Gorkha manakamana temple is in Gorkha is not only a pilgrimage site but also considered important for historical research. The Gorkha Manakamana temple is located in the Shahid Lakhan rural municipality of Gorkha. The name Manakamana means the goddess who fulfills the desires of the heart.
History of gorkha manakamana temple
It is believed that the queen of King Ram Shah of Gorkha herself was an incarnation of Manakamana Bhagwati. The temple of Manakamana Mai is visited by a large number of pilgrims, especially on the days of Dashain, Nag Panchami, Ashtami, Guthi Panchami and Baisakh Panchami. Pilgrims believe that by making a pilgrimage to Manakamana Mai, the wishes of the heart will be fulfilled.
The history of Manakamana Mai includes the names of King Ram Shah’s queen and Lakhan Thapa from the 16th century (BS 1614 to 1636). Queen Lilavati, the wife of King Ram Shah, was believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Manakamana.
. But to the king and the people, she appeared as an ordinary woman, while only Guru Gorakhnath knew her true divine form as Manakamana.
In this process, Guru Gorakhnath started looking for a devotee with a pure heart for Manakamana. While searching for such a pure person, he met Lakhan Thapa who was chopping wood. Seeing his impartial simplicity, Guru Gorakhnath gave education and knowledge to Lakhan Thapa. After this, the ordinary man Lakhan Thapa became Siddha Lakhan Thapa and served Queen Lilavati in the Gorkha court.
Once, King Ramshah saw his Queen Lilavati and Lakhan Thapa on his throne in the Upper Fort of Gorkha. After that, the king suddenly fell ill. Time passed, and after some time, King Ramshah passed away. According to the customs of that time, Queen Lilavati had to go to Sati.
To cremate Ram Shah, the king’s pyre was built at the confluence of the Marsyangdi river and the Daraundi, at a place called Ramshahghat today. Seeing the queen ready to commit Sati, Lakhan Thapa Magar was overcome with grief. The queen reminded Lakhan Thapa and said, “I will give you another chance to serve me.
You return to your village, Kafyak. I will be reborn in the form of a rock in that place and fulfill the wishes of the devotees, so she climbed the pyre to commit Sati. Six months after Queen Lilavati committed Sati, a local farmer named Dhanadhwaj Gurung got his plow stuck at the place where the Manakamana Temple now stands.
It is believed that Siddha Lakhan Thapa performed Tantric rituals to stop the blood flow. After this, the King of Gorkha appointed Lakhan Thapa and his two sons as priests of Manakamana Mai and granted them land, guthi, and virta lalmohar to conduct the daily worship.
. The current priest of Manakamana Mai, Insan Thapa Magar, is considered to be the eighteenth generation descendant of Siddha Lakhan Thapa.
The old Manakamana temple was built in the 17th century in the pagoda style. The roof of the temple was made of brass. The devastating earthquake that occurred on 12th Baisakh, 2072 BS caused great damage to the temple. The temple has now been reconstructed according to the standards of the Department of Archaeology.
During the construction of the temple, gold plating was applied to the gajur, roof and main door. While applying gold plating to the roof of Manakamana temple, chalk, salt, and brick chips were used according to the old technology. The roof of Manakamana temple has been made attractive by applying 18 kg of gold plating on copper sheets.
During the reconstruction of the temple, only limestone, surkhi, bricks and wood were used without using any materials including modern cement rods. The kings of the Shah dynasty built and maintained the Manakamana Temple at different times.
. There are five stones placed in a pit in the place of worship inside the Manakamana temple. The two largest ones are worshipped as Manakamana and Bhairav, and the other three smaller ones are worshipped as Ganesh, Kumari and Betaal respectively.
There is historical evidence that Manakamana Mai is related to Bhairavi of Nuwakot and Maitidevi Bhagwati of Kathmandu since the time of Prithvi Narayan Shah. Therefore, although the regular priest of Manakamana is Thapa Magar, during the Guthi Panchami festival of Vaishakh Sudi-Badi and Mangsir Sudi-Badi, Gubhaju performs the function of a priest.
In the Manakamana temple, the goddess is worshipped by the Tantric method of Buddhist Gumaju, while in the temple premises, the Brahmins of the Aryal and Marhattha clans recite the Puranas.
Where is located gorkha manakamana temple ?
Manakamana Temple is located southeast of the headquarters of Gorkha. It is located 12 kilometers south of Pokharithok Bazaar in Gorkha, 5 kilometers east of Ambukhaireni in Tanahun, and 26 kilometers north of Muglin Bazaar in Chitwan.
The premises of Manakamana Temple are located at an altitude of 1,315 meters above sea level. Tourists often visit the historical Manakamana Mai pilgrimage site located on the southern border of Gorkha. The temple is believed to be named Manakamana because she is the goddess who fulfills the wishes of the heart.
Tourists at the pilgrimage site make a vow to fulfill their desires and visit the Manakamana temple to offer their vows. Manakamana Mai has seven sisters.
The eldest is Budhikanya Mai and the second is Chimkeshwari Mai. The Mahabharata mountain, which can be seen on the western side, is located in Tanahun district. The elder sister is Gorkha Kalika Mai, while the younger sister is Manakamana Mai.
The temple of the elder sister Ichchakamana Mai is located on the Mahabharata mountain in Chitwan district, south of the park at Cable Station. After that, the younger sisters are Annapurna Mai and Akala Mai. Pilgrims and tourists visit the Manakamana Temple to offer their worship.Pilgrims and tourists visit and offer worship at the Manakamana Temple.
. They make vows and fly pigeons. But many tourists do not pay attention to the huge Chaap tree in the temple premises. The Chaap tree in the temple premises is believed to be about 400 years old. The yellow flowered Chaap tree gives off a fragrance.
The Wankeshwari temple is located near the eastern side of the Manakamana temple premises. Most tourists who reach Manakamana reach Wankeshwari temple. It is believed that if disabled children who cannot speak are given darshan at the Wankeshwari temple, they will be able to speak.
There are large stones of Vakreshwor Mahadev and Vakreshwori Mai. The place where Baba Guru Gorakhnath is believed to have bestowed a boon to Lakhan Thapa.
The cave of Siddha Lakhan Thapa is located on the northern side of Vakreshwor Mahadev. Inside the cave, there are two large holes, and it is believed that one of them leads to the Gorakhnath Cave in Gorkha.
Manakamana Cable Car
The Manakamana Cable Car, the first in Nepal, has been operating since 8th Mangsir, 2055 BS. It allows pilgrims to easily reach Manakamana Temple from Kurintar Cheres on the Prithvi Highway.
Operated by Manakamana Darshan Pvt. Ltd., the cable car covers 3.02 kilometers, has 34 carriages with a capacity of 6 people each, and can transport up to 600 pilgrims per hour. Thanks to this facility, the number of visitors to Manakamana Temple increases every year.
. Nowadays, people of Mahakali, whether for pilgrimage or for educational purposes, visit Manakamana. Nowadays, not only Nepalese but also Indian pilgrims visit Manakamana. Most of the tourists who come to visit Pashupatinath return only after visiting Manakamana Mai.
Manakamana complex is also a natural view tower. From the Manakamana temple complex, one can see the mountains of the Mahabharata mountain range and the Annapurna and Manaslu mountain ranges to the north.
Chimkeshwari and the Mahabharata mountain range to the south, the Ichchakamana mountain range to the east and Deurali, Mirkot Thum, the fertile land on the banks of the Daraudi river in Gorkha district to the west, and the historical Ligligkot can be observed.
Indian pilgrims enjoy seeing the mountain view from Manakamana. Daily worship is performed at Manakamana temple at 7 am and 6 pm. After completing the inner worship, the priest circumambulates the temple, and then the sacrifices and worship for the general public begin.
Hotels and resorts in gorkha manakamana temple
Pilgrimage tourists who reach Manakamana do not have any inconvenience in finding food. There are hotels in almost every house in the old market, new market and middle market around the temple.
Four-star resort hotels to medium and small hotels have served tourists who reach Manakamana. Nepali, Indian, Chinese and continental food is also available at the resort. As soon as you get off the cable car, some hoteliers advertise the services and food served in their hotels.
Tourists are immediately confused. Which hotel should you go to for food? The delicious food and comfortable accommodation at Manakamana attract many pilgrims. Homestays are also available in Betini Village, near the temple, and some tourists prefer staying there instead of hotels.
Betini Village is just a 15-minute downhill walk from Manakamana Temple. Pilgrims of all religions visit the temple, with Hindu and Buddhist devotees coming with faith and devotion, hoping their wishes will be fulfilled, while other visitors enjoy the history, culture, and natural scenery. Every year, around 1.2 million pilgrims reach Manakamana via the cable car.
On the other hand, 300,000 tourists also reach Manakamana by foot or by motor road. More than 300,000 Indian pilgrims go on the Manakamana pilgrimage. The number of Indian pilgrims is increasing every year.
Many people think that Lakhan Thapa was the first martyr. How did he become a servant of Queen Lilavati? Lakhan Thapa, who achieved spiritual perfection during the reign of King Ram Shah, is regarded as the first Lakhan Thapa.
He is the ancestor of Insan Thapa Magar, the current priest of Manakamana Devi. The second Lakhan Thapa was a rebel sentenced to death on the orders of Jung Bahadur Rana. Lakhan Thapa Magar, the second Lakhan Thapa, was born in 1891 in Kahule Bhanjyang, present-day Bungkot-4, Gorkha district.
-4. He was the first to wage an organized rebellion against the Rana regime at the grassroots level. He had even promised to kill Jung Bahadur Rana in the armed rebellion. However, he and seven other rebels were hanged to death on the orders of Jung Bahadur on February 2, 1933, at the Kaule Bhagar in Bukot village, Gorkha.
After reaching Manakamana, pilgrims buy handicrafts such as Chinese wooden items, bags, khurpeto madal, and mana pathi. Manakamana tourists can also buy wall welcome screens made of bamboo, hats, and household items.
Tourists who reach Manakamana during the orange season are the first choice to buy oranges. Manakamana’s oranges are considered sweeter than those produced in other districts. Tourists try to reach Dhandbari, the orange pocket village of Manakamana, to taste the oranges. An orange pillar has also been built in Dhandbari.
Here are some other pilgrimage site of Nepal:
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