Khotang-Halesi Tuwachung Municipality has trained 25 local youth as tourist guides to explain the importance of the world-famous tri-religious site Halesi Temple. The Municipality has given an eight-day training to the tourists and devotees who come to Halesi, the meeting place of Hindu, Buddhist and Kirant religions, with the aim of helping in tourism promotion by explaining the official importance of the place.
The Mayor of Halesi Tuwachung Municipality, Vimala Rai, said that the importance of Halesi and surrounding religious and touristic places has been described in their own way.
“It has been found that Halesi, Tarakhse, Tuwachung-Jayajum and other tourist places are being described and explained according to their own ideas”, he said, “because of which their historicity is being lost, subject experts have been trained as tourist guides. .” Halsey will only be described in official guides in the coming days.”
Experts say that the world-famous Halesi has its own history of Hindu, Buddhist and Kirant religions. In order to provide official information to the tourists, the municipality organized an eight-day tourist guide training from January 27th to January 4th.
The training given by the municipality in collaboration with ‘Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management’ (NATH) was facilitated by NATH Departmental Head Ajay Kumar Dhakal, Senior Administration Officer Naresh Dangol, Associate Professor and Culturalist Dr. Loknath Dulal, Buddhist Guru Punyaprasad Parajuli and Kirant Mundhum Scholar Bhogiraj Chamling Rai. The municipality had published a notification for guide training on November 8.
Based on the information issued by the municipality, out of 33 people who applied, after the process of two people was not completed, 25 people were made to participate in the training.
According to the municipality, the youth participating in the training will be listed and an official guide will be kept. Ward President and City Spokesperson Giri informed that the issue of their salary will be decided at a meeting of the city executive.
Religiously and culturally, there is a popular belief that by visiting the world-famous Halesi, one’s wishes will be fulfilled. Tourists and devotees come from different countries including India, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, America, South Korea, along with various districts of Nepal to observe and worship Mahadev cave, Papadwar, Dharmadwar, Bhairava cave, Basaha cave etc. in Halesi.
In Halesi, Hindus, Buddhists and Kirant people have been performing prayers in their own way. Those who believe in Hinduism consider it as Pashupatinath, Buddhists consider it as the second Lumbini and Kirant believers consider it as the primordial land.
In Halesi, which is crowded with hundreds of tourists and devotees every day, the Ram Navami Mela lasts for 15 days in Chait, Balachaturdashi Mela for 12 days in November, Shivratri Mela for seven days in February and Teej Mela for three days in August. According to the temple management committee, the number of tourists and devotees coming to attend the fair and worship at Halesi on the Madhyapahari Lokmarg is increasing day by day.