Rauta Pokhari is situated in the rural municipality of Udayapur district, about 3000 meters from the sea level. It is located approximately 40 km north of Gaighat district. The oval-shaped pond here is magnificent, with steady forests bordered by large, straight arbour. It is an important religious and tourism site for national tourists.
Being attached to the pond, there is a Hindu Shakti Peeth named Rautamai Temple. A great fair (Mela in Nepali) is held here on the occasion of the 1st Baishak or new year of the Nepali calendar, during which thousands of people from Nepal and India come to enjoy the natural beauty and worship Goddess Rauta Bhagwati. Situated here is another temple without roof and the surprising part is that the priest of the temple is from Magar ethnicity. Thus, this place can be said to represent the unity in diversity that exists in Nepali culture.
This place also offers a glimpse of scenic beauty of the High Himalayas and the magnificent views of the world’s largest peak, Mount Everest and many more peaks, apart from religious significance. This pond occasionally experiences drought, and there is a strong conviction that such a state of water drying will bring a great deal of bad luck to the country and will be interpreted as a harbinger of impending disaster.
It takes about 2 hours of drive from Gaighat to get here. Although there are no hotels, enough home stay is available here that offers wonderful hospitality and a great experience at a fairly reasonable price.
-Article written by: Ujjwal Bhetwal for Land Nepal
