KHOTANG, NOVEMBER 14

The Barahpokhari Rural Municipality and Jantedhunga Rural Municipality has announced two days of public holiday for the religious fair to be held at Barahpokhari, a religious and tourist spot in Khotang.

Taking the occasion of Haribodhani Ekadashi, the two rural municipalities have given two days public holiday on November 14 - today and tomorrow targeting the weeklong Barahpokhari fair.

Issuing a notice, the two rural municipalities announced that a decision had been taken to give two days public holiday to promote the religious fair in Barahpokhari.

The event site is located in the south of Diktel Bazaar, the main business hub of the district.

Volunteers have been mobilised from both the municipalities and the Barahpokhari Development Committee to make the fair in Barahpokhari systematic.

A police team has been mobilised from Area Police Office Chisapani and Barahpokhari and Armed Police Force Gulm Chisapani to reduce criminal incidents at the fair in Barahpokhari, said District Security Committee Coordinator and Chief District Officer Phanindra Dahal.

Revellers have also been asked to follow health protocols considering the continued risk of Coronavirus.

The religious fair at Barahpokhari attracts a large number of devotees, especially those who come in the name of their deceased relatives. Surrounded by dense jungle, the 330-metre-long and 210-metre-wide, naturally formed Barahpokhari is home to some of the world's rarest red fish.

Barahpokhari, located at an altitude of about 1,300 metres above sea level, hosts fairs on Haribodhani Ekadashi, Ram Navami, Shivaratri, Balachaturdashi and Maghe Sankranti. Visitors and devotees from all the ten local levels of the district, neighbouring districts of Udayapur, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Ilam, Okhaldhunga, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha and also from India, China and Bhutan have been coming to attend the fair.

The number of domestic and foreign tourists has been increasing in Barahpokhari known both for its natural beauty and heritage of religious faith, said Barahpokhari Rural Municipality Chair Yubaraj Magar.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 15, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.