Panchase

पत्रकारको जातै अपजसिलो । गरे पनि सुख छैन, नगरे पनि सुख छैन । शुक्रबार कांग्रेस नेता रामचन्द्र पौडेल र एमाले नेता प्रदीप ज्ञवाली छुट्टाछुट्टै कार्यक्रमका लागि जिल्ला भित्रिने दिन रहेछ । हामी भने पूर्वयोजनाअनुसार पन्चासे चुली घुम्न जाने तयारीमा थियौँ । यात्राको चाँजोपाँजो मिलाएको थियो माछापुच्छ्रे विकास संघ कास्कीले ।
पर्वत कार्यक्षेत्र भएका आधादर्जन सहकर्मीलगायत कास्की र स्याङ्जाका पत्रकारको टोली थियो पन्चासे यात्रामा । सधैँ फोनको भरमा कार्यक्रममा डाक्ने राजनीतिक दलहरू यसपालि पनि कार्यक्रमको अघिल्लो दिन धमाधम फोन गर्न थाले । नेताका कार्यक्रमको निम्तोलाई अघिल्लो दिनमै हामीले शालीन भाषामा अस्वीकार गरिदियौँ । शंकालु मनले त सोच्दै थियो- नेताको समाचार नपठाएको भन्दै सम्पादकको भनाइ खानुपर्ने त होइन ? तर, सम्पादक बेलाबेला भन्थे, 'नेताका भाषण लेखेरमात्रै पत्रकारिता क्षेत्रमा छलाङ मार्न सकिन्न ।' समस्या आइहाले यही अभिव्यक्ति सापट लिने निधो गरेर हामी बिहानै पन्चासे चुलीतिर उक्लिन थाल्यौँ ।

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िचसो मौसम, नेपालमै धेरै पानी पर्ने लुम्ले हुँदै जानुपर्ने यात्रा । पर्वतबाट मित्रहरू थिए- दुर्गाप्रसाद शर्मा, ओमप्रसाद घायल, लक्ष्मण पुरी, विमल खतिवडा र माया अधिकारी । 'बाटो लामो छ, रातिसम्म हिँड्नुपर्छ । माया तिमी जान सक्छौ ?' दुर्गाले महिला भएको आधारमा मायालाई व्यंग्य गरे । 'म पुरुषभन्दा के कम छु र ? तीन दिनको बाटो भोकै भए पनि हिँड्छु,' जवाफ फर्काउन माया सिपालु थिइन् ।
कास्कीको लुम्लेकाँडे स्याङ्जा, कास्की र पर्वतका साथीहरूको मिलनबिन्दु तोकिएको थियो । हामी त्यहाँ पुग्दा साथीहरू आएका थिएनन् । 'हामी त जाममा पर्‍यौँ नि, अझै दुई घन्टा नखुल्ने रे,' कास्की र स्याङ्जाको नेतृत्व गरेका एक सहकर्मीको फोन आयो । 'हामी हिँड्दै गरौँ,' एकजना मित्रको प्रस्ताव आयो, 'जाडोमा कुर्नुभन्दा हिँड्नु नै बेस ।' अनि हामी सहयात्रीलाई कुर्दै नकुरी उकालो लाग्न थाल्यौँ ।
कतै जंगल, कतै खर्क, कतै उकाली, कतै ओराली । गन्तव्यतिर लम्किँदा-लम्किँदै हामीले ६ घन्टाको बाटो पार गरेछौँ । मौसमको प्रतिकूलतासँगै हाम्रो अघिपछि तुवाँलो र कुहिरोले छेकिरहेको थियो, खेदिरहेको थियो । हिमाली दृश्य क्यामरामा कैद गरेर रोजीरोटी सोभmयाउने सोँचमा रहेका पत्रकारलाई कुहिरो शत्रु बनेर पछ्याइरहेको थियो । करिब सात घन्टाको पैदलपछि हामी स्याङ्जा र कास्कीका साथीहरूसँग एकैठाउँमा मिसिन सफल भयौँ । काँडे हुने भनिएको मिलनबिन्दु भदौरे तमादीमा पुग्यो । कास्कीको भदौरेमा पुगेपछि हामी फूलमाला पहिरिएर गमक्क पर्‍यौँ । १३ जना सञ्चारकर्मीसहित २० जनाको टोली थियो हाम्रो । गन्तव्यसम्मका हाम्रा मार्गदर्शक माछापुच्छे्र विकास संघका पदाधिकारीहरू थिए । सामान्य परिचयात्मक कार्यक्रमपछि हाम्रो खाना खाने समय तोकिएको थियो । गुरुङ गाउँमा खाना खाने कार्यक्रम थियो । 'कोल तै ?' -मोही छ ?) गुरुङ समुदायकै बीचमा हुर्केका मित्र दुर्गाले खाना खाँदाखाँदै गुरुङ महिलासमक्ष आग्रह गरे । उनको आग्रहले गिलासमा मोही टकार्‍यो । मीठो खाना र स्वादिलो मोही पिएर हामी त्यो गुरुङ बस्तीलाई बिदाइका हात हल्लाउँदै गन्तव्यतर्फ लम्कियौँ ।
हामी पन्चासेको फेदीमा रहेको भदौरे-२ देउरालीमा पुग्यौँ । त्यहाँका स्थानीय गुरुङ महिलाले आपmनो संस्कृतिका लोपोन्मुख सामान संग्राहलयमा राखेका रहेछन् । संग्राहलयको अवलोकनपछि हामी गन्तव्यतिरै सोझियौँ । अब त पाहुनाका रूपमा गाउँलेले स्वागत गरेर गलाभरि लगाइदिएका माला भारी हुन लागिसकेछन् । सहयात्रीले गलाबाट झिकेर माला रूखमा झुन्ड्याउन थाले । हामी पर्वते सञ्चारकर्मी भने त्यहीँको खर्कमा मालैमालाले 'सञ्चारकर्मी' शब्द लेख्यौँ । अब भने साथीहरूका क्यामरा त्यो कलालाई कैद गर्न थाले ।
हिँड्दा-हिँड्दै रातको नौ बजिसकेछ । अब त आइपुग्न लाग्यो, २५ सय मिटरको उचाइमा रहेको हाम्रो गन्तव्य । स्याङ्जा, पर्वत र कास्की तीन जिल्लालाई कार्यक्षेत्र बनाएर पत्रकारिता गर्नेहरू थियौँ हामी । तर, जन्मभूमि सोध्ने हो भने हामी १२ जिल्लाका थियौँ । कोही पूर्व, कोही पश्चिम, कोही त सुदूरपश्चिमसम्मका । रातको समय कतिपय साथी चिसोका कारण लड्बडिइरहेका थिए । छिप्पिनछिप्पिन खोजेको रातमा मात्रै हामी पुग्यौँ- पर्वत, कास्की र स्याङ्जा जिल्लाको संगममा पर्ने २,५१७ मिटरको उचाइको पन्चासे लेकमा ।
जाडोले कठ्यांगि्रएको शरीरलाई आगोमा ततायौँ केहीबेर । आगोले राप्पिएपछि पन्चासे भ्यू टावरबाट पोखरा, कुश्मालगायतका सहरबजारको झिलिमिली हेर्ने प्रयास गर्‍यौँ । तर, साता दिनदेखिको हुस्सु र कुहिरोले हामीलाई झिलिमिली देख्न दिएन । लेकाली रायोको सागसँगै गुरुडा चामलको भातले भोको पेट उकासेर विश्रामतर्फ लाग्यौँ । हाम्रालागि चारकोठे पाहुनाघर तयार रहेछ । घरमा २० देखि २५ जनासम्मको समूह बस्न मिल्ने रहेछ । हाम्रा लागि ओढ्ने ओछ्याउनेको समस्या त थिएन ।
तर, एउटै बेडमा चारवटा कम्मलले पनि नछेक्ने चिसो सिरेटो भित्रभित्र छिरिरहेको थियो । कम्मल टाउकातिर तान्दा खुट्टाबाट र खुट्टातिर
लैजाँदा टाउकाबाट डस्न खोज्थ्यो, पापी चिसोले ।

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भिोलिपल्ट बिहानै हामी प्रसिद्ध सिद्धबाबाको मन्दिर दर्शनका लागि जाने निर्णय गर्‍यौँ । केहीबेर भ्युटावरबाट अवलोकन गर्ने प्रयास गर्‍यौँ । समस्या त्यहीँ थियो । यस ठाउँबाट पर्वत, कास्की, स्याङ्जा, बाग्लुङ र पाल्पा गरी पाँच जिल्लाका सदरमुकाम देखिन्छ भनिन्छ । १ सय १२ प्रजातिका लोपोन्मुख सुनगाभा यसै क्षेत्रमा पाइन्छन् । पन्चासे पर्यटन विकासका लागि ६३ करोडको १८ वर्षे पन्चासे ग्रामीण विकास गुरुयोजना तयार गरिएको छ । स्रोतविनाको २०० मिटर परिधि र १० मिटर गहिराइको पन्चासे ताल यस क्षेत्रको मुख्य आकर्षण हो ।
यात्रा छोटिँदै थियो । हामी बिहानी खानाका लागि पर्वतको चित्रे झर्नुपर्ने थियो । जाँदा कास्कीको भदौरेमा पाहुना बनेका हामी भोलिपल्ट पर्वतको चित्रेमा पाहुना बन्यौँ । भदौरेमा गुरुङ समुदायका मात्रै मानिस थिए चित्रेमा पनि अन्य जातजाति पनि बसोबास गर्दा रहेछन् । त्यहाँको स्वागत ग्रहणपश्चात् हामीले बाटो ततायौँ । कास्कीको भदौरे हुँदै तीन जिल्लाको संगममा पुगेको यात्रा पर्वतको चित्रे, तिलाहार हुँदै फर्कियो । तल डिमुवाबजारमा झरेपछि हामी बाँडियौँ- स्याङ्जा र कास्कीका सहयात्रीलाई बिदाइका हात हल्लाउँदै हामी फर्कियौँ । हिजो नेताका भाषण छोडेर रमाउँदै गइएको थियो । अब भने कसरी भाषणदेखि भाग्नु ?
रमाइलो दुई दिनको न थियो, फेरि साँझदेखि उही पुरानो दुःखमा र्फकनु त थियो नै ।

Introduction

A Hidden Paradise

Panchasse, literally meaning Pancha: Five, Aasan: Seats, is the meeting place if 5 peaks covered with lush green forest of diverse flora and fauna. Panchasse lies on the west of pokhara city, about a day hike away at an altitude of 2,517 m from the sea level. There are old, stone-stepped pilgrimage approaches upon which one can climb past the grassland and paddy field to the vastness of Panchasse, from where a magnificent view of Annapurna massif is visible so close as if one could reach out and touch them. Trekking around Panchasse is a delightful journey indeed.

Weather

Panchase, which is one of the most rain-receiving places in the entire country, has a pleasant weather and can be visited all year round. During winters the Panchase peaks receive snowfall, so it can Pokhara visit Panchase to play with the snow. The average temperature in Panchase area is 25 Degree Celsius in summer during daytime.

Attractions

a)     Nature & Scenery: The longest chain of mountain range visible from Panchasse includes Mt. Dhawalagiri (8,172m), Mt.Annapurna I (8,091m) Mt Annapurna South (7,219m), Mt Hiuchuli(6,441m) Mt.Fishtail (6993m), Mt. Annapurna II(7,934m), Mt Annapurna III (7575m), Mt Annapurna IV(7525m), Mt Lamjung (6,998m), Mt. Manaslu and more. From atop Panchase, Mt Fishtail seems to be nestled by Mt. Annapurna around her laps. Sunrise and sunset views from the top are spectacular and heavenly.

b)     Flora and Fauna: As Panchasse receives a lot of rain throughout the year and is covered with lush green vegetation from subtropical to temperate forest all over, it also provides home to a wide variety of flora, fauna and is source of many rivers including Harpan River, the source of the famous Fewa Lake of Pokhara. 107 species of wild orchids, including 2endemic ones, have been found in panchasse, 5 species of rhododendron and many herbal plants such as Loth Salla, Titte, Kurilo, Naagbeli, Satuwa, Paanch Aaule and plants such as Loktha, Khashru, Champ, Phalat which are used to produce Nepali paper are found here. Leopard, bear, deer, several species of  birds, butterflies and other animals also inhabit in the Jungle.

c)      Religious and Cultural Attraction : Panchase, the 5 peaks which literally also means 5 sacred seats, is an ancient pilgrimage climb. The climb itself holds a great significance in Yoga. The temple of shidda Baba (Lord shive), Homekunda  (place for ritual of offerings to fire), Panchasse Lake, Balaji Phachyan Temple, Bouddha Stupas (about 200 years old) and coves where sager were believed to have meditated many centuries ago. The population of  Panchasse is almost 100000 including Gurung , Brahmins and other ethnic groups living in the surrounding villages.

d)     Festivals: Balachuturdashi Festival (around the end of November) is the biggest festival in Panchasse where people from all circle come to pay their hamage to the mountation mother where first they cleanse themselves in the sacred Panchasse Lake, make offerings, and start the Panchase climb up to the top during which they offer grains and rice to the earth which symbolizes the re-fertilization of  the Earth mother. Devotees generally wear auspicious red colored dress. Shivaratri (mid February), Budda purnima (full moon, mid May) and the entire month of Shrawan  (mid July to mid August) are the other special occasions when devotees come for pilgrimage climb to Panchasse. On Buddha Purnima, birthday of Lord Buddha, holy books from the 200 years old Gompa near Kusma village is carried around the villages by the devotees during special ceremong.

Shrawan Kumar "Samadhi"

Shrawan Kumar's Samadhi, another religious spot is about 25 hours south downward from Panchasse peak near a pond. According to legend in Ramayana, shrawan Kumar, who was loyal, loved and served his parents, was carrying his blind parent to Muktinath pilgrimage, while at the same time king Dasrath wan hunting in the same place. When Shrawan Kumar was filling the water bucket to quench the thirst of his beloved parents, it sounded like an animal roar, and the king shot his arrow towards the roaring soung unfortunately killing Shrawan Kumar. Realizing this, the king asked forgiveness with the blinds, but they never forgave the kind and cursed him that he would suffer the same fate and cried till death. That is why the river sprouting from there is called Aandhi Khola, river from the tears of the blinds.

Code of conduct

·        Do not litter, use iodine tablets for drinking water, avoid mineral water bottles.

·        Respect privacy, ask before photographing people of religious sites

·        Protect plants and animals; do not remove flowers and orchids.

·        Be sensitive to local cultural heritage

·        Contribute to local economy, taste local cuisine, use local products and services

·        Avoid and discourage bargaining as much as possible

·        Do not make fire and discourage wood fire

·        Try to educate the local people, and empower the local

·        Encourage home stay, tea house and small lodges along the trails

·        Remember, every penny spent here contributes directly to the local economy.

 

Maps

 

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Osho On Buddha Sutra

Buddha Sutra – O Monks, Do away with Passions.
Osho on above Buddha Sutra – Drop desiring. Our desiring culminates everything. Our desiring becomes our interpretation of everything. The more you desire, the more miserable you will be, because the more you desire, the more will be your expectation. The more you desire, the less grateful you will be, because the more you desire, the more you will feel man proposes and god disposes. The less you desire, the more grateful you be, because the less you desire, the more you will see how much is given without desiring, without asking. If you don’t desire at all, you will be in tremendous gratitude, because so much is given already. Life is such a gift… but we go on with our mind.
I have heard:A man was reckoned to be the laziest man in the country and naturally spent most of his time sleeping. He was so inactive and so useless that at one time the townspeople thought it would be a good idea to bury him whether he was dead or alive.
They made a crude coffin, came around with it to his house, put him in it without any protest from his family, and started off with the live old critter for the cemetery. Of course there was no resistance from him; he was so lazy. He said, ‘Okay.’ Or he may not have even said that. He may have just watched what was going on.
But before they got to the cemetery, they were stopped by a stranger who had heard of the grim proceedings. They told the stranger the man would not work and had not a grain of corn on his place, and the town was sick of providing him with food. ‘Enough is enough,’ they said, ‘and we are fed up.’
‘If you boys will hold off, I will gladly give that man a wagonload of corn,’ said the stranger. Before the townspeople could reply, a head was raised out of the coffin, and the almost deceased asked, ‘Is that corn shucked?’
The lazy man is worrying about the corn — whether it is shucked or not. He is ready to die, but if he has to shuck the corn, then it is too much effort. A man who is surrounded by laziness looks at everything through his laziness. His laziness becomes his interpretation of things. If you are sleepy, you will look at life with sleepy eyes, naturally. And if you miss life, it is natural — because life is possible only if your eyes are fully alive, if your eyes are radiant with life. If you look at life with alive eyes, there is a meeting, a communion. We live surrounded by clouds of desire. Then those desires become our interpretation. Then we go on thinking according to those desires.
It happened: Applicants for a job on a dam had to take a written examination, the first question of which was: What does hydro-dynamics mean?
Mulla Nasrudin, one of the applicants for the job, looked at this, then wrote against it: It means I don’t get the job.
Whatsoever meaning we give to life, we give it to life. And Buddha is saying if you want to know the real meaning of life, then you have to drop giving all meanings to it. Then the way reveals itself. Then life opens its mysterious doors. You stop giving meaning to it — your desires are giving meaning to it; they are defining the undefinable. And if you remain clouded with your desires, whatsoever you know is nothing but your own dreaming. That’s why we say in India that this life, this so-called life lived through desires, is maya, it is a magical thing. You create it, you are the magician. It is your maya, your magic.
We don’t live in the same world, remember. We live in separate worlds, because we don’t live in the same desires. You project your desires, your neighbour is projecting his desires. That’s why when you meet a person and you want to live with a person, with a woman or with a man or with a friend, difficulties arise. That is a clash of two worlds.
Everybody is good alone. Together, something goes wrong. I have never come across a wrong person, but every day I come across, I have to watch and see and observe wrong relationships. I never come across a wrong person, but every day I come across wrong relationships. It seems almost all relationships are wrong. Because two persons live in two desire worlds, they have their own magical worlds. When they come together those worlds clash.
It happened:One night Mulla Nasrudin was sitting on one side of the fire and his wife on the other. Between them lay the cat and the dog, lazily blinking at the fire. The wife ventured this remark, ‘Now dear, just you look at that cat and dog. See how peacefully and quietly they get along together. Why can’t we do that?’
‘That’s all right,’ said Nasrudin, ‘but just you tie them together and see what will happen.’
Tie two persons together — that’s what a marriage is — and see what happens. Suddenly two worlds…. It seems almost impossible to understand the woman you love. It should not be so — you love her — but it seems impossible to understand. It is impossible to understand the man you love. It should not be so — you love him — but it seems impossible to understand. It is very easy to understand strangers, it is very difficult to understand people who are very close. To understand your mother, father, brother, sister, friend, is very difficult. The closer you are, the more difficult — because the worlds are clashing.
These worlds surround you like a subtle aura. Unless you drop this magical creation that you go on feeding, you will remain in conflict. You will remain in conflict with persons, you will remain in conflict with god. Because he has his own world, and you have your own private world. They never go both together. You have to drop your private mentation. Dropping mentation is what meditation is all about. You have to drop your thinking, desiring. You have just to be, and suddenly everything falls into an organic whole, becomes a harmony.
And these desires are the root of the darkness that is surrounding you. These desires are the support, the foundation of the darkness that surrounds you. These desires are the hindrances that don’t allow you to become alert. Beware of these desires. And remember — the word ‘beware’ means be aware. That is the only way. If you really want to get rid of these desires, don’t start fighting them. Otherwise you will miss again. Because if you start fighting with your desires, that means you have created a new desire — to be desireless. Now this desire will clash against other desires. This is changing the language; you remain the same.
Don’t start fighting with the desires. When Buddha says, DO AWAY WITH PASSIONS, O MONKS, he does not mean to fight with the passions. Because you can fight only if there is a prize, if you are going to attain something. Then again a desire has arisen — a new shape, a new form, but the same old desire. Don’t fight, just be aware.
Beware of desires. Become more watchful, more alert. And you will see — the more alert you are, the less desires are there. Ripples start subsiding, waves start disappearing. And one day, suddenly… any moment it can happen, because all moments are as potential as any other. There is no auspicious moment for it to happen. It can happen in any ordinary moment, because all ordinary moments are auspicious. There is no need for it to happen under a bodhi tree. It can happen under any tree, or even without a tree. It can happen under the roof of your house. It can happen anywhere… because god is everywhere.
But by and by become aware. Create more and more awareness, collect more and more awareness. One day the awareness comes to such a point, the energy is so much that it simply explodes. And in that explosion, darkness disappears and light is. Immediately darkness disappears, instantly darkness disappears — and light is. And that light is your own luminosity, so you cannot lose it. Once known, it becomes your eternal treasure.
Source – Osho Book “The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol 2″

Sunrise in Panchase