Trekking From Jomosom to Muktinath and Back

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

If you want to trek on the high altitude trekking route in Nepal and at the same time you want it to be a comfortable one then the trekking from Jomosom to Muktinath is one such trekking route for you. It lies on the extended Tibetan plateau and behind the Annapurna Himalaya. So, it has a special dry and cold climate almost throughout the year. From nine in the morning to four evening, strong wind blows from the south to the north as the pressure in the south builds up along the gorge of the Thak Khola that flows between two high mountains such as Dhaulagiri and Annapurna making a deep gorge. So, all planes coming and going out of Jomosom complete their flights before nine in the morning, as they fly along the narrow gorge between these two high mountains. The best time to trek without snow in this area is June.

Jomosom is one of the important trade outposts on the ancient trade route between Tibet and Nepal. It is on the bank of Thak Khola that flows to southern Nepal to become a large river called Kaligandaki. It has a small airfield where small planes such as Twine Otters can safely land. So, you can fly either from Kathmandu or from Pokhara or you may travel on a bus to Pokhara and then to Beni from where you may trek to Jomosom. It may take you two days to trek from Beni to Jomosom.

Jomosom is a nice place to stay for a few days for acclimatizing your body to the high altitude to avoid high altitude sickness. If you have never trekked before, Jomosom at 2,713 m (8, 900 ft) might be quite a height for you to have altitude sickness. So, you may travel back and forth between Jomosom and Marpha to the south of Jomosom. This is a one-hour one-way trek. Marpha is another ancient village populated by most of the people called Thakalis means people living along the Thak Khola. Walking along the Thak Khola from Jomosom to Marpha is pleasant and easy.

If you have never been at high altitude, and if you fly in to Jomosom, you may be the victim of high altitude sickness. In this case it is better to fly back if possible if not then walking down to Marpha and to Lete and so on the down hill and down stream until you feel fine. This is the only way of treating the altitude sickness. Symptoms of altitude sickness are strong headache and even vomiting. Do not take any painkillers. People die of altitude sickness in a few hours time in case of severe altitude sickness if they do not move to the low altitude area.

Although Jomosom is in the remote area you may enjoy all sorts of modern amenities including TV and Internet. You can have hot showers in one of the modern hotels; you may enjoy the TV news and even Internet at a lodge or hotel. However, no roads for wheeled vehicle transportation are available there, so far. You need either to walk or take a ride on a horse if you want to go around Jomosom.

In Jomosom, you may enjoy any sorts of food such as continental, local and ‘dal bhat’ (a universal dish in Nepal) means a tray-full of rice called ‘bhat’, a bowlful of lentil means ‘dal’ and vegetables and pickle added to, and meat on demand at an extra price. They bring you additional rice and lintel if you need some more. Tea, and local and imported soft drinks and hard drinks are also available. Most of the local distilled drinks are made out of apples.

Trekking from Jomosom to Muktinath is a day’s work for all normal people. However, I have seen a man flying in to Jomosom early in the morning, then trekking to Muktinath and then back to Jomosom in the evening and flying out the next morning. It is not an easy task but doable for able persons.

Some senior and easy-going people make the trekking from Jomosom to Muktinath a two-day journey and one-day journey back from Muktinath to Jomosom. They either walk along the Thak Khola or take a horse from Jomosom, and break the journey at Kagbeni. It is a half-day walk even if you walk as slow as you can but not stopping anywhere in between.

Kagbeni at 2, 804 m (9, 200 ft) is a high altitude large village of Thakalis. Here also you find a nice accommodation with hot showers. You may have the food of your choice out of the menu that has continental, local and ‘dal bhat’ dishes.

Next morning after a heavy breakfast of local pancakes or ‘dal bhat’, you may leave Kagbeni and slowly climb up the hill for Muktinath. As you have already acclimatized at Jomosom you may not have any problem of climbing higher up, however, if you have the altitude sickness, then better climb down to the lower altitude and take a rest.

On the way to Muktinath, you may meet several Hindus pilgrims coming from India and different parts of Nepal. You may be surprised to find some of the naked Hindu ascetic men called sadhus in such cold climate; other pilgrims may be dressed sparingly. So, it is not surprising that some of them may die of high altitude sickness or cold or of both.

As you climb up you will soon reach the local ancient settlement called Jharkot. It was at one time the fortress of the local king. You will see some remnants of the old fortress. Jharkot is at 3, 612 m (11, 850 ft). So, you have climbed up to 2, 650 ft from Kagbeni and almost 3, 000 ft from Jomosom. Here, you may like to take a rest for a few minutes or even an hour and have a chat with the locals and even have cold drinks if you wish.

Now, you are almost around Muktinath. You will reach Ranipauwa: the nearest settlement from Muktinath in an hour, if you walk a little fast but you may take more time if you like to take a look at the holes on the hill on the northern side. Anthropologists believe that prehistoric humans must have made such holes to dwell in. You will find such holes at different levels of the hills. Anthropologists say that the prehistoric humans have made the holes at lower level as the river gradually has descended to a lower level.

You will find comfortable lodges at Ranipauwa for staying a few nights. Ranipauwa at 3, 718 m (12, 200ft) is a small village. If you happen to be in Ranipauwa on the full moon day of the month called Sravan (July-August), you may watch the religious festival called Yartung Mela: Summer Festival in Mustang held there every year.

Rich people of this region but living in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal even charter a helicopter and fly to the Muktinath Valley to celebrate Yartung Mela on the full moon day called Janai Purnima in Sravan (July-August). Most of the people living in this region travel on foot or on horses and stay overnight at Ranipauwa of the Muktinath area to celebrate this festival next day. People travel from the nearby villages to this area and back home on the same day.

After harvesting the crop and storing the cereal at home, most of the able people are ready for going down to the south for a business. Before doing so, they celebrate this festival with gusto. In fact, this festival is for them to get together before departure, to make offerings to Lord Buddha, and to receive blessings from the village chief and respectable senior citizens for an auspicious journey.

They believe that the then king of Jharkot set this tradition of Yartung Mela in this region. At that time, they have numerous small kingdoms ruled by petty kings before another petty king called Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha unified all those small kingdoms into the modern Nepal in the mid eighteen century. At that time, the king himself blessed all the people for a good business and safe return. So, they have been celebrating Yartung Mela since then with the same enthusiasm as were done at that time. Even today, the king of Mustang and other royals in name only dressed in majestic attires visit the Muktinath area to celebrate this festival.

Their senior most honorable priest called Lama set the day for celebrating Yartung Mela selecting the most auspicious day in their calendar and keeping in mind the view of completion of harvesting crops. They do not harvest crops after the Yartung Mela. So, the priest makes sure that all the people have harvested their crops. Usually, the priest chooses the full moon day called Janai Purnima for celebrating this festival in Sravan, as this day is the most auspicious day for Buddhists and Hindus. In case, if this day happens to be the inauspicious day in the Sherpa calendar, then they celebrate this festival on the following day or on another auspicious day the priest sets.

All people living in different parts of the Mustang District and surrounding areas assemble at Ranipauwa one day before Yartung Mela. Some of them living as far away areas as Lamjung and Manang in the east, Lomanthang in the north-west, Tukuche and Jomoson in the south arrive at Ranipauwa in the Muktinath Valley one day before this festival. Most of them pitch camps for the night. Some of them stay in the monastery called Nursing Monastery or with relatives if they have any. Others stay in lodges. They spend the whole night boozing, singing and dancing.

From the early morning of Yartung Mela, together with all women and children, they first visit the Goddess of Flame called ‘Jwala Mai’ and make offerings to Her, then move on to offer prayers to Lord Muktinath, He is Avalokitesvara: one of the Buddhas for Buddhists and Lord Vishnu for Hindus, and then move on to the monastery called ‘Nursing Monastery’ to offer butter lamps to Lord Buddha. Thus, they spend the morning of Yartung Mela performing religious offerings to the deities.

As Yartung Mela usually coincides with the Hindu festival called Janai Purnima, Hindus even from far away areas visit Muktinath to change their sacred thread on this day. First, they take quick showers at the 108-waterspouts moving from one spout to another starting at the first spout and ending at the last one set on three sides of the Muktinath temple. Then, they wear new sacred threads and go to make offerings to Lord Muktinath in the temple. This adds color and people to this festival.

On the festival day, the local chief called Mukhiya previously the king of Jharkot dressed up in the traditional royal attire riding on a horse leads a royal procession from Jharkot to Ranipauwa. Then, the royal procession first goes to the Jwala Mai temple, and offer prayers to Her for the good health and successful return of all people going to the south for a business. Then, the procession proceeds to Lord Muktinath and offers prayers to Him. From there, the procession moves on farther north to the monastery called ‘Nursing Gomba’ to make offerings and prayers to Lord Buddha.

The royal procession led by the king of Jharkot is a special event for the people in this region. It takes a long time for traveling from Jharkot to Ranipauwa, and visiting various shrines to make religious offerings to different divinities. By the time, it arrives at the mini-stadium at Ranipauwa after visiting various shrines and making offerings to the deities it is afternoon.

The royal troupe performs dances at the stadium. The head of the royal procession stays at the center while other members around him rejoice and perform dances. They circle him a number of times while performing various sorts of dances. This performance goes on for several hours.

After the dancing ceremony, the head of the royal party Mukhiya takes a seat made for him at the stadium. Then, he blesses the people one by one. After the blessing ceremony, Mukhiya takes another seat at the higher place to watch the sports activities at the stadium.

The main game of the show has been only a horse race until recently but they added a number of modern games to it making it more enjoyable quite lately. Horsemen and women from the areas as far away as Manang, Lamjung, Jomoson and Lete participate in this game to demonstrate their horsemanship. They amuse the audience picking up bank notes and coins from the ground riding on horses at a high speed. They also perform acrobatics on horses. Recently, they participate in the contests of volleyball, badminton and so on.

After the completion of games, Mukhiya distributes prizes to the winners of various games. Finally, Mukhiya blesses all of them going to the south for a business and wishes them for a good luck in their business and safe return from there. Thus ends Yartung Mela.

Some people called Gurung living in Lamjung have a unique tradition of cleansing their daughters and sisters of sins at the Muktinath on the occasion of Yartung Mela before their marriage. When their daughters and sisters come of age, they take daughters and sisters to Muktinath on the day of Yartung Mela to perform purification rites before giving them in marriage. Young unmarried women take a purification dip in the waters coming out of 108-waterspouts set on three sides of the Muktinath temple. They make offerings to Lord Muktinath or Lord Avalokitesvara depending on their belief and receive blessings from the Lord, thus becoming eligible for marriage.

People used to find numerous fossils called ammonite or saligram as Hindus call it on the way to Muktinath, and as large as about one meter in diameter. However, recently most of the ammonites have disappeared as the Hindus value it very much believing it the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

A legend has it that Lord Vishnu has to take the form of saligram under the curse put on him by Brinda: the spouse of an ascetic man called Jallandhar. Finding Brinda very beautiful and sexy, Lord Vishnu went to her in the guise of her husband and seduced her at the odd time of morning hours. When Brinda’s real husband has arrived, Lord Vishnu has already finished his job, and has changed back to his divine form. Being furious with Lord Vishnu at his deceptive act, Brinda immediately put on him a curse of turning into a stone. So, Lord Vishnu has to take the form of saligram under the spell of Brinda.

Hindus believe that the coiled shape of ammonite is the coil of serpent made bed for Vishnu and the fool’s gold in it is Vishnu lying on the coiled serpent. Thus, Vishnu has got relief from the curse put on him. So, this area is also known as ‘Mukti-chhetra’ means area of emancipation.

Geologists believe that this area had been once the bottom of Thethis Sea. Ammonites are the fossils of sea animals. As the Indian continental plate has gone under thrusting the Eurasian plate, the Thethis Sea has disappeared and the bottom of the sea has been brought to the surface where we find the ammonites.

Anyway this area has been the area of divine dwelling. Muktinath is Lord Vishnu for the Hindu Vaisnavis and Lord Shiva for Hindu Saivities, and Lord Buddha for Buddhists, has been dwelling here from the time immemorial. So, Hindus and Buddhists not only from different parts of Nepal but from different parts of the world visit this holy area to receive blessing from the gods.

You will find the idol of Lord Vishnu with four hands in the inner sanctum of the Muktinath temple made in the Nepalese style. Continuous water flow from the 108 mouths of boars made of brass set as the waterspouts on the three sides of the temple wall enclosing the temple serves the pilgrim visiting this temple as the showers to take for washing away their sins committed unintentionally or intentionally. However, taking showers of the icy water even in June is not an easy thing to do even if sins are really washed away.

A few meters south of this temple you will find the shrine to Jwala-mai means the goddess of flame. If you go in to the shrine you will find several natural gas burners in it worshipped as the goddess. These flames have been possible due to the seepage of natural gas possibly coming out of a minor gas deposits formed in the geological process of the seabed turning into land and bringing it to the surface.

After reaching the Muktinath at the record height of 3, 802 m (12, 475 ft) it is time for you to return to Jomosom. Taking breakfast of ‘dal bhat’ or pancakes at Ranipauwa, you move on slowly to Jharkot. It is pleasant to walk slowly and gradually losing the altitude; so it is advisable to enjoy the walking down slowly, as you will be facing the high-speed wind on the way from Kagbeni to Jomosom.

After nine in the morning the high-speed wind coming from the south will meet you on the way to Jomosom. So, you will not enjoy walking, as you have to struggle to move forward every step. The wind will be quiet only after four in the evening.

Trekking on this route, you have reached the highest possible altitude, and have enjoyed seeing the ancient settlements, and have seen the Buddhist and Hindu religious shrines.

July 4, 2009.