Divya Desams or the combination of 9 planets and 12 zodiac signs. But it is said that by taking bath in these, all the sins of birth are washed away. A person comes so far to get freedom from sins but the water here is so cold that very few people can muster the courage to take bath in it. After taking bath in the 108 streams , there is a tradition of taking bath in the Punya Kund built in front of the temple and then in the Saraswati Kund. The temple is built in the Tibetan pagoda style . Snow falls here quite well during the winter season. There is also a Buddhist temple in the temple courtyard. Hundreds of diyas can be seen burning here. It is said that Guru Ring Poche had stopped here and meditated during his Tibet tour . This place is worshipped as the abode of Buddhist deity Avalokateshwar. For Buddhists, Muktinath is the abode of Dakini, who is known as the sky dancer . It is one of their 24 tantric places. Buddhists call it Chuming Gyatsa, which means 100 waters in Tibetan. Near the temple, a 32 feet high stone structure of Sakya Muni Buddha is established. Nearby is the temple of Jwalamai. This is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Mata Sati. Some say her right cheek fell here. Some say head. Mata Shakti was known as Gandaki Chandi here. Bhairav, who was placed by Shiva to protect every Shakti Peeth, was called Chakrapani. This is the Sky Caves of Mustang. And including the upper Mustang, 10,000 have been discovered. Between 1990 and 2010, many Buddhist paintings, sculptures, manuscripts as well as partially mummified bodies have been taken out from these caves. Which are from the third to the 14th century. We will return to Pokhara today itself. Despite wanting to, I am unable to end the video here because the return journey is also very beautiful and I have to tell another interesting story of Muktinath. Friends, according to another famous belief, according to Skanda Purana Padma Purana, the demon Jalandhar, enraged by the results of the sea churning, expelled the gods from heaven. Then Narad Muni told him about the form of Mother Parvati. Fascinated by this, he started wishing to get Mother Parvati . Jalandhar’s wife was Vrinda, whose chastity was becoming an obstacle in the killing of Jalandhar by Shiva . A fake dead body of Jalandhar was presented to Vrinda, and Vrinda requested a sage to revive him. The sage revived the body and Vishnu started living with Vrinda as Jalandhar. After some time, Vrinda realized this and cursed Vishnu that just as I am separated from my husband, you will also be separated from your wife. Due to this curse, Sita ji was abducted by Ravana in the Ram avatar and Vishnu in the form of Ram ji suffered the pain of separation from Sita ji. Vishnu ji stayed here in a disturbed state due to Vrinda’s death. Later , with the help of Dhatri and Tulsi ji, he again went to Vaikunth. This temple is considered to be one of the eight self-manifested areas along with Pushkar, Tirupati, Badrinath etc. Lord Vishnu is seated in the temple in the form of Shaligram. Muktinath temple is seen as a symbol of religious harmony in Nepal . Here both Hindus and Buddhists worship at one place for thousands of years. Both participate in each other’s worship with mutual respect. Friends, the most special thing about the journey to Muktinath is that in just 500 kms of bike ride, you can see rivers, waterfalls, green mountains, brown mountains, snow-laden mountains, villages, cities, Tibetan and modern culture, black top roads, off-road, regular and off-road destinations. In this ride, everything is seen with contrast in just 500 kms of ride. In this entire journey, we are mostly traveling in the least commercialized areas away from dense population . In such a situation, we get a chance to see nature in its pure form . [Music] We reached Pokhara around 12:00 in the night. [Music] Today is the last day of our journey. We left Pokhara in the morning without having breakfast . So, we are enjoying these views by ordering lunch here. The cotton flying with the wind from this tree looks as if snowflakes are flying in the mountains . [Music] O I am just street light through the story. [Music] After this, the place I liked the most is Waling. Most of the houses here are painted in pink color. [Music] The journey from Pokhara to Butwal passes through the mountains. And if you get a group in it, then you do not realize the time during the journey. Once again we have come to the banks of the Kaligandaki river. The river that was roaring in the high mountains yesterday is flowing quietly here. [Music] There is very little traffic at this time. So there is a feeling of peace and tranquility everywhere . [Music] Around 5:00 pm we reached the River Side Garden Resort near Butwal. To feel the trees, plants, forest, mountains, water once again before reaching the plains from the mountains . [Music] This is my favorite spot in the mountains near Gorakhpur. Clean water for bathing, tasty food and free fish feed by the fish in the water. [Music] I don’t feel like leaving the mountains and going back to the cities. So I am wasting time here . [Music] Birds returning to their nests, the setting sun is saying it’s time to go home . Ha ho [Music]

Discover Muktinath, Nepal: The most visited tourist spot in the Himalayas by foreigners! 🏔️ Join us on a wonderful journey, exploring the enchanting beauty of Muktinath, situated between the majestic Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountains, Mastang. Learn where to stay for the ultimate mountain experience and how to reach this sacred site, whether you are coming from Pokhara to Jomsom or from Gorakhpur to Pokhara. 🌍 With breathtaking views of the Annapurna Circuit, Muktinath offers divine landscapes and unique spiritual experiences.
Enjoy the biking adventure and Don’t forget to subscribe for travel tips, vlogs and guides for a trip to the vast Himalayas! ✈️✨ #Muktinath #Himalaya #Travel Guide

Chapter:
0:00-01:00-Introduction
01:01-07:20-Gorakhpur to Pokhara
07:21-28:09-Pokhara to Jomsom
28:10-30:50-Jomsom to Muktinath
30:51-36:35-Muktinath
36:36-39:41-Muktinath to Pokhara
39:42-42:55-Pokhara to Butwal

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