You
don’t have to be in Switzerland to ride
cable cars. The cable car in Nepal takes you
up on a spiritual adventure to the abode of
Manakamana, the wish-fulfilling goddess. Even
if you have no wishes to make (assuming that
you have got it all or you not a believer),
this place offers a unique look into Nepali
people’s faith in the Goddess Manakamana.
The Manakamana temple overlooks terraced fields,
and the Trishuli and Marsyangdi river valleys.
The hilltop (1302m) also offers a vantage point
for taking in the breathing view of the Manashlu-Himanchuli
and Annapurna massifs to the north.
Venerated since the 17th century and commanding
royal patronage, Manakamana is located south
of the Gorkha historic town of Gorkha and 6
km north of Mugling. In the past, millions of
pilgrims used to do the long arduous trek up
to the hilltop. Many still do.
From the cable car station in Cheres, you ge
to Manakamana in 10 minutes flat or less. The
ride over the distance of 2.8 kilometers. With
31 passengers and 3 cargo-cars, each with a
seating capacity of 6, the system has the overall
capacity of handling 600 persons per hour. The
adventure is in getting your wishes fulfilled.
The legend
The legend of Manakamana Goddess goes back to
the time of the Gorkha king Ram shah (1614-1636
AD). His queen, the story goes, possessed divine
powers known only to her devotee and religious
preceptor, Lakhan Thapa. On one occasion, the
king chanced upon the revelation of his queen
as goddess and Lakhan as a lion. But as soon
as he told the Queen what he saw, death took
him. When the Queen approached the funeral pyre
to commit sati as was the custom back then,
she consoled the lamenting Lakhan by saying
that she would reappear soon near his home.
Six months later, a certain farmer ploughing
a field hit a stone, cleaved it and saw blood
and milk flow forth. When the news got around
to Lakhan, he knew that his wish had come true.
The flow ceased when Lakhan worshipped the stone
using his tantric knowledge. When the then ruling
king of Gorkha learnt of the incident, he donated
land and a grant to perpetuate the worship of
Manakamana. This deed was invested with a Lal
Mohar, and the present Thapa-Mangar pujari is
the 17th generation descendant of Lakhan Thapa.
The shrine of Manakamana has been renovated
many times over the centuries. The present four-story
temple on a square pedestal has pagoda –style
roofs, and the entrance is marked by one stone
which is the sacrificial pillar. The Thapa-Mangar
priest performs rituals behind closed doors
by offering egg, orange, rice, vermillion and
strips of cloth to the Goddess, only after the
pujari is done with his puja, that the public’s
turn comes.
We offer package programme for the Cable
car and Manakamana pilgrimage similar as bellow.
