Mar 28, 2024

President Bhandari inaugurated Buddha statue and boutique resort in Muktinath

President Bhandari  inaugurated Buddha statue and boutique resort in Muktinath

MUSTANG, Nov 08:President Bidya Devi Bhandari has inaugurated the 'Lo Mustang Himalayan Resort' in the famous pilgrimage Muktinath area in Mustang.

The president inaugurated the religious and tourist infrastructure built with the investment of crores for the development of Muktinath area with the personal investment of Sonam Lama, the former vice president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association.

Nima Dicky Lama, the owner of Lo Mustang Himalayan Resort, mentioned that his family has gone ahead with the construction of infrastructure in Mustang to increase the number of pilgrims and tourists in this area, to raise the living standards of this place and to make it a clean and attractive city.

Lama, the owner of the hotel, said that with the arrival of roads and other infrastructure in the Kaligandaki side, the arrival of tourists is also increasing, but because there is a lack of quality and hotel structure, a quality hotel has been built there.

The former Vice President of Non-Resident Nepali Association and the owner of the hotel, Lama, said that if more tourists can be made to go to Muktinath for devotees and tourists coming to the Muktinath area, the standard of living can be improved by spreading the name and place of everyone. Lama said that the preparations started with the aim of making a hotel with facilities for domestic, foreign tourists and special guests have been worthwhile.

In a boutique concept, one can view the mountains in all four directions from the hotel spread over 100 ropani. The hotel, which looks like it is surrounded by the beautiful mountains like Nilgiri Dhaulagiri, will provide services to the tourists from sauna, spa to horse riding facilities. There is also an apple farm of about 500 plants in the hotel area at Ranipauwa Heights.

On Friday, President Bhandari laid the foundation stone of the statue of Lord Bishnu in the Muktinath temple. She also unveiled a 35-feet tall Gautam Buddha statue along with laying the foundation stone for the idol of Lord Bishnu.

Speaking at the event, President Bhandari requested to develop the Muktinath area as a tourist area.

Former president of the association Dr. Sesha Ghale pointed out that since the development in Muktinath area for tourism promotion is very slow, the local and related bodies should give special emphasis to accelerate the periodic infrastructure construction work to attract tourists.

It is estimated that the cost of installing the idol of Bishnu and construction of other related structures will be Rs 9 crore. Where the former president of the association, Ghale, has helped Rs. 50 lakhs. According to the organizers, the idol is being built in the Patan industrial area.

About 6 crore rupees have been invested in the construction of the Buddha statue. Along with the addition of religious and tourist infrastructure, these structures were built at Rani Pauwa near Muktinath Temple. From the Buddha statue and the resort, which is about 3,710 meters above sea level, you can have a 360-degree panoramic view of the mountains.

It is said that Muktinath is the birthplace of Lord Bishnu. As mentioned in the Skanda Purana, a temple was established here by sadhus about 800 years ago. There are also various monasteries in the Muktinath area, which is a common place of pilgrimage for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims.

Muktinath Development Master Plan aims to protect and promote traditional religious structures. Sonam Lama, the founder of the statue and outgoing vice president of Non-Repatriate Nepali Association, said that he was happy to be involved in the installation of the Buddha statue and the laying of the statue of Lord Bishnu. The lama said that parks and other structures have also been built in the area around the statue to be suitable for meditation and sightseeing. Five Stupas and 11 Dhunge Dhara are also built there.

Lama, who has been involved in this project since 2013, said that his wife and son and daughter have built the infrastructure with an investment of around 60 million rupees. These structures are built at Rani Pauwa near Muktinath Temple. The structure built at a height of about 3,700 meters above sea level offers a 360-degree view of the mountains.

With the arrival of roads and other infrastructure in Kaligandaki corridor, the tourist arrival is also increasing. But because there is a lack of quality and hotel structure, a quality hotel has been built there. Lama, who worked in various businesses in America for 27 years, was a member of the Non-Resident Nepalese Association for 13 years. Lama informed that final preparations are being made to put 100-bed capacity Hotel Lo Mustang into operation in Thamel, Kathmandu.

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