Jharkot village, which was bustling a decade and a half ago, is now deserted. Its tourism and economic activities have been disrupted due to road expansion and foreign employment.
What you should know
The village of 'Jharkot', located near the Muktinath Temple, a famous religious site for Hindus and Buddhists, located in Muktishtehra-1 of Waragung here, has been neglected despite its immense potential for tourism development.
While the old Ranipauwa market in a ward near the Muktinath temple is bustling with tourism, the oldest historical and cultural village here, 'Jharkot', is lagging behind in tourism promotion and development. There are four villages in the vicinity of the Muktinath temple in Waragung Muktikshetra, of which Jharkotgaun is the most densely populated and old village. Along with Jharkot, Purang Ranipauwa, Khinga and Chengurgaun are located in the vicinity of Muktinath here. Due to the arrival of the most religious pilgrims among these villages, there is a lot of tourist activity in Purang Ranipauwa market.
Tourism in other villages including Jharkot is almost anonymous. Jharkot, which is connected to the Kagbeni-Muktinath road section, is lagging behind in terms of tourism.
At that time, when there was no road connecting Kagbeni-Muktinath here, there was a lot of tourist activity in the old Jharkot village. In the absence of roads, religious pilgrims visiting Muktinath and foreign tourists passing through Manang to Thorangla used to travel by walking along the paths within Jharkot village. Pilgrims and foreign tourists who came to visit Muktinath used to observe the natural and cultural beauty of Jharkot village. Pilgrims who came on foot used to eat lunch and live in bamboo huts in the village. At that time, the local business and business in Jharkot village was also doing well. However, now the paths within Jharkot village have become deserted. In the last decade, the paths within the village have become limited to the movement of locals only.
Local Dhechangmo Gurung informed that Jharkot has been neglected due to the lack of Kagbeni-Muktinath road and the necessary publicity for this village. According to him, tourism has not been promoted as young people have migrated abroad for the development of the village. Gurung says that even though Jharkot is located on the Kagbeni-Muktinath road, it is not able to benefit from the tourism sector.
Jharkot village has been almost unknown in terms of tourism for the past one and a half decades. Although millions of domestic and foreign tourists travel to Muktinath via the road near Jharkot village every year, local Gurung is saddened by the zero presence of tourists in Jharkot village. 'Hundreds of pilgrims pass through our village every day, we don't know how many have come and how many have gone,' said a local Gurung, 'Pilgrims and tourists come and go directly, we just watch.'
There are 60 households in the ancient settlement of Jharkot. Before there was no road, most of the youth in the village were villagers. The development of the road has badly affected the livelihood of this village. Jharkot, which used to be very bustling a decade and a half ago, has recently become deserted, says local Dhechangmo Gurung. He said that as the village lost its means of earning income, the youth of the village started leaving the village one after another and migrating abroad.
Currently, the number of youth in Jharkot village is very low. As most of the youth have gone to Europe and America for foreign employment, the number of children and senior citizens in the village is high, said local Gurung.
Local Namdul Gurung says that the locals of the historic Jharkot village earn their living by doing part-time farming and animal husbandry. Some here trade in yaks and horses. Recently, people from four villages near the Muktinath temple have been earning their income by riding horses to Muktinath temple. Among them, some youth in Jharkot are also providing paid services by transporting passengers to Muktinath on horses, according to local Gurung. Local Gurung informed that since farming and animal husbandry business throughout the year is difficult to meet the annual revenue, they have had to rely on alternative business businesses.
In Jharkot village, located in Muktikshetra-1, Waragung, there is a centuries-old historical palace of the king. The three-and-a-half-story palace of the king of Jharkot, built in ancient times, is an archaeological and cultural heritage of the place, informed the ward chairman Pramesh Gurung. He says that the later generations of the then Jharkot king live in this palace and have been enjoying the palace.
There is a centuries-old Jhar Chode Gumba here. Similarly, if a person dies in Jharkot village, it is customary to take his body from under the (kenil) inside the village and cremate it. Guru Sepchi is located near Jharkot village. Where the footprints of Guru Padma Sambhava, as if he had stepped on a stone, can be seen.
Old houses built in ancient times, made of stone and mud, are still alive here. Tora Lake is located a little above the village. The lake is called Tora Lake because of the natural vegetation around the lake, which is called Sivakarthon, or (Tora) in the local language. Recently, the locals have made the lake very attractive by planting Lungta flags around it. Ward Chairman Gurung said that tourists who come to Muktinath go to see Tora Lake.
Ward Chairman Gurung said that recently, the provincial and municipal governments have been allocating budgets for the protection of the monastery in Jharkot and are protecting and promoting it.
