Hey! Would you love to go around Baraha Lake?

Adorable Baraha Lake is situated in Muthachaur, Tamankhola Rural Municipality-2 of Baglung District. Photo: Khemraj Gautam /RSS.

• Khemraj Gautam

Galkot. The Barah Lake near the Siddha Barah Temple looked very picturesque and the white snow scattered around the lake in the plains at an altitude of three thousand meters above sea level enhanced the charm of the Lake.

The English U-shaped Baraha Lake is a tourist attraction. The lake located in the middle of the dense forest is also full of natural beauty.

Although the lake is very charming and attractive, it has not been able to come into the limelight due to lack of publicity.

The lake has recently been started to be made a tourist destination by the local municipality. The municipality has started to protect and promote the lake, by making a master plan to make it a tourist destination.

Baraha Lake, which is also associated with religious significance, does not have much activity before the full moon of Baishakh.

Due to the geographical complexity, dense forest, and lack of easy access to roads, the locals are complaining that Baraha Lake is being overlooked despite being an attractive tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists in the region.

Owing to the dearth of publicity, the wide and extensive Baraha Lake, which is an important area in terms of developing even a common pond as a tourist destination, has been overshadowed.

Now, even the locals have started taking initiative in the protection of the lake and in building the necessary infrastructure. Chudamani Chhantyal, a local of Tamankhola-2, informed that the locals have started supporting the initiative taken by the municipality for the protection and publicity of the lake.

“We are working for the protection of Baraha Lake, a mythological, historical, and tourist site. The work of laying barbed wire around the lake, construction of Barahathan or temple, construction of drinking water and toilets have been completed,” said Chhantyal.

Special worship is performed here on the full moon day. The lake has been fenced with barbed wire with a budget of one million. Chairman of the municipality Joklal Budha Magar informed that the municipality has reconstructed the Baraha temple, constructed toilets and drinking water taps considering the need of the visitors to this region.

Local Dhalendra Chhantyal said that it was necessary to provide access to roads to develop the lake, which has religious significance and as a tourist hut.

“We have not been able to explain the charming appearance and religious significance of this ancient historical lake. However, at present, conservation and promotion work is being carried out with the active participation of some municipalities and locals,” said Chhantyal.