Pathivara temple, a temple of goddess Pathivara is situated in the top eastern part of Nepal. Temple lies in Taplejung district at the elevation of 3794 meters. The animist deity at Pathivara is worshipped with equal reverence by both Hindus and Buddhists. It can be reached by helicopter or on foot from Phungling, the district headquarters of Taplejung.
Pathivara Devi is considered one of the ‘Shakti Peeths’. Worshippers from different parts of Nepal and India flock to the temple during special occasions, as it is believed that a pilgrimage to the temple ensures fulfillment of all that the pilgrim desires. The devotees of Pathibhara also include members of the Royal family from Nepal. The pilgrims sacrifice animals and bring gold and silver as offerings to the Pathibhara Devi.
The Goddess at Pathibhara is believed to fulfill the long-cherished dreams of her devotees, like sons for those without sons, and wealth for the poor.
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Natural View Tower
From the Pathivara hill, which is also being developed as a natural lookout tower, the view of the beautiful gorges and gorges formed by the silver-shining mountain range to the north is breathtaking. Kanchenjunga and Kumbhakarna can be interviewed right in front of the eyes, while the mountains like Mount Everest, Lhotse, Choyu, Makalu can be seen from a height of eight thousand meters. Similarly, most of Panchthar and Ilam, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha and Solu including Fungling Bazaar as well as various parts of Sikkim and West Bengal of India can be seen.
Pathivara Temple is also a side route to the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek.
Legend
- In ancient times, there was a sheepfold and a herd of thousands of shepherds. While moving the herd, the shepherds reached the hill (now near the temple). The sheep were taken to a nearby pond to be watered and after drinking water in the middle of the day, the shepherd fell asleep. Legend has it that all the sheep were lost when they woke up and were not found for two days. After the shepherds had a vision of the goddess in a dream and promised to sacrifice the sheep, the next day the sacrifice was made and all the sheep were found.
- According to Kiranti beliefs, the context of Pathibhara can also be linked to Mundhum philosophy. The Kirantis call Pathibhara ‘Mulumalungma’. According to the writer Rajeshwar Thapa, during the Mahabharata period, a Limbu sage named ‘Rising’ lived in a hill range in Mukumlung (Pathibhara) doing penance. After the battle of Mahabharata, Bhimsen was sent to take the sage Siring to the Mahayagya organized by King Yudhisthira. It is mentioned in the book ‘Pavan Pavitra Mukumlungma’ written by Thapa that Bhimsen got the vision of Yuma (Goddess) there.
This also makes it clear that Yuma’s destination is Pathibhara. Even Buddhists have deep faith in Pathibhara. The Sherpas consider Pathibhara as the goddess of ‘Rakta Sedingma’ and ‘Majilamtama’. According to Jigdol Lama, prayers were offered wishing happiness, peace, age and health and the mantra of ‘Acharya Guru Padmasambhava’ was written on the flagpole. He says, “Pathibhara is no longer just a temple or a place to visit but has developed into a culture.”
There is a legend that the name of these goddesses is Pathibhara as it is on the top of a hill shaped like a grain-filled pathi.
The importance of Pathibhara has increased due to the goddess present there. Today, she is known as Pathibhara Devi. “Actually, Pathibhara is not the name of the goddess there, but the name of the place,” says Pandit Devi Prasad Niraula of Fungling-7. According to Niraula Devi, there is no specific written evidence about her name and establishment. According to legend, the name of this goddess is ‘Panchakanya Raktakali’. Mitra Lal Poudel, former chairman of the Pathibhara Devi Temple Area Preservation and Promotion Committee, says that the legend should be taken as the basis for its origin.
The main pathibhara is at the confluence of Fungling Municipality, Faktanglung and Sirijangha Village Municipality of Taplejung. According to the statistics of the Pathibhara Devi Temple Area Preservation and Promotion Committee, the temple, located at 3,794 meters, reaches four lakh annually.
Although autumn and spring are the best seasons to visit Pathibhara, pilgrims keep going for twelve months.
Devotees offer bells and tridents in the temple of Goddess Pathibhara. There is a belief that even if a large number of offerings are found in the area around the temple, no one will pick them up.
How to reach Pathivara Temple from Taplejung/Phungling Bazaar?
Most of the devotees start the journey from Phungling Bazaar which takes about 2 hours to reach Kafle Pati. Similarly, a few hours of the walk is required to reach this hilltop temple of Goddess Pathibhara. Devotees also start their journey from Suketar which takes about 20 minutes to reach from Phungling Bazaar.
Only the basic accommodation and fooding facilities are available from Kafle Pati to Pathibhara Devi Temple. The devotees also can get refreshments from several villages such as Deurali, Ramitedanda, Chhatedhunga, Bhalugaunda, Phedi etc during the walk before reaching the top of the hill.
How to Reach Pathivara Devi Temple from Kathmandu?
Pathivara Devi Temple is located in the provenance no 1 in the Taplejung district of Nepal. By flight, it will take about 30 minutes to reach Suketar airport from Tribhuvan International airport of Kathmandu. You can start the walk from Suketar or can drive to Kafle Pati and start to walk towards the hilltop. But the flight to Suketar is a weekly basis and you will need to wait for the flight date.
Meanwhile, you can also take the flight to Bhadrapur. It will take about 45 minutes to reach Bhadrapur airport from Kathmandu. There are about 7 flights daily from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur which will give more options for Bhadrapur. But it will take about 10 hours to reach Taplejung which is about 250 km away from Bhadrapur. Similarly, you need to catch a local bus that departs in the morning. Another option is to book a private vehicle to reach Taplejung.
Similarly, it will take 2 days to reach Kafle Pati if you are traveling by road. It takes relatively more time to reach through the road. But the beautiful places that you pass through while the drive is worth it. Birtamode is an ideal option to stay overnight while traveling through the road.
Pathivara Trek
Pathibhara Trek is popular by the name Limbu cultural Trek. It will take about a week to complete this trek. During the trek, the trekkers can witness beautiful Phuruga, Limkhim, Khewang, Tellok, PhawaKhola and Mamankhe villages of Taplejung district. Similarly, the trek also offers to explore the vintage monasteries of Oranchung Gola and Lungchung village of Nepal.
The trail offers food and lodging facilities. Basic accommodation facilities are also available for pilgrims near the shrine.The local people here are the Limbus, with the higher regions inhabited by people of Tibeto-Mongoloid ancestry. Sherpas, Rais, Gurungs, Magars, Newars, Sunwars, and Tamangs also live in this area, while the area also offers cultural diversity of Chhetris and Brahmins.
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