The sky over the Thanimai hill was filled with yellow color. When the sun was shining in the endless sky, the street lamps like 'junkiri' started to light up below.

The busyness of the hotel's sahus suddenly increased - bringing tables and chairs to the street, and welcoming the guests. The light of the artistic street lamp spread and reached the Padma Library . I am sitting here in front of the shelter and watching the movement of local and foreign tourists. Some are taking tea and coffee, some are drunk on alcohol. Some of them are walking slowly looking at the roof and roof of the house.

A musical tune playing in the lobby of a hotel has made the evening atmosphere of Bandipur enchanting. 

I have reached Bandipur in the last week of Baisakh. Vehicle noise and air pollution. Quiet, picturesque and clean . Bandipur has subdued me! 

This scene is amazing . Like a European city that has been preserved and revived for hundreds of years.

Bandipur, which was becoming Gulzar, was buzzing till 9 o'clock. I'm back . As soon as I turned off the light to sleep, in that darkness I remembered the face of Bandipur five decades ago . The migration of migrants . Ruined houses . Bandipur, which is known as "ghost city" and the walls and roofs that have gone to Mecca!

That Bandipur

Central Nepal's commercial and major administrative center, Bandipur . This old place, which is the headquarters of Tanahun, is not as sweet as the three decades it passed through as a dead city, but it is not like that now. 

When the Prithvi Highway bypassed Bandipur, the business here dried up as motor vehicles and transport vehicles started moving towards Pokhara. Instead, the Dumre touched by the highway started to shine . Convenience also brings happiness. The highway ran with facilities, Bandipur taxied on this small hill.  

After the headquarters was shifted from here to Damauli in the year 2025, the Sahus fled. Most of them went to Narayadghat in Chitwan, some to Kathmandu and some to Pokhara. Thus Bandipur became a 'dead city' and a 'ghost town'. How sweet listening. This was the example that Bandipur got in the pages of history! 

Govardhan Bhattarai, assistant campus head of Bandipur campus, is from here. Witness how Bandipur became a trading center and was reborn through ruins. "The houses were empty, dilapidated, the roofs began to fall". There was even a situation where I had to pay money to stay in my house and take care of it, so that the house would not be stolen,' he recounts the past, 'when there was no business, the moneylenders left Bandipur . The laborers also went to the city in search of work, the rest are middle class people like us.'

Traders from Lamjung, Gorkha, Manang, Syangja, Kaski, Palpa used to go to India through this route. Bhattarai narrates that they put the goods in the truck till Thori and bring it from there through porters.

Cheezkumar Shrestha has mentioned in his book 'Ghumifiri Bandipur' that Bandipur started becoming a commercial center about 250/275 years ago. Shrestha writes citing Linda Altis's research paper in 1980, 'Probably initially, those who came from the Himalayan region brought coarse salt and exchanged it for rice. Gradually, they started bringing other goods like jimbu, herbs like niramsi and musk navels, woolen rags, carpets, sheep, goats and horses. They exchanged these goods with salt, oil, kerosene, tobacco, spices (cumin, pepper, coriander) etc. The practice of buying and taking goods by paying money came only later.' 

Vote- Bandipur became a 'trade route' for trade from Tibet to India. Recounting the history of his family's cloth shop in Bandipur, Shrestha has discussed that people from Manang come a lot. From here they used to go to India to get goods .

It can be read in the history that the Newars were displaced and reached Bandipur after Prithvinayan Shah attacked the Kathmandu valley. "We have heard that Shrestha came from Kantipur, Pradhan from Lalitpur and Piya from Bhaktapur," says Bhattarai. In this way, there was a search for a safe haven and a commercial purpose. After their arrival, Bhaktapure style houses were started to be built in Bandipur. The Newari culture brought in with them has now become an important heritage of Bandipur. The art carved on the wooden window doors and the tableau seen in the festival are Bandipure's identity . When you enter the streets here, you feel that you are walking in a city in the valley. 

Bandipur's renaissance

Bandipur's current shine and vibrancy hides a painful past and an inspiring story of renaissance. The 'Bandipur Social Development Committee' formed in 2049 under the leadership of Cheezkumar Shrestha dreamed of Bandipur's rebirth. Along with him, Madan Piya, Ghanshyam Shreth, Namastelal Shrestha started returning to make Bandipur.

Visit Nepal 1998 also became a medium to shine Bandipur. The first Bandipur festival took place in this month. During the visit to Nepal, an attempt was made to add the visit to Bandipur. Volunteers from Piscore had been coming since 1998. With their help, Bandipur started to take its rhythm,' says hotelier Bains Gurung. 

The senior and conscious youth here and Bandipure who are outside decided to bring health, education and tourism together and started the program . Bhattarai remembers that the THE (Tourism, Health and Education) campaign was launched at that time. Notre Dame School, established in 2042, worked to excite the locals. Students from the surrounding area also started to be drawn to this educational institution taught by Japanese sisters . After the

visit Nepal and Bandipur festival, Bandipur also came under the eyes of the international media. Foreign tourists began to pay attention to this city after it was written by 'Lonely Planet', a travel guide book. It proved to be a turning point in the transformation of Bandipur. Because, as soon as Lonely Planet recommended it, curiosity about Bandipur arose among tourists, secondly, big hotels and travel agencies included Bandipur in their packages, Shrestha writes in the book.

After that, the arrival of foreign tourists started to increase . To go to Pokhara or Chitwan, 'one stop Bandipur' package started to be made . Businessman Gurung says that the practice of keeping large hoarding boards at that time helped to make Bandipur known. "Everybody's eyes were on the board placed in front of the airport, they started putting up boards in big cities including Narayangarh," he says, "Foreigners were involved in making brochures and documentaries, which helped them a lot in propaganda."

According to him, the assistance received through various agencies of the United Nations helped to promote tourism. 'Eco-cultural tourism' started in 2005 in coordination with the local social development committee. This campaign laid the foundation for Bandipur renaissance . 

'That made a blueprint . A basic plan of how to bring tourism to the village, how to pay attention to the locality started to be made. The concept of not allowing cars to enter the main city, laying stones, and preserving the originality of the house became a concept. They gave me the details of where and how to make the Chautari,' says Gurung.

It became a rule that a roof should be placed in front of the house, shutters should not be placed, and windows and doors should be made of wood . Later, after the rural municipality made the standards according to the same, the locals have supported it .

now Bandipur 

businessman Gurung is also the coordinator of Bandipur visit year 2025. He thinks that the Eco Project of that time is still running Bandipur. "The main objective is to promote tourism," he says, "There is a lot of difference between tourism 20 years ago and now." Tourists' interests and preferences are changing. We have started work so that Bandipur can fulfill their choice.' This is the search for spending places for tourists and the expansion of the tourist area . He also expects big hotels to invest.

When the tourists are returning, he used to hear complaints - Bandipur can be visited within 4/5 hours. "We have to go beyond the main city to solve that complaint." Village tour or jungle walk, cave penetration or historical fort viewing,' he sounded excited, 'at least two nights we should welcome . After taking Bandipur, we are trying to give the impression that it is now possible to visit.'

Ramkot, which can be reached in about one and a half hours from here, is a beautiful destination to introduce rural culture. The traditional home and lifestyle of Magars can be a new experience for tourists. '50/60 houses belong to Magar only,' says Gurung, 'we have set a goal to bring in a few expensive tourists by identifying and promoting all the tourist spots in the village.' Gurung Basti of Bandipur-6 is another beautiful destination. The locals here still keep their culture alive.

Even though the Bimalnagar-Bandipur cable car is in operation, it is no less exciting to reach Bandipur while observing the Siddhagufa and crossing the jungle stairs. The mountain monastery welcomes you while listening to the music of the birds. From there, you can see the surrounding scenery as much as you want.

Local residents here call Tundikhel 'Natural View Tower'. From where you can see Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, Lamjung, Manaslu, Himchuli, Buddh, Dorje Lakpa, Ganesh and Langtang snow ranges . 

Thani Mai is another such spot, from where you can spend a wonderful evening enjoying the sunset. The footpath stretching from this hill reaches Mukundeshwari hill . This walkway is named 'Mini Greatwall'. There are ruins of a palace in Thumka of Bandipur ruled by the Sen kings. Mani Mukundeshwari Gadhi, Chandrakot Gadhi and Huslangkot Gadhi are the historical heritage of this place.

Religious-historical destinations like Sunakhari, Khadgadevi, Vindhyavasini, Mahalakshmithan, Tindhara are nearby. There are many places around where you can enjoy hiking, cycling and paragliding.

From the Shahid Park, built in memory of the martyrs who lost their lives in the revolution of 2007, one can cool down by looking at the Marsyangdi tree lying down. Dharmadhwaj Gurung (Pulimrang), Chandra Bahadur Sarki (Simpani), Uttamkumar Shrestha (Tanahunsur), Dharmaraj Shrestha (Tanahunsur), Sant Bahadur (Tanahunsur) and Khadga Bahadur Godar (Vasantpur) received martyrdom at that time, which is considered the main revolution in the western region.

Padma Library, one of the few old libraries in Nepal, is inside the market. Since the library was built in the year 2001, it is confirmed that the people of Bandipure have been educated since then.

Bandipur did not learn from others, so it became Bandipur. "I also heard that there was a plan to come to Thamel or Lakeside," said Gurung, "now everyone chooses culture and nature." We have moved forward based on eco-tourism. Bandipur does not lose its originality .'

Before the corona epidemic, around three lakh tourists used to enter here annually. According to Gurung, at that time, about one lakh tourists were foreigners. Last year, about 55,000 foreigners entered. 'Our goal is to bring in about five lakh tourists in three years,' he said, 'We are also thinking about planning how to handle the increase in tourists. Tourists who were estimated to come in 15 years have entered within 5 years . Therefore, a long-term plan is necessary.'

There are about one hundred hotels and restaurants in Bandipur. Only three community homestays are active in Bandipur Bazar. Gurung said that now every Friday the art and culture of Gurung, Magar, Newar and Brahmin have been shown in Dublin.

American, European tourists arrive more in addition to domestic. The arrival of Chinese tourists has increased. However, Gurung is tired of not being able to attract Indian tourists. "Now our target will be Indian tourists," he said.

It's not just a city anymore. It has become a living museum. Of struggle, renaissance and prosperity. How to preserve the originality while preserving the history, this can be an inspiration to other cities. Every city competing to erect a concrete pillar in the square to reflect its specialty or name should learn from Bandipur.