Mu Gompa

                            Mu Gompa

 Mu Gompa (3700m) is the highest and most northerly permanent human settlement in the Tsum valley. The monastery is situated at an altitude of 3700m. Although a little over 100 years old, Mu is one of the larger complexes of Tsum and was established in 1895.

Lama sherap Dorje Drukpa Rinpochel heads the establishment. The connection of Mu to the Drukpa is commemorated by the occasional visits of various Bhutaness lamas. The monastery stores many religious books, incuding trek kangyur. The central lifesize statue is chenresig, seen here as the eleven- headed version called Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit. Guru Rinpoche sits on the left and two Buddhas    (Amitabha Buddhas perhaps) on the right. Milarepa sits on the top right with his trademark hand to ear. Tara lokpa Rinpoche and the Dalai lama are given prominence, although the Dalai Lama is of the Gelug-pa sect. 

The monks of Mu perform regular meditations, annual rituals and alternate fasting. At one time there were said to be 500 monks and nuns in mu and Dhephyudonma. However, these days only a few nuns remain. The monastery is overseen by lama sherap and it too conforms to the unusual Tsum valley blend of Nyingma-pa and kagyu-pa. There are two special festivals celebrated in this monastery Ngyungne, which occurs in September/October with fasting for world peace, and yaarney which involves the reading of sacred texts and some rituals being performed.

Himalayan Smile Treks and Adventures Pvt. Ltd.

Email: sales@himalayastrek.com|info@himalayastrek.com

Seven Corner Road | Thamel | G.P.O.Box No.13216 | Kathmandu | Nepal

Tel: 977-1-4700386 | 977-1-4700446 | Fax: 977-1-4701336
Skype: himalayan.smile.treks
Web: www.himalayastrek.com | www.himalayansmiletrek.com

 

    

Old couple sightless, homeless, helpless

The hardships of an elderly visually-impaired couple have been compounded since the April earthquake damaged their house in Chitwan.
Dam Bahadur Chepang, 92, and wife Saunimaya, 95, of an impoverished Chepang community at Sarling in Lothar-8 have no money to rebuild their house. They are risking their lives by staying on in the dilapidated house. Unable to work and earn, they have difficulties arranging for essentials.
“We cannot walk easily. We have to crawl while cultivating crops on our farmland,” said Saunimaya. They have no choice but to feel the way up to the forest to collect fodder and firewood.
Dam Bahadur lost sight five years ago while Saunimaya became unable to see seven years ago. Devoid of enough bedding or warm clothes, they make a fire to beat the chill at night.
“We have no money to buy warm clothes. The fire has kept us alive,” said Dam Bahadur. Sometimes they are hurt sitting around the fire, at others their clothes get burnt. The couple said they have given up hope to regain eyesight as they cannot afford treatment.
“I don’t know what happened to my eye. I can’t see anything now,” said Saunimaya. In the lack of the citizenship certificate, she has been deprived of the social security allowance. However, the old man collects the government’s monthly dole.
The couple has five sons but they stay in places up to an hour’s walk away. Dam Bahadur said he and his wife have no food grains—they could not grow crops this year. “We often go to bed on empty stomach,” he said. They, however, plan to collect some wild roots for food.
Occasionally, their sons and grandchildren bring them foodstuff. They long for living in a new house and eating to their hearts’ content. Although the government has built houses for displaced Chepangs in some areas, Dam Bahadur said they were neglected.
“The government provides relief only to the people in contact. There’s no one who sees our plight, he rued.
 source by Kathmandu post 

Himalayan Smile Treks and Adventures Pvt. Ltd.

Email: sales@himalayastrek.com|info@himalayastrek.com

Seven Corner Road | Thamel | G.P.O.Box No.13216 | Kathmandu | Nepal

Tel: 977-1-4700386 | 977-1-4700446 | Fax: 977-1-4701336
Skype: himalayan.smile.treks
Web: www.himalayastrek.com | www.himalayansmiletrek.com

The Assault on Machhapuchhre

                              The Assault on Machhapuchhre

The fishail peak of machhapuchhre is one of the most iconic mountains of Nepal standing at 6993m (22,943ft).It is a sacred peak whose summit is not to be violated. The said an attempt was made in 1957 by a small expedition led by jimmy Roberts. On 24 April Base camp was set just inside the sanctuary and from there they chose a route that would take them on to the North Ridge by way of the ice flutings that from a distance looked like pleated curtain. Before gaining the ridge, however one of the team members Roger chorley was struck down with polio and was carried out to pokhara in the care of Roberts, leaving just Noyce cox and wylie to continue the attempt with support from their sherpas. Three camps above base the rock buttress which carries the ridse south to the upper pyramid. From there they could make out the sumnt obelisk but the intervening ground was obscured by a short knifeedged ridge which fell steeply to the seti khola. But a glacial projectured the upward route could be carried. Reaching the shelf was an epic in itself and once there it was found to be a mountain freak as Noyce described it. It is supported by nothing and one day will go crashing down into the seti fortunately it held and camp v was pitched above a large crevasse at about 6400m (21oooft) 

Himalayan Smile Treks and Adventures Pvt. Ltd.

Email: sales@himalayastrek.com|info@himalayastrek.com

Seven Corner Road | Thamel | G.P.O.Box No.13216 | Kathmandu | Nepal

Tel: 977-1-4700386 | 977-1-4700446 | Fax: 977-1-4701336
Skype: himalayan.smile.treks
Web: www.himalayastrek.com | www.himalayansmiletrek.com