Liberate yourself in Muktinath

by TEXT & IMAGES BY HEEMA RAI

FROM ISSUE # 175 (July 2010) | IN THIS ISSUE
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How to reach there: Fly to Jomsom from Pokhara then take a jeep to Muktinath. Or take a bus from Pokhara to Beni, then a jeep/bus to Jomsom and again take a jeep to Muktinath.

How much to take: A comfortable room for two costs around Rs 500 or less. A plate of sada khana costs around Rs 200, but be ready to spend anything between Rs 1000-1500 per day.

What to take: Bring along a water bottle, sunscreen with high SPF, sunglasses, masks/scarves to protect yourself from the wind and warm clothes. Also, best to bring a windcheater with you and paracetamol tablets, garlic and lemon to prevent altitude sickness.

Muktinath is no longer a difficult holiday destination. With roadways opening upto Jomsom, the headquarters of Mustang, it has become accessible, cutting down the cost and the effort required to get there.

You can either fly to Jomsom from Pokhara which is a 20-minute flight with spectacular views of the Annapurna range on offer or you can take a bus from Pokhara to Beni, which takes about four hours. After a half hour's walk from Jomsom airport, you cross the Kaligandaki and reach Muktinath Jeep Park. A jeep will take about two hours to reach Muktinath.

If you feel like a trekking, you can also walk all the way. I recommend you walk this distance from Muktinath to Jomsom at least one way to take in the breathtaking views slowly. Walking along the Kaligandaki gorge, surrounded by majestic cliffs and being watched over by Dhaulagiri, you will feel dwarfed by nature. You see barren, dry stretches of land ahead of you then all of a sudden you come upon a bend and spots of colours and greenery hit you as you come upon a settlement. There are several small settlements in the way like Eklaibhatti, Khingra, Jharkot and Kagbeni.

So by trek or tyre, you arrive at Ranipauwa, the entrance to Muktinath. This place also has its own allure. From here, you can see a vast desert like hill which is the way to Upper Mustang. There is a thin trail on this golden hill which beckons you. If you give in to its charm and take this trail, it will take days to reach Upper Mustang. But no worries, you can at least have a motorcycle tour of the trail. Not very far but at least a consolation.

Coming to the temple at last, from Ranipauwa it takes half an hour to climb the steps reaching the temple. It's a challenge for anyone to bathe in all the 108 taps plus dip in two ponds of the temple. The water is freezing cold even in summer because according to locals, its source is some two days up in the mountains. After taking a freezing shower and queuing up, you enter the main temple feeling at peace with the Hindu and Buddhist deities present, majestically bestowing blessings.

Besides the main temple, you can also visit a monastery and the natural gas cove a little uphill and make a 'house'. Since Muktinath is thought of as the entrance to heaven, it is believed that one should make houses for the soul by piling up a few stones.

But before you leave Muktinath, don't forget to have a typical nepali dal bhat with local alu ko tarkari and  achar. The taste is heavenly! You can also try faparko roti (buckwheat pancakes) and syau ko sukuti (dried apple). If you really want to experiment, try yak momo or thukpa. You can even spend a night here. Contrary to the saying that with height, price increases, the food as well as lodging here is not so costly.

After your return to Jomsom, you can either fly direct to Pokhara or again take jeeps. But alternating between jeep and trek is the cheapest and the best way. This way you will be able to enjoy other must-see places like Marpha (the apple orchard kingdom), Dhumba lake (turquoise tranquility), Lete (a sleepy little village with a perfect view of Dhaulagiri), Tatopani (hot water springs as well as the best view of Nilgiri), Rupse Fall (majestic cascading fall) and many such places off the beaten track which really make Mustang what it is.
 
After you reach Pokhara, you'll slot back into normal life. Soon, where you were will begin to seem like a dreamland. But how liberating were those few days?