Manakamana Temple

The Manakamana Temple is located {{convert|1,300|m||abbr=}} above sea level on the Kafakdada Hill which sits in the confluence between Trishuli and Marsyangdi{{Cite book|last=|first=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rTGWDwAAQBAJ|title=The Rough Guide to Nepal (Travel Guide eBook)|date=2018-02-01|publisher=Apa Publications (UK) Limited|isbn=978-1-78671-997-3|location=|pages=7–10|language=en|chapter=4|access-date=10 February 2021|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215172956/https://books.google.com/books?id=rTGWDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0|url-status=live}} in the Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality in Gorkha, Gandaki Province, Nepal.{{Cite web|date=2014-12-11|title=Manakamana review - real-time Nepalese cable-car journey|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/11/manakamana-review|access-date=2021-02-09|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215172927/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/11/manakamana-review|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=14 September 2018|title=Manakamana Temple reconstruction over after 41 months|url=https://english.onlinekhabar.com/manakamana-temple-reconstruction-over-after-41-months.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215172939/https://english.onlinekhabar.com/manakamana-temple-reconstruction-over-after-41-months.html|archive-date=15 February 2021|access-date=9 February 2021|website=OnlineKhabar|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|title=Visitors increasing at Manakamana|url=https://risingnepaldaily.com/nation/visitors-increasing-at-manakamana|access-date=2021-02-10|website=GorakhaPatra|language=en|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215172948/https://risingnepaldaily.com/nation/visitors-increasing-at-manakamana|url-status=live}} It is approximately {{convert|106|km||abbr=}} west of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and about {{convert|94|km||abbr=}} east of Pokhara.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}} Many mountains can be seen from the hill including Annapurna II, Lamjung Himal, and Baudha which is part of Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world. By hiking from Anbu Khaireni Rural Municipality it takes about three hours to reach Manakamana which is about {{convert|1000|m||abbr=}} away. Alternatively, pilgrims can take the Manakamana Cable Car which was built in 1998 for about US$7.5 million.{{Cite book|last=Reed|first=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lcbUIOTcE18C|title=The Rough Guide to Nepal|date=2002|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-899-4|location=|pages=278|language=en}}

It is a two-story temple built in the traditional Nepalese pagoda style, features an ambulatory outside, and spans over 7,659 ropani (3.8930 Square kilometres) of land.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}}{{Cite web|first=|date=2018-10-27|title=Renovation of Manakamana temple over|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/renovation-of-manakamana-temple-over|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215172927/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/renovation-of-manakamana-temple-over|archive-date=15 February 2021|access-date=2021-02-10|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en}}

According to Nepali legend, Manakamana Temple was built in the 17th century during the reign of two Kings of Gorkha, Ram Shah or Prithvipati Shah.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}}{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}} The Queen of Gorkha possessed "divine powers" of Manakamana which was only known by the persist Lakhan Thapa of Magar origin.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}}{{Cite news|last=Bearak|first=Barry|date=1999-06-05|title=Manakamana Journal; Wishful Thinkers Climb in Comfort to a Goddess of All Things (Published 1999)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/05/world/manakamana-journal-wishful-thinkers-climb-in-comfort-to-a-goddess-of-all-things.html|access-date=2021-02-10|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215172959/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/05/world/manakamana-journal-wishful-thinkers-climb-in-comfort-to-a-goddess-of-all-things.html|url-status=live}} One fine day, the king saw his wife in form of Goddess Manakamana, and persist as a lion, after he told her about this the king mysteriously died.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}} Per historical Hindu practice of Sati, the queen sacrificed herself by sitting atop her deceased husband's funeral pyre.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}} Prior to her death, she told St. Lakhan Thapa Magar that she would appear again, six months later, a farmer working on the field split a stone which apparently started a stream of blood and milk.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}} After hearing about this, St. Lakhan Thapa Magar went to where the stone was located and started to do Hindu tantric rituals which halted the stream.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}}

Later he built a shrine at the same spot so that their wishes can come true, and also the persist of the temple necessity should be the ancestor of Saint Lakhan Thapa Magar who is described as a spiritual guide for Ram Shah. In the Manakamana Temple, it is mandatory for a priest to be a Magar.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=14}} Manakamana is thought to be Champawati, wife of Ram Shah, she reappeared during his son Dambar Shah's reign, and according to other sources indicate that she appeared during the reign of Prithvi Narayan Shah, founder of present-day Nepal.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=2}} The temple is the holy site of Goddess Bhagawati devi, an incarnation of Lakshmi with Garud as protector.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=13}} Mana translates as "heart" and "kamana" as "wish" and it is believed that the Bhagwati grants wishes of its devotees.{{sfn|Adhikari|2020|p=13}}

In 1764-65, Prithvi Narayan Shah began a trust to worship Manakamana, Bareyshwar Mahadev, and to feed the pigeons every day.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}} Later, he made that vajracharya priests to worship the temple and donated a bronze bell, however, another source says that Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah had donated it.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}} According to another engraving, in 1802-3, four siblings: Sur Bir, Kar Bir, Fauda Singh, and Khagda Singh built the gold plated the main gate.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}} In 1893-4, the bell was repaired by Kulman Thapa, and during the reign of Surendra Bikram Shah the top roof was built with corrugated copper sheets.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}} King Mahendra replaced the roof and added copper roofing and later roof truss were engraved to feature images of Asta Matrikas: Brahamayani. Vaisanavi, Maheswari, Indrayani, and Kumari.{{Sfn|Amatya|2012|p=1}}

Manakamana Temple started to lean six inches towards south-west after the 1934 Nepal–India earthquake and 1988 Nepal earthquake.{{Cite web|last=Diwakar|date=2015-07-22|title=Reconstruction of quake-hit Manakamana Temple begins|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/reconstruction-of-quake-hit-manakamana-temple-begins|access-date=2021-02-11|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en|archive-date=11 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211150422/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/reconstruction-of-quake-hit-manakamana-temple-begins/|url-status=live}} The April 2015 Nepal earthquake made cracks on the roof and titled the temple 9-12 inches in the direction of north-east.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Restored Manakamana Temple sparkles in gold|url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2018/09/15/restored-manakamana-temple-sparkles-in-gold|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210154047/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2018/09/15/restored-manakamana-temple-sparkles-in-gold|archive-date=10 February 2021|access-date=2021-02-10|website=The Kathmandu Post|language=English}} In June 2015, reconstruction began under the supervision of Department of Archaeology with the budget of 130-140 million Nepalese rupees (NPR), and it was finished in September 2018. Limestone, surkhi, bricks and wood were used in the restoration process, and the roof, the door, the finial, and windows were gold-plated with 14 kilograms of gold which costed about 90 million NPR.{{Cite web|last=Pokhrel|first=Nishant|date=2019-03-09|title=Rs 140 million spent on reconstruction of Manakamana Temple|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/rs-140-million-spent-on-reconstruction-of-manakamana-temple|access-date=2021-02-10|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en|archive-date=10 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210153529/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/rs-140-million-spent-on-reconstruction-of-manakamana-temple|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|first=|date=|title=Rs 140 million spend on reconstruction of Manakamana Temple|url=http://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/60891/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215173004/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/60891/|archive-date=15 February 2021|access-date=2021-02-10|website=My Republica|language=en}}File:Manakamana entry.jpg

{{Main|Manakamana Cable Car}}

In earlier times, the only way to reach the Manakamana temple was by a long strenuous trek for about three hours. Now, there is a facility of a cable car from Kurintar, just {{convert|5|km}} east of Mugling to Manakamana. The cable car rides over the distance of {{convert|2.8|km}} in 10 minutes more or less.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} The cable car usually operates during the daytime from 9 am to 5 pm and stops during lunch break from noon to half past one.{{cite web |title=Manakamana: Nepal pilgrimage sites |url=http://www.nepaltrekkingpass.com/cable-car.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209133924/http://www.nepaltrekkingpass.com/cable-car.php |archive-date=9 February 2021 |access-date=15 December 2012}} His Royal Highness Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev inaugurated Manakamana cable car on 24 November 1998. The cable car system was imported from Austria and guarantees a hundred percent safety. It has features such as automatically operated generators in case of power failure and hydraulic emergency drive. The employees working at the cable car service are qualified and well trained for emergencies.

The bottom station of the cable car is placed at Kurintar ({{convert|258|m}}) and the top station is at Manakamana ({{convert|1302|m}}).{{cite web|title=Manakamana darshan|url=http://www.chitawoncoe.com.np/manakamana/html/legend.html|accessdate=15 December 2012|archive-date=5 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705033457/http://www.chitawoncoe.com.np/manakamana/html/legend.html|url-status=dead}} With 31 passenger cars and three cargo cars, the cable car can handle up to 600 persons per hour, and each car carry six passengers each.

• The 2013 documentary film "Manakamana" documents various groups of individuals riding the cable car.

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite web|last=Amatya|first=Shaphalya|date=November 2012|title=Manakamana: the goddess who fulfills the wishes of the people|url=http://www.doa.gov.np/downloadfile/ancient_nepal_181_full_1499926701_1594548538.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=9 February 2021|website=Department of Archaeology}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Adhikari|first=Shyamchandra|date=2020-06-25|title=Manakamana Temple Tourism|url=https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/rnjds/article/view/29648|journal=Research Nepal Journal of Development Studies|volume=3|pages=10–28|doi=10.3126/rnjds.v3i1.29648|via=Nepal Journals Online|doi-access=free}}

{{Hindu temples in Nepal}}

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Category:Hindu goddesses

Category:Hindu temples in Gandaki Province

Category:Tourist attractions in Nepal

Category:17th-century establishments in Nepal

Category:Buildings and structures in Gorkha District

Category:Parvati temples