Visiting popular Hindu pilgrimage site-Swargadwari

• Sushant Lama

Swargadwari is one of the most famous Hindu pilgrimage sites of western Nepal at least 525 km away from Kathmandu, located at the hilltop in Pyuthan district where Hindu devotees from all over the country, especially from Nepal and India, come to worship.

According to Hindu religious doctrine Swarga means heaven and Dwari means the gate, so the Hindu people believe that it is a gate to heaven. People come here from all over the place to worship the god in a belief that they will secure a place in heaven after their death.

Dipak Ghimire who recently visited Swargadwari describes the temple as, “Holy place for Hindus with a sensational view and peace.”

It is a holy place where cows are given more importance and worshipped. Legend has it that this is the exact place and location from where Pandavas of Dwapar Yuga ascended to the heaven (Swarga), thus the place got its name as Swargadwari (a gateway to heaven). Guru Maharaj Narayan Khatri (Swami Hamsananda) who had some extraordinary spiritual power is said to have founded this place. He loved cows and spent most of his life herding and milking cows. Till now we can see many cows being reared by the Swargdwari inside the temple premises.

He taught Vedic scriptures along, religious scriptures, and Vedic worshipping to his disciples which is performed till today in the morning and the afternoon. He is also said to have predicted his own death and died according to his wish and predictions.

Locals says that, he dug in this place and found curd mixed rice and fire, which is said to have been used by the Pandavas before departing to the heaven, and since then people started worshipping in this place by constructing the main temple called Gufa mandir and Aakhanda Yagya Shala Mandir for the holy fire.

Fire, found at that time, is still burning since then which is something of a supernatural itself and ash of the firewood collected from the holy fire is believed to cure different illnesses like headache, stomach ache, etc.

One of the travelers Arun Khanal says,” Sworgadwari is a holy place and the way to heaven. The peaceful environment and the beautiful scenario make you feel like heaven. I am relieved of the stress and the crazy environment of the city. View of Himalayan range and greenery was a beauty.”

There are lots of things to do around Swargadwari. It offers a good trekking experience to the travelers. Due to its location at an altitude of over 2300 meters above sea level, magnificent views of Jhimruk and Madi valley, snowcapped mountains like Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and other mountain range can be easily seen from here. A dense coniferous forest filled with rhododendron, wild animals like antelopes and deer around the vicinity has added extra beauty to this place.

Lots of cows grazing around the terraced fields and the views of Sunrise and the Sunset seen from here are truly amazing. The rural life of western Nepal can be observed closely from here.

There is the presence of lots of temples, ponds, canteen, caves, and Dharmasalas inside the main temple premises. Holy rituals and Aakhanda Yagyans carried out by various spiritual Gurus and their disciples, in the morning and the afternoon is the things not to be missed. You can also request them to perform certain rituals by paying money. Vajans and Kirtans performed daily are very pleasing to watch.

A cave little above the temple and Siddha-baba temple inside the forest are other two holy places to visit around here.

Rosan Poudel writes,” Very peaceful place to go. A journey, as well as destination, is so mesmerizing. Night Yagya you shouldn’t miss. But for that, you have to stay in an ashram in the temple or else 13 km down in lodge.”

How to get there?

You can reach Swargadwari via two routes; from Bhingri and Ghorahi. It takes 4 hours from Bhingri and 8 hours from Ghorahi. Roads are extremely breathtaking and route from Ghorahi is more dangerous than that of Bhingri. Vehicles can go up to the bottom of the Ashram, from there it’s a one-hour walk or you can opt for a horse ride.