One day standing at the border
I stared at myself
Probably I vanished, my existence faded
I only saw my country
In our third episode of Heaven is Myth Nepal is Real Travel series, we planned to visit Sandakpur which lies in the eastern region of Nepal. It is said that we could see three countries and 60 mountain peaks from a single hill. This imaginative type of sentence feels like an imagination until we visit Sandakpur, a place in Ilam District.
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About Sandakpur
Sandakpur is in the Ilam district of Nepal. It is situated at 3636 meters from sea level. It is connected to India on the eastern border of Nepal. From the mountain peak, you could see 4 out of 10 highest Peaks in the world. They are Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu. The Sleeping Buddha, a family peak of Kanchenjunga is also seen from the Sandakpur height. Another major attraction is you can observe the breathtaking sunrise and sunset.
Best time to Visit Sandakpur
The best time to visit Sandakpur is from September end to November. During this that, you could see never seen before view of sunrise and mountain range and the golden rays of sun falling upon the mountains and valley.
How to reach Sandakpur?
To reach Sandakpur, one can travel through both Nepal and India. Passing through Nepal, we can reach Sandakpur by crossing Sumbeg Sulubung and Mabu via Biblayate of Ilam.
Even though it is Nepal’s land, only a few Nepalis visit Sandakpur. Probably because it is a bit uncomfortable to reach and far from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The number of Nepali tourists visiting Sandakpur is low. Ironically, so few people know about such a beautiful and delightful place.
So in this episode of Heaven is Myth Nepal is Real, we have decided to capture the beauty of Sandakpur from the border of Eastern Nepal and cultivate it in your heart so that Sandakpur, which has only succeeded in catching the eye of a few people, can make a home in everyone’s heart.
With our Honda XR 190L and Toyota, we Nepal8thwonder team headed towards Sandakpur.
Day 1- Kathmandu to Janakpur
We were all set to go and met our team at Nepal8thwonder’s office. Saying see you soon to Kathmandu we headed towards Janakpur. Our first stay of the trip. We were traveling via Sindhuli and we were excited to ride on the famous Sindhuli road.
We stopped at Dhulikhel for a lunch. After having lunch we moved towards Dhulikhel Chowk. We took a right from where we can reach Bardibas via Sindhuli. If you go straight you will reach, The Last Resort and Tatopani (Nepal and Chinese border).
I always get excited when we go out to a new destination, but the excitement at that time was a little different than what we have experienced before.
We were going to a place that very few Nepalis know about. There was a big challenge for us not only visiting Sandakpur but at the same time creating a relationship of our viewers with Sandakpur. Probably because it was a place we knew very little about. With a hope to promote the place and accepting all the challenges that will set upon us, we were just heading towards Sandakpur.
Soon after we left Kathmandu, there were some places we crossed on the journey before we reached the destination that was so beautiful in themselves that we don’t feel like crossing them. Once such a place was kavre Bhanjyang. We were driving on a road surrounded by a forest. Since it was monsoon time, we could see green everywhere. The weather was gloomy and the green landscapes had been brightening the day. That is the perks of monsoon season. It really pleases your eyes and the fresh environment rejuvenates your mind. The power of mother nature is so surreal.
On our way to Sindhuli, the song of Krishna Bikram Thapa “Sindhuli Gadhi Ghumera Herda ” was in my mind. The song has given justice to the beauty of Sindhuli Bazar. Probably most Nepalis remember this song while traveling through this path.
The monsoon vibes were hitting such hard. Playing hide and seek with the rain, we had enjoyed every bit of mother natures’ gift. ? I thank Sonam gears from the bottom of my heart for providing me their waterproof gears.
प्रकृतिमा हराउनुको मिठास भनेको यहि नै होला , आफू को हुँ र कता जाँदैछु प्रष्ट पारिदिन्छ
We stopped at Mulkot for our lunch. The weather was a little warmer. The destinations ahead were Sindhuli Gadhi, Khurkot, Sindhuli Madi, Bardibas, and our final destination for that day, Janakpur- land where Goddess Sita was born.
Sindhuli
We proceeded to the uphill road of Sindhuli. Bike riding on the roads of Sindhuli was adventurous. This road is one of the most beautiful roads in Nepal. Construction of the road began in 1996 with the assistance of the Japanese government and took 19 years to complete. The road was handed over to the Government of Nepal in 2015 after the completion of work by the Japanese government. Sindhuli is famous for Sindhuli Fort (Sindhuli Gadhi), a historical fort that is popular for the battle between the then Gorkha Army and the British troop led by Captain Kinloch.
From the highest point (Selfie Danda), you will witness long-distance views of the Sun Koshi river and settlements. We recommended you stop at this place to observe the beautiful scenery. It was a bit warmer and also the view took our tiredness.
Journey to Janakpur
From the Sindhuli, we traveled downhill until we reached the Terai. Traveling on that beautiful road made with the help of the Japanese government was an amazing experience in itself.
Our journey that day was to Mithila state Janakpur. On the way to Janakpur, we watched the green fields of the Terai and the setting sun. Although the exact difference cannot be pointed out, there is a different kind of beauty in the sunset of the Terai which differs from the sunset seen from the hills. The clear environment and a blaze of color over the clouds make the sunset more beautiful. While watching it, I could not stop myself from appreciating all the great things God gives to us.
We were very happy to witness such different beauty again. We watched almost the same kind of sunset in our Holi to Bardiya Session.
We reached Bardibas chowk. The temperature was very warm. A few moments ago it was cool due to rain. And the rain was gone. It is obvious that the temperature rises when we travel from the Hilly region to the Terai region. My ears were ringing. It further takes 45 km almost an hour to reach Janakpur.
The roads were busy and everyone was busy in their daily routine.
After an hour we reached our home for that, Janakpur, The Mithila state.
We stayed at Hotel Perfect Plaza and met Pradeep dai. He was very friendly and really served us well.
After refreshing up, we had Mithila delicacies. It was so delicious. The taste is still lingering in my mouth.
After the Mithila meal filled our bodies with energy, we discussed the next day’s plan and on the first night of the journey, slept in Janakpur.
Day 2- Janakpur
Good morning from Janakpur. We woke up late and the people were back to their business.
We headed to Janaki Temple. And our plan was to taste the local food of Janakpur too. Most of the walls of the place were painted with the Mithila Art.
Asking my teammates about their experience in Janakpur, they said waste and mosquito problems. ? Mosquitoes were everywhere in the Terai region, we cannot blame Janakpur for that but the waste problem can be managed. Our Capital City Kathmandu is also polluted so what can I say more about Janakpur. One more problem was the power cut.
We were walking towards Janaki Temple. The temperature was hot and the surrounding was filled with waste. After 10 minutes of walk, we reached Ram Janaki temple.
Ram Janaki or Janaki Temple
Ram Janaki Mandir is considered to be one of the major religious temples of Nepal. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Sita. Janaki temple reflects the Hindu Koiri architecture. This three-story temple is made of stones and marble. This temple consists of 60 rooms that are fully decorated with the flag of Nepal, colored glass, engravings, and paintings, with beautiful lattice windows and turrets.
According to legend, this place was ruled by King Janak during the Ramayana period. During his daughter Janaki’s (Sita) engagement ceremony, she had chosen Lord Rama as her husband after breaking the Shiva Dhanush (Bow). Later marriage ceremony was held in Vivaha Mandap which is just nearby the temple.
Janaki temple is also known as Naulakha temple. It is said that Queen Brish Bhanu of Tikamgad spent nine lakhs to build the Janaki temple. Entering there, the architecture blew away my mind. The arts and the painting reflect the perfect blend of the style of Mughal and Koiri domes. The temple is white and made of stone and marble.
The never-ending sound of the hymn, coming from the temple, felt like the god is there, and sending me blessing via hymn. That hymn goes on 24 hours a day and the people singing the hymn work in shifts to continue it. This was something very unique and it felt good to be there at Janakpur.
Exploring Janakpur
Due to rain, we only explore nearby places. We headed towards a lassi outlet which was very famous. The name of the outlet was Hum Yehi Peete Hai. Right after hearing the name, the song named Hum ko Pini Hai Hum ko Pini Hai from Salman Khan’s hit song from the movie Dabang was running in my mind. Thanks to our viewers for their recommendation about the places we need to explore while visiting Janakpur and this Lassi Outlet was on top of the recommendation.
In the scorching heat of the Terai region in the rainy season, we booked a TukTuk and traveled to a renowned Lassi outlet Hum Yehi Peete Hain. The Lassi outlet was around one and a half Kilometres. Once we tried the Lassi we got an idea why so many viewers recommended our team to visit the same outlet.
I am not that big fan of lassi myself but I will probably be at that place to have Lassi if I ever got a chance to be in Janakpur.
Returning back to the hotel, we ended our Janakpur session. Out next journey of the Sandakpur series will be Bardibas.
“यात्रा एक सम्झनाहरु अनेक्” I have a deep connection with Janakpur city. I have a photo of me, with my family (with Dad and Mom) in Janakpur. That was my first time in Janakpur. I felt so nostalgic that I called my mom to talk about the photo and the day. ?
We wanted to explore Janakpur but as we were headed towards Sandakpur we had a tight schedule and we were obliged to reach Sandakpur within the time frame. So with a promise to be back to Janakpur someday, we headed towards Bardibas. Fortunately, this was the first time that we were filming a Janaki temple. It is a matter of pride to be able to film a temple with such great religious importance on our the first time.
Stay tuned for who I met in part 2 of our vlog. ?Till then, enjoy our video.
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