Religious tourists increased in Muktinath

KATHMANDU, Oct 28:The Muktinath temple in Mustang, a major pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists, is currently enjoying a surge of visitors. Since the end of Dashain, about 4,000 religious visitors have visited Muktinath every day.

Rabin Subedi, manager of the Muktinath Development Committee, stated that the clear weather has contributed to a significant surge in tourists anxious to visit Muktinath and the surrounding attractions in Mustang. Over the last week, daily visitation to the temple have routinely exceeded 4,000.

Many tourists have taken advantage of the Dashain Tihar holidays, entering Mustang mostly through Myagdi and visiting Muktinath as their top destination.

Manager Subedi stated that there are currently 35 operational hotels in the Ranipauwa market area near the temple, all of which are fully booked by religious visitors.

According to the local police, over 80% of visitors are domestic tourists, with a sizable proportion of foreign tourists arriving from nearby India. Additionally, some tourists from other countries are traveling to Muktinath via the Thorong La pass on the Annapurna Circuit trail.

According to temple priest Krishna Prasad Subedi, while the temple usually shutters between 12 and 1 p.m., it has been kept open for worship and darshan throughout the day due to the large number of devotees. The temple's rising popularity has resulted in an annual increase in pilgrims.

Pilgrims believe that visiting Muktinath fulfills their wishes and provides them serenity and pleasure. Priest Subedi explained that it is usual to pray at the temple after bathing in the 108 sacred taps in the temple premises and the two holy ponds (Mukti Kunda and Saraswati Kunda) in front of temple.

Due to religious visitors visiting Muktinath, most hotels in Myagdi, including Kagbeni, Muktinath, Jomsom, Marpha, and Leyte in Mustang, are fully booked. Local entrepreneurs report that as the number of tourists has increased, so has their income.