The naturally beautiful Panch Pokhari in Sindhupalchowk is currently attracting increasing tourist attraction. Located at an altitude of 4,100 meters above sea level, Panch Pokhari is attracting domestic tourists not only for its natural beauty but also for its religious significance.

According to the information provided by the Bhotang Post under the Helambu sector, 6,235 domestic tourists have entered from last Shrawan to Kartik 13, while 16 tourists from SAARC countries and 28 tourists from other countries have also set foot in Panchpokhari.

The Post has stated that the number of tourists visiting here is increasing. The arrival of tourists has not only highlighted the dignity and importance of Panchpokhari, it is also helping people from the surrounding villages and other places in creating employment. Some have been carrying heavy loads for their daily lives, while others are earning their living by running hotels in various places in Panchpokhari.

One of those who are doing this is Mirkhe Tamang. Some distance from Panchpokhari, there is a hotel made of wood in a tent covered with blue plastic, which is called Panchpokhari Manam Hotel and Homestay. Mirkhe was very busy inside the hotel. Two other people were also seen working with him. One of the two was rolling roti and the other was baking roti.

Mirkhe was busy serving the dishes ordered by tourists inside the hotel. He was telling the customer in a loud voice – ‘Now the vegetables are ready. If we just eat roti, it will be ready.’ A tourist asked – ‘Brother! Please make us ten rotis and five vegetables.’ Mirkhe replied to the tourist, ‘Yesterday I was staying here. I told you in the evening that the food would run out, so you should order in advance and go out in the morning,’ he added, ‘If you want to eat noodles, it will be ready immediately. If you want to eat food, you have to wait for half an hour. The roti, vegetables, eggs, and gram are all ready.’ Saying that, he was going back to his work.

There was a huge crowd of people eating lunch at his hotel, so some tourists were standing and some were sitting waiting for their lunch to arrive. Since it was very cold, most of the tourists were seen sitting in a circle near the fire and eating lunch.

The other two people working with him were not his employees but his villagers who were running a hotel in Chimdi. According to Mirkhe, they had come there to wear the pancho (parma) as it was busy at his hotel at that time. He says, ‘We always work like this, arm-parma and ancho-pancho. Just like we take turns while working in the fields, we have created a similar situation in the hotel. When people come to my hotel, they come. And when they are full, I go.’

He says that this practice is not only in his hotel but in many hotels in Panchpokhari. ‘Everyone is their own. Whoever needs help, they go to that one,’ he said, ‘This has been going on here for a long time.’

He had worked in India for eighteen years and had only come to Nepal a few years ago. While working in another country, he used to save money and dream of opening a hotel in his own village. When his parents’ hut was in another country, it used to come to his mind. ‘I had in mind that I would do the hotel no matter how much I suffered,’ he said.

It has been about a year and a half since Mirkhe started running a hotel in Panchpokhari. His hotel does not have a place to set foot in during the season. But he says that a lot of expenses are incurred in transporting goods. ‘The village itself is such a remote place. There is no electricity yet. When a porter brings a sack of rice/a cylinder, you have to pay more than the goods,' he said, 'How can I say it is expensive? It is far away. The road is also steep and scary. They will bring the goods and run the hotel. For us, it is like God who brings these goods.'

He says that tourists remember him because of his behavior. 'Even those who come to Panchpokhari come back to this hotel. Many people who stay here have sent their friends and brothers to stay there.' Mirkhe also says that this makes him very happy. 'What's the point of dying in life? I think everyone is like my own,' he said.

According to Mirkhe, due to the fair held every year from Bhadau Ekadashi to Janai Purnima, all the hotels on the route to Panchpokhari and above are very crowded at that time. He says, ‘The most people are there during the fair. At that time, many people who believe in religion come. We don’t even get to sleep,’ he said, ‘During that fair, the hotel’s supplies run out. The porters have to bring the heavy things day after day. Neither we nor the porters have the time to stay.’

Hoteliers including Mirkhe say that the hotels on the way to Panchpokhari are open from the hotels they meet on foot.

Mirkhe says that they have arranged for everyone to stay at a reasonable price. He says, ‘Most places are expensive. You have to carry heavy luggage. That’s why it’s expensive here. We charge one thousand rupees for accommodation. Tourists say it’s cheaper than other places.’ His hotel serves food like gram, egg, roti, vegetables, and noodles.

Mirkhe says he stays at Panchpokhari in both winter and summer. ‘During the Dashain and Tihar holidays, we used to accommodate 50 to 70 tourists a day,’ he said. ‘How can I provide accommodation like in Kathmandu in such a place, and yet I have done my best.’ He says that during the Janai Purnima fair, the number of tourists staying and eating at his hotel will double.’