Dolakha, January 21

Two young Nepali women are preparing to ascend Mt Everest, aiming to clear the air about the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

Chhoki Sherpa, 27, of Gaurishankar Rural Municipality-9, in Dolakha and Sharmila Tamang, 27, of Roshi Rural Municipality-11 of Kavre said the false rumour that Gautam Buddha was born in India had spread in many countries and hence they wanted to ascend the world’s highest peak to send out the message that Buddha was, in fact, born in Nepal.

The duo said they were preparing to start their journey on April 8. Pioneer Adventure Pvt. Ltd is the brand sponsor of their expedition and they would be taking along with them a flag printed “Buddha was born in Nepal” and a national flag. They are also planning to play the song “Buddha was born in Nepal”, which was sung by Dhiraj Rai at the peak for a minute to spread the message to the world, as per Chhoki.

Chhoki, at a press meet in Charikot today, said that during her four-year stay in South Korea for employment, it had been difficult for her to convince South Koreans that Buddha was born in Nepal. “Hence, I want to clear that delusion from the peak of the world’s highest mountain,” said Chhoki. She also said she had friends from China and Vietnam who believed that Buddha was born in India.

Though over 400 women from across the world have ascended Mt Everest, only 25 Nepali women have so far succeeded in climbing the peak. Chhoki claimed that their bid would inspire Nepali women living abroad to return home and contribute to tourism development and create self-employment opportunities. They have publicly appealed for financial support to manage necessary logistics for their mission.