Bandipur Things to Do

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Back when Bandipur was a stop no the trade route India – Tibet, Tundikhel was the setting for trade fairs, as well as a parade ground for archery contests and celebrations. Strolling around the platform, i got a sense of eternalness to the point that i even expected some medieval arches to jump from the enormous fig trees while trade caravans were packing their goods.

According to Hindu legends, the diferent types of fig trees represent different gods - the fig trees at Tundikhel represent Vishnu, Brahma and Hanuman.

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There are breathtaking views of the Himalayan from Bandipur, and they range from Langtang peak in the east to Dhaulagiri in the west. From the nearby hilltops, one can see as far as Manakamana and Gorkha to east the great Chitwan plains to the south, among others.

Himalayas are best seen in the afternoons and before sunset and until dusk. The morning fog from the nearby valleys blurs the views over the Himalayas, but makes the scenery fairy-tale like.

I was quite sick those days (damn meat in Chitwan!), so could not return to admire the views at dusk.

Shiva is the Hindu god the locals pray to. We were fortunate to witness a celebration at the shrine which gave out a mysterious air when lit with many oil lamps.

The locals make a sweet, flour cake as offerings and consumption.

As the silkworm farming is more for subsistence rather than tourism, it may be advisable to get a villager to accompany you there.

They allow us to freely pick the juicy mulberry fruits which you must be careful not to let it drip on your clothes as they do not come off.

The local Hindus do not eat beef and the main source of meat come from the goats bred by each family.

The distinctive feature of the goat pens are the low ceiling, low windows and doors and baskets of dried grass hung outside the pen for grazing. Many of the goat pens are interspersed between the villagers' living quarters.

In the day, the goats may also be released into the nearby mountains. As the mountains are really harsh and lacking lush vegetation, I get the impression the goats spend most of the time finding their foothold rather than grazing.

The distinctive feature of the village houses are the brick walls, mud floors and slate roofs.

In fact, the slate roofs come directly from the pits in the village itself. Some houses are also very brightly painted and very Mediterranean-ish.