Love in Limbuwan | Yatralogue

SOHAN K SHRESTHA

DESTINATION: The Budha Subba temple in Bijaypur
GETTING THERE: Approximately 1.5km from Dharan bus stop. You can get a taxi, or take a tempo for Rs 30-60.
WHAT TO TAKE: A camera, a bottle of water, a snack, and true love.
WHEN: Any day of the year, although Saturdays and the Kiranti festivals Udhelui and Ubhauli are most popular.

On a clear day in the hills of East Nepal, Ishwor Rauniyar is trying to carve a name on a bamboo near the Budha Subba temple in Bijaypur. It's proving more difficult than expected; "I can't find a single spot, even high up on the branches," he says. That's because thousands like him come to Budha Subba each year, attracted by the legend that writing the name of your beloved or tying threads blessed at the temple to one of the bamboo plants will bring luck and success to your relationship.

The Budha Subba temple is part of the ancient Kiranti kingdom of Bijaypur, in the region which,some say today, should be called Limbuwan. However it attracts people from a whole range of ethnic groups, religions, and cultures. Visitors, mostly young couples and newlyweds, arrive daily, with numbers climbing during weekends.

SAMIR JUNG THAPA

"Budha Subba's attraction hasn't waned," says the temple's head priest Dambar Bahadur Ale Magar, whose family has maintained the temple for generations. "In fact, its fame is spreading, and more and more couples are coming here to pray." He appreciates the visitors, but laments the fact that the bamboo groves are suffering from rough handling. Besides couples, a lot of other people come to the Budha Subba temple to sacrifice roosters, believing that in doing so their wishes will be fulfilled.

Besides its romantic and religious associations, there's plenty of legend and history surrounding Budha Subba. Historically, the area was an ancient Kirant stronghold. Historian Iman Singh Chemjong says Bijaypur was the capital of the Kiranti kingdom during and after the reign of King Bijaynarayan Rai. Other historians have argued that Bijaypur was named after the Sen king Bijay Sen when he won the village during his expansion campaign.

The temple itself gets its name from the legend that Kiranti hunter Budha Subba and his sister Subbini used to play and hunt with a slingshot on the hill. One day, they accidentally hit the tip of a bamboo tree instead of the crow they were aiming for. From that day on, the top of the bamboo never grew back, and no crow ever came to Bijaypur. As a result, Budha Subba gave up hunting, buried his slingshot, and meditated and gained enlightenment on the very spot where the temple now stands. Even today, despite the picnickers and offerings at the temple, there are never any crows on the Bijaypur hill.

According to that legend, the simple mound of soil inside the temple is where Budha Subba meditated. However, some historians challenge this, saying it's actually the burial mound of the last Kiranti king, Budhikarna Rai, whose rule of Bijaypur began after the murder of Kamdutta Sen in 1762 and ended with Prithvi Narayan Shah's invasion in 1775. Budhikarna Rai fled, but was discovered by Gurkhali troops in 1785, and charged with and brutally executed for Karmadutta Sen's murder.

However, despite the violent history that surrounds Bijaypur, its love has conquered all today, as hopeful couples, young and old, come here to strengthen their love.