Manakamana Temple Tour – History & How to get there

Manakamana temple is a well-known temple situated about 140km from the Kathmandu valley. This temple lies in the Gorkha district. Manakamana is a sacred place, which holds lots of belief in Nepal. The history of Manakamana has been written in many books. Manakamana is the reincarnation of the then queen of Gorkha during the 17th century. The queen had divine power and only Lakhan Thapa know this.  One day the king of Gorkha also found that his queen was a goddess, after that he suddenly died. Again, a farmer found a stone in his farm from which milk and blood were poured.  The flow stopped when Lakhan Thapa started worshipping. After that, the site became the foundation of the present Manakamana temple.

The interesting fact about the temple is the priest of the Manakamana must be the descendent of Lakhan Thapa. Every day many devotees visit Manakamana, the most newly married couple come to worship at Manakamana for their longer life. Along with its religious importance, Manakamana is the best spot for trekkers near Kathmandu.  Trekkers prefer to hike, as the route to the temple is beautiful. It takes about 4 hours of hike to reach Manakamana enjoying the orange field and local lifestyle. The most beautiful thing about hiking to Manakamana is the awe spring view of the Trishuli River. People come to Manakamana to experience the cable car ride, as the view of the Gorkha valley from the cable car is amazing. From the temple premise, you can catch the thrilling glance of mount Manaslu, Himachal, and Annapurna ranges

Structure of Manakamana temple

The structure of the Manakamana temple is pagoda style with four roofs and an entrance facing the southwest. Only priests of the temple are allowed to see and do the daily prayer and rituals before entering t devotee inside the premises of the temple. The name Manakamana is a Nepal word in which “Man” means heart and “Kamana” means desire. Therefore, the temple fulfills the desire of the heart. People widely believe that the goddess Manakamana bless with success with all her devotee.  There are only two ways of going to Manakamana i.e. walking up or by cable car. People prefer cable cars because it is the easy way.

Manakamana tour is not just trekking, this tour gives us a chance to know and observe the religious importance.  The national and international inside the temple worship the goddess with their full heart. Outside of the temple, many hotels and lodges are promoting the Nepal culture. Visiting the Manakamana temple is a worthy experience.  Manakamana is a place with great potential for promoting and preserving the culture. The view of the mountains, cable car, and the temple itself has been the main attraction of Manakamana Tempe. Many Indian people also believe in visiting Manakamana for fulfilling their wishes. Hindu people of Nepal and India believe that we should visit the Manakamana temple once in their life. The route to Manakamana is very well constructed and easy to travel. The staircase that leads you to the main temple is very smooth and perfect for all ages people.

History

Among the different histories of the Manakamana temple, this is related to the unification of Nepal. The great king Prithivi Narayan Saha attempt to unite the county several times he could not succeed. However, in his dream goddess helped him to unify the nation with several small nations the next morning he began to worship the goddess. Due to Devi Manakamana’s power, Prithivi Narayan Saha successfully unified the country. According to this history, Lakhan Thapa was an important part of the unification of Nepal. Therefore, after constructing the temple he was the priest of Manakamana. Due to the temple, Gorkha has been the top spot for local and international travelers. You can get an amazing view of the hills and the great Annapurna range.  You can get an aerial view of the Gorkha district via the cable car.

How to get there

The gateway of the Manakamana temple is Kurintar, which is in the middle of Kathmandu and Pokhara. It takes about 3 hours of drive to reach Kurintar from Kathmandu.  Kurintar is the place to operate cable cars. This place remains crowded throughout the year. The cable car ride from Kurintar to Manakamana temple takes 10 minutes.  The cable car ride is the most thrilling experience. You will be in the middle of the mountains and get an exhilarating aerial view.

The length of the cable car ride is 2.8km with the two stations. The cable car is operated from 9 am to 5 pm. If you want to avoid the crowd then you should visit in the early morning.  Most people are afraid to go on the ride but the company guarantees 100 percent safety. Manakamana is at the altitude of 1320 km with a delightful view of the entire Gorkha. If you have enough time then you can go river rafting on the Trishuli River. Abulkhairene is another beautiful place to trek in the Manakamana temple.  People mostly visit the Manakamana temple during Dashain and Nang Panchami for worshiping the goddess.

Manakamana Cable Car Tour

It is famous for its amazing cable car ride. This is most coward during t month of Shrawan. People from all around the world come to visit Manakamana to fulfill their wishes and pay homages to the goddess. The goddess fulfills the wishes of the devotee pray with their heart so Manakamana is referring as “wish of heart’. Earlier people used to sacrifice goats and chickens in the temple but now this tradition has ended.  The cable car goes up and comes down greatly.  The high hills add beauty to the tour.  People from Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara, and Biratnagar can get the ticket for the cable car from their place.  Along with this, if you are traveling with the trekking companies then they will arrange the ticket for our visit to Manakamana.

Here is the detailed itinerary for the Mankamana Temple tour

1. Arrival in Kathmandu

Manakamana tour is a short tour and can be completed within a day but you would not get enough time to observe.  On the first day of this, you will be arriving at Kathmandu valley.  We will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to your hotel rooms. You will be staying in a luxurious hotel with all the facilities.  If you have enough time then you can even roam around the street of Kathmandu and Thamel.

2. Sightseeing

The second day is the sightseeing day for this trek. After finishing our morning routine, you will be out sightseeing with our guide. On this day, you will be observing the art and culture of Kathmandu valley.  Sywambhu is the best tourist place in Kathmandu, the monkey temple o Pashupatinath temple, and Boudhanath stupa. Patan durbar square is another ancient monument, which reflects the tradition of the country. Thamel Bazar is another tourist place in Nepal. Here you can get local Nepal stuff.  People buy the Nepal stuff here as a memory of their countries.

3. Kathmandu to Kurintar

From here, you will start your trek; the drive from Kathmandu to Kurintar is a distance of 258 meters with a time of 3 hours.  The rail to Kurintar goes through the Prithivi highway. An after reaching Kurintar you can roam around Gorkha Bazar. People believe that Manakamana is the sacred place of goddess Bhagwati who is the wish-fulfilling goddess. If you have enough time then you can visit the surrounding villages. Most people do not know Manakamana so is the gateway for lower Manaslu. Manakamana provides the best view of the hills, mountains, and the lake all at one trek. Bakreshwori is another short trek from Manakamana, which will be great fun. This temple has both religious and economic significance. Manakamana has a great scope for economic development.

4. Back from Manakamana

This is the last day of your tour to Manakamana temple.  From here, you will be returning to Kathmandu via road. It takes 3 hours to reach Kathmandu from Gorkha. If you have enough time then you can roam around Gorkha and Kathmandu in Indrachowk and Ahsan. Our team will escort you back to the hotel and then transfer you to the airport prior to your flight seclude.  We hope to see you soon!

What is the price rate for a cable car?

Since a large number of people visit the Manakamana temple every year.  The price depends on your get and your nationality. In a single cable car, there is a room of 4 to 6 people at a single time.  Since people of all age groups can ride cable care here are the price rate for students, the elderly, and children. The rate of cable cars for people of the same age group is always the same.

For people of age, 60 or above is Nrs 260(one-way) and Nrs 525 (both ways). Age 20 – 59 is Nrs 325 (one-way) and Nrs 675 (both ways). Children of age up to 19 – Nrs 230 (one way) and Nrs 525 (both ways). Students (ID card is compulsory) Nrs 230 (one way) and Nrs 525 (both ways)

What Manakamana temple Cable Car Timing?

You will be shocked to know that there are about 200 people completing their cable car ride each hour. You will have to stand in queue for some time.  There is a huge crowd in cable car queue during Vacation, holiday and festival.  The cable car will run from 9 am to 5 pm each day. In the milled, during 12 Pm the staff have a break for snacks so cable car will not operate for 1 hour. Before going for the tour, you will have to consider these things.  The carrier of the cable car moves at a speed of 6 meters per second.  Therefore, it takes about 8 to 10 minutes for a carrier to reach the temple.

 Is Manakamana Cable Car Safe?

The cable car company in Manakamana makes sure that all the riders are safe and comfortable. There is no such case of an accident in a cable car. The technology of the carrier is very new and with the facility hydraulic emergency drive for any kind of emergency. In addition to this, sickled and highly trained staff members work in the emergency rescue force of the cable car with digital technology.

Which is the best time to take the tour to Manakamana temple?

Although you can travel Manakamana temple through the year according to the wither you will have to choose the time:-

• Manakamana temple Weather in February:

February is the best time for visiting Manakamana. The temperature of Gorkha during February ranges from 41 degrees to 79 degrees Fahrenheit.  The weather also becomes fine with the clear view in the sky. You can explore nature more during February as the forest are full of oak trees and a beautiful bird flying all over. Precipitation during February is 87.46 mm. due to the best weather condition the crowd also increase. So if you want to avoid crowds then start your trek early in the morning.

• Manakamana temple Weather in April-May:

April and May is perfect time temperature-wise. This time of the year is not too and not too cold.  If you want to enjoy Manakamana temple without any temperature problem then you can travel during this month.  Acing about the temperature, it ranges from 57 degrees to 97 degrees Fahrenheit.  Manakamana temple remains crowded during this month also.

Conclusion

Manakamana temple is one of the best religious places in Nepal. Thousands of people come to worship the Manakamana temple every year. If you visit Manakamana and wish for something with their pure heart then the goddess will grant their wish.  Hiking with traveling is very fun and you will not feel tired at any point. This trek will make all your stress go away and be thankful for your life. If you manage you are itinerary then you can visit the beautiful city Bandipur in Pokhara. We hope to see you soon and do more trekking with you.