Barahpokhari is a destination of special faith
Occupying an area of five kilometres, Barahpokhari is located 16 kilometres south of the district headquarters Diktel. Barahapokhari situated 1700 meters above sea level in Khotang district east of Nepal. Anyone can visit the hidden tourism destination of Khotang then explore the sacred Baraha Pokhari pond and Shangkheshwar Mahadev temple which lies in the Barahapokhari rural municipality of Khotang district. Crowds flock to Barahpokhari to take a dip into the pond. Especially on Haribodhani Ekadashi, the two-day Mela is held around the pond. Even today, pigeons are flown here to ensure peace in life. A new species of redfish are found in Barahpokhari. It is an endangered species in the world. Barahpokhari has been declared as one of the 100 tourist destinations of the country by the Government of Nepal.
In the middle of the forest, there is a huge pond. Whose source and exit are nowhere to be seen. The volume of the pond, which is located on the flat land in the middle of the hill, looks the same for twelve months. There is a saying that in ancient times, when a fish came out of the yard of a house and ate it by roasting it, water came out of it and 12 houses of the Magar settlement were submerged in the lake.
It takes two days to reach Barahpokhari on foot from Diktel Bazaar. Diktel, Temma, Chuichumma Boflu, Chhitapokhari, Chipring, Indreyanipokhari, Khotang Bazaar and after crossing Sawakhola you can reach Barahpokhari in about three hours. Barahpokhari is reached from Udayapur via Buwanjorghat and Kulabadh in Sunkoshi on the border of Khotang and Udayapur. From Bhojpur, it reaches there after passing through Pandhare Bazar of Bhojpur.
There are plenty of local style hotels in Barahpokhari so there is no problem staying there. Apart from food, the hotels around Barahpokhari are rich in delicacies such as Sel roti, Sibaltarul and Ghartarul etc occasionally. It is believed that worshipping Barahmai and Shankheshwar on the south side of Barahpokhari will fulfil the dream. In order to bring peace in life, it is customary to fly a pair of temple pigeons and to worship by bathing in a pool for purity.
There is a belief that one can get salvation by bathing in this pool which looks green for 12 months. It is believed that a couple who have been married for a long time and have no children can have children if they come here to worship. On the occasion of Haribodhani Ekadashi, the Mela here is especially crowded with devotees. It is also customary to sow Satbiz in the pond on Ram Navami, Shivaratri, Balachaturdashi and Maghe Sankranti.
