Where is surma lake

On this day, heroes and travelers play dhako baja and chah local language song. At the beginning of the procession, at the beginning of the procession, Nishan flag and then Dhami Jhakri Dhake, Pujari, Mula and Veera go. There is a tradition of meeting them at a place called Kana Dhum-Dhum in their area. Veeras are bid farewell as devotees of Bhavani in local costumes. All the pilgrims, including Bajagaja, bid farewell to the pilgrims by offering Akshata and leaves.

It is customary to cover the Veeras half way, and for the Veeras, it is customary for the Veeras to be covered half way. The heroes prepare a special meal called Laduchuuda, Sakar Gedi. On the way, they chant Surma Bhavani and sing Ucheda. This journey should proceed as directed by Mula. The journey starts from the area and passes through Annikhana, Dharamghar, Laduchadhaun, Virefatta Thadiul and both of them.

After bidding farewell to the heroes, Chait, Bhadikhel, Dhusko and Deuda of various deities are played in the field and they are entertained by playing dhako. Day 4: This day of the pilgrimage is the most important day of the pilgrimage. In the morning, the heroes bathe in the river and walk on the journey to Surmasarovar.

They reach the lake by walking with the help of hands and feet. After reaching Surmasarovar, first of all, water is offered to the Virelauros and then silver poles, gold tillo and china banas are taken to the lake.

After saying goodbye to the lake, the heroes return home and stay in the same cave again. On the other hand, after the veterans from the field worship at the lake, the pilgrims disguised as hunters from Bajhang throw their spears in the lake and return home.

Day 5: On the fifth day of the procession, the heroes get up early in the morning from Vireodar and come to a place called Virefatto where there is a race competition between the Veerovars. This race has to run up the hill. Then a variety of flowers are picked and brought to a place called Phulabhadi. In particular, fragrant flowers called Baramkoila are picked and the garlands of Annikhana are exchanged for garlands. Day 6: On the sixth day of the pilgrimage, all the pilgrims and pilgrims go to Ghazir.

On this day, the caste reaches Ghajir. Even on this day, all the Veeras, Dhami, Pujari, Dhake and all the passengers reach Ghajir playing instruments, dancing and singing.

In Ghajir, they spend the night playing bhadikhel deuda and having fun. Day 7: On this day, it is customary for the inhabitants of the Uvadeshi or Chhetti Garkha community to give the sixth of their eldest son. To reach there, one has to walk for four days from the district headquarters, Chainpur, across the Chande Shikhar Nagna pass at 4, metres above sea level.

Hindus believe the lake is the abode of Surma Devi, a Hindu goddess. Hindu devotees from Bajhang and other hilly districts of Sudurpaschim Province flock to the lake during major Hindu festivals. The residents of Chhabis Pathibhera, Durgathali and Surma rural municipalities and Jayprithvi Municipality in Bajhang have expressed concerns about the lake drying up. They consider it a bad omen.

Nara Bahadur Bohara of Surma Rural Municipality says the lake did not dry up even during the month-long drought in the area five years ago. Tourists and regular visitors to the lake have also expressed grave concerns about the current state of the lake.

They had carried all these supplies themselves up to bire odar. The pots were small, and food had to be prepared for the next day too, so the cooking and eating went on till 1 am. A waterfall, a race, a flower. A scant three hours later, the bires were up again, to pack up and hit the road by 5. Shivering, sleepy bires once again had to climb up the hill they had come over and cross a frozen river.

But this time, a river that had been easy to ford on the way up was swollen. They would need ropes to cross, holding on tight as they waded through waist-deep water. Remembering the landslides, the bires decided to take a different route, but this may not have been the best idea: they ended up having to cross right through a waterfall bisecting a steep cliff, across slippery rocks. That may have been good for rock climbers or canyoners, but if any of these men fell, there would be no saving them.

Everyone managed to cross. Before reaching the border between Darchula and Bajhang, the balo bires have a race, to reach the crest of the hill first. A balo bire from Chetti, Keshar, came first and was hugged and jostled by the budo bires and the mula.

Others were not so lucky, and some stragglers arrived on all fours. When everyone was dressed and had eaten a snack, the two groups went their separate ways. The weather was bad — as usual, at noon it started to become foggy and the rain came in.

We were still above 4,m, the altitude above which the bramha kamal flower thrives. This aromatic flower is believed to be the symbol of Surma Devi, and so all the bires were trying to collect as many as possible. They made necklaces and bracelets to exchange with each other. Decked out in the flowers, they looked like they had descended from another planet.

Thus bejewelled, the bire set off on the home stretch, where there seemed to be even more landslides than before. As they approached Chetti, hundreds of people were awaiting them, dressed in their best clothes. The bire were welcomed like returning warriors, and made a round of the whole village, visiting every household to receive the prasad of Surma Devi and anoint the givers with the ganga mati , before going to sleep one last time at the temple.

The festival ended the next day in the premises of the Surma Devi Temple of Ghajir. At around noon, all those from Chetti who could or were ritually allowed to walked to Ghajir led by the bires. They arrived before the people of Ghajir had finished performing their customary rituals in remembrance of their ancestors. As they waited, women performed deuda until two hours later, they were allowed to enter the village.

The village was decorated beautifully, the temple and all other buildings were swathed in red and orange fabric. There were now hundreds of people, including from villages further down. As the day wore on, Ghajir slowly emptied out, and once more was quiet. The festival was over. Beyond pilgrimage. Beside its religious significance, the area is also interesting for adventure travellers and nature lovers. The huge grasslands are rich in flora, with beautiful wildflowers, poisonous flowers and plants, herbs and spices, as well as fauna, like small black bear, barking deer, and different types of pheasants including the Himalayan Monal.

The culture and traditions of this part of Nepal are also unique, with the deuda, fag and magal, hymns to the goddess Surma Devi. More photos from the trip here. Kishor Maharjan Kishor Maharjan is a freelance photographer based in Patan. Jag Bahadur Budha - August 31, With the decline of the salt trade, the once-prosperous region of Karnali came to depend on Tibet, the very place it had been trading with for centuries.

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