TOURISM
Revival
Of
Bandipur
Although the process is slow and steady, Bandipur, western Nepal's old business city, 130 kilometers west of capital, is gradually reviving now with a new identity and new prospect. The process of revival is still in initial phase; as Bandipur is gradually establishing itself as a new destination for domestic as well as international tourists.
By KESHAB POUDEL in Bandipur
Jeevan Lal Shrestha, 53, who runs a small hotel and restaurant in main market, returned to his old hometown two years ago hoping to tap the tourism potential of Bandipur.
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Bandipur: Old glory still lives |
Following the completion of seven kilometer long black topped road from Dumre, the volume of people visiting Bandipur has gone up tremendously. Along with other tourists, Nepalese tourists from Pokhara, Bharatpur and Kathmandu are also coming in the large scale.
"We cannot revive Bandipur in its traditional form as a north south trade corridor but I can see a lot of possibility to revive Bandipur as a tourist destination," said Shrestha, who returned to his old town which he had left decades back following relocation of district headquarters from Bandipur to Damauli.
Situated over 6000 feet above the sea level, Bandipur has both cultural and natural attractions. One can view all the major mountains like Dhaulagiri, Manasalu, Annapurna, Lamjung, Ganesh and Langtang to its north east.
"Many local inhabitants, who left Bandipur - are coming back. With the support from some non-governmental organizations and Nepal Tourism Board, we have already developed various packages to tourists. Our home stay package is very poplar among the domestic tourists," said Shrestha.
Chandra Lal Shrestha, 73, always feels relieved to come to Bandipur hot and previously malaria infested Dumre. "If peace prevails and the highways become orderly, Bandipur can turn into another hot tourist spot," said Shrestha.
Situated near the four main places of tourism attractions including Annapurna and Manasalu trekking routes, Pokhara and Chitwan National Park, Bandipur can tap a large number of domestic as well as international tourists.
Local people acknowledge the active role played by MP Govinda Raj Josh whose vigorous attempts made it possible to have blacktopped road in Bandipur from
Dumre. "Had not Govinda Raj Joshi pressed Road Department, they would not have completed the road last year," said Shrestha.
"In the initial step, the road was blacktopped and physical environment has improved a lot through the mobilization of local community. People have started to realize the need to revive Bandipur," said former minister and MP Govinda Raj Joshi, who represents this constituency. “As a member of parliament representing Bandipur, I feel privileged to work to promote Bandipur."
From small lodges to big resorts like Bandipur Mountain Resort, with all modern facilities, basic infrastructures are there in Bandipur to cater to tourists. Bandipur Mountain Resort, which lies amid pine and sal forests, is a star hotel with swimming pool and spacious rooms.
"During tourist season, foreigners come to visit us. If the peace prevails, we are expecting to see more tourists this year," said Bijaya Parajuli manager of Bandipur Mountain Resort. "Bandipur has great potential to revive as a tourist destination. We can cater service to domestic tourists during the off season and foreigners during season."
As was predicted by Linda L. Iltis, a Ph.D candidate at the University of Wisconsin Madison back in 1980 in her article An Ethno-historical Study of Bandipur published in journal of Research Center for Nepal and Asian Studies, Bandipur finds its own identity now.
Writer Linda Iltis writes, "One can not restore Bandipur as a past trade center between north and south corridor but it can be revived in a different way. The future of Bandipur may be quite different from its past as a trade network center. The current trends indicate a shift towards its development as an educational, cultural and tourist center.”
This is what the present trend of revival of Bandipur looks like. Along with the tourism, Notredam Boarding School, which was shut down for few years following Maoists threat, has also greatly contributed to revive Bandipur.
Not only for mountain ranges, can one see the bazaar with rich Neawari architecture and quiet and peaceful atmosphere. With abundance of nature and culture, Bandipur makes a good overnight stop route between Pokhara and Kathmandu.
This town is composed of mixed population. Newars live at the core areas while in outskirts Magars, Gurungs, Brahmin, Chettris and others live.
It is said that the Magars are earliest settlers of Bandipur and they came there long before Newars. Most of the surrounding hills are occupied by Magars or Gurungs The temple of Khadga Devi, Vindavasini and Mukunda Swari are very prominent.
According to American Anthropologist, Iltis, around the beginning of the 19th century or 1775-1800, there began an influx of a new population in the area of Bandipur. From Bhaktapur, in the Kathmandu valley, a number of Newar families of reportedly merchant status began moving into the community.
This new influx marked the beginning of a major change in subsistence patterns, and absorption of new cultural patterns and traditions into the community, which brought a transformation of a rural hill village into a thriving cosmopolitan trade center.
When significant Newar migration eventually took place around 1800, Bandipur rapidly developed as an important trade center. According to Francis Buchanan Hamilton British Resident Representative to the court of Nepal, there existed north south trade route along the Marsyangdi River. This represents the north-South trade route with which Bandipur was, and is, directly connected to Tibet on the north and India on south. Although Bandipur served as a trade route between Tibet and India, it was closed down in early 1800s. According to Hamilton, this was done mainly to prevent invasions from the South by foreign troops, and to channel trade traffic into a limited number of routes.
According Mahesh Chandra Regmi, following the order of the government, the Bandipur track was closed down in June 1804. Historian father L. Stiller argues that the route was closed down to prevent Sanyasi rebel entering to Nepal from southern border through Marsyangdi.
The early trade probably began as Tibetan salt in exchange for Nepali rice. According to Brian Hudgson, Bandipur involved in trade with Tibet. In addition to this, Bandipur was also involved in internal trade with areas directly north and south of Bandipur.
It is the Newari resourcefulness and investment in capital that brought about the shift in Bandipur from a rural hill village to a thriving trade center. Although there were Gurung and Magars living in surrounding areas of Bandipur, Newars introduced a style of architecture which contrasted sharply with that of the Magar. They used bricks as the main building material and also produced clay tiles as roofing material.
Following certain interruption after 1804, Bandipur again regained its posture. During the Rana period (1846-1951), Bandipur was a zonal headquarters of the zone west no 3. This naturally increased the flow of traffic through Bandipur Bazaar, further enlarging opportunities for trade and commerce and creating a convenient site for formal business transactions. The zonal headquarters was eventually moved to Pokhara while Bandipur
remained a district headquarters.
Malaria eradication in Chitwan began in the early 1950s and marked opening of this area to settlement by the hill people. The prospect of new land investment was a great attraction, and Newars of Bandipur jumped at this new opportunity to expand their monopoly of trade southward by setting up a new business community called Naryanghat from where the Indian border could be reached in one day's walk.
After dissolution of elected parliament and introduction of Panchayat in 1960, the district headquarters was removed from Bandipur to Damauli. Although local people protested the decision to move the district headquarters, it was removed by force.
After the transfer of district headquarters, significant transformation took place in Bandipur. Traffic volume came down considerably as the traffic was directed to Damauli. The construction of new road linking Kathmandu and Pokhara begun in 1968 which shattered remaining hope of revival for Bandipur.
Although the access road was designed from Bandipur to Dumre with support from American Peace Corps volunteer, it could not stop the flux of population moving from Bandipur and down to the Highway.
After years of lull, it is now gradually reviving its potential as a tourist center or center for recreation. From a major trade center in the early 1950, Bandipur is now establishing its identity as a new tourist destination.
