Limbuwan, Cardamon and Pathibhara Devi Mandir

Kathmandu to Taplejung
At the start of our trip, we waited four hours for a thick haze covering Kathmandu to lift so that our long-overdue flight could take off. It was so thick that many flights were canceled that day. From Bhadrapur we drove on to Ilam. It was a hazy day that ended with a dry polluted looking sunset.

The next morning, after an early departure from Ilam, we drove north toward Taplejung. Many beautiful Limbu houses line the road. Limbu people are the most common ethnic group in the eastern region. They call it Limbuwan.

We passed over the Tamor River on the way to Taplejung. The Tamor's source begins near Kanchenjunga, meets the Arun River then Sun Khosi and on to the Gangetic plain.
A hilltop view of Taplejung. It is surprisingly large but feels like a small village. Blue corrugated tin roofs were on almost every house. This cheap building material has been very commonly used since the earthquake in 2015.

After visiting Taplejung we walked 3 hours to a ridge where we spent the night in a village homestay - the blue house below. It was a chaotic place, the widow who owns the house has three daughters living there - each one had a 2-year-old child. They help run the homestay while their husbands work overseas.  

Early the next morning we left to walk to Pathibhara, visiting cardamon farmers along the way. We visited several cardamon farms and walked through the area meeting Limbu, Gurung and other ethnic groups.

In October large cardamon is harvested. We found cardamon pods drying in the sun and placed on a screen over a wood fire to dry completely. Large cardamon is red at first then darkens when dried. The biggest market for cardamon is mostly in the Middle East.

Cardamon fiber taken from the stems is woven into a fine and lovely piece of fabric. Now several groups are working in the area to help add value to the crop. The group we met with is called Sabah.

Cardamon products ready for the market are packaged by Sabah and sold both locally and in Kathmandu.

Another product from this area is called Churpi. It is made from boiled milk cooked until it reduces to thick milk then something sour is added to clump it, it is put into a press to flatten it, dried for several weeks then stored hanging from the ceiling where it also gets smoked. This is a new export product being shipped overseas for dog chews. People in the region get a bit insulted when told their product is used for dogs. 

This family had several cows in addition to cardamon. We had a treat from the family milk supply - rice cooked in milk was made for our lunch and served with fresh vegetables and a spicy tomato achar it was delicious.

This was the whole family living in the house. Notice the lack of men? Most young men leave Nepal to work in the Middle East and this is what the countryside looks like. 

There were lots of little girls, including twin girls named Ganga and Jamuna, plus the older but very healthy grandparents.

At the next Limbu home we visited we found an old wooden rice husker. A small amount of rice is placed into a depression in the floor, a person stands at the left holds on to the tall handles and lifts the large wooden beam up and down on top of the rice breaking off the husks.

Another family photo but missing part of the family, who were busy harvesting cardamon. They said eight people were living in the house. The man is a very good bee hive carpenter. He was making and selling hives to help provide extra income.

We walked most of the day to Phedi in the photo below. This is where jeeps haul people from Taplejung to the starting point of the walk to Pathibhara mandir. From this point we walked 2 hours more, uphill, to reach Thulo Phedi, about halfway to the top. The trail is just showing a bit in the back of the photo.

Arriving at Thulo Phedi late in the afternoon we were in time for another haze enhanced sunset with brilliant orange-yellow color. 

A very early pre-sunrise photo of Makalu, 5th highest peak, on the walk up to Pathibhara Devi Mandir. Dave and I pause for a quick photo.

As the sun rises we can see the mountain's shadow stretching out into the distance.

From the top, we were rewarded with a fantastic view of the oddly carved Kangchenjunga peaks. The tallest is the third highest in the world at 8586m. The name means the "five treasures of snow". Alternative spellings are varied depending on the language source. In Sikkim, it is called Kangchendzonga and in the Limbu area, it is Khangchanjanga. 

Pathibhara Devi is a wish-fulfilling goddess. She is a very important Hindu and Limbu figure. Devotees offer animal sacrifices, plus gold and silver, believing that she will answer their wishes. She is part Kali and sometimes called Adi Kali, while the Limbu people call her Mukkumlung.

Olivia's wish was to bless her computer that holds her PhD thesis and praying for success. If your wishes are fulfilled you must return to hang a bell. 

We posed for a family photo on the top of Pathibhara at 3794m or 12,500ft.

We were lucky with the weather - it was cloudless and lovely in the morning. Our view of the whole of Kangchenjunga was perfect. 

One of the statues of Durga enveloped in incense smoke.

The resident priest that looks after the temples advises a woman on her puja. 
The metal statue of the goddess is a more recent addition. The ancient stone figure beside the statue is protected by a stone ledge covered with a mantle and hard to photograph.

The face of the bronze figure was very beautiful.
Also at the top of the peak was the God of the Limbu. They have an ancient religion called Kirat. The Kirati goddess is called Yakthumba and she has a special spot on the peak.

This was our view from the very tip top of the peak.

We walked back down from Pathibhara to meet a 4-wheel vehicle and drive back to Taplejung. The road was so bad it was definitely better to walk. 

Early the next morning from Taplejung we started to drive back toward Ilam. The fields were full of wheat and millet.

After a few bends in the road we saw that Pathibhara peak was in view and the path to the top could be seen.

A few more bends in the road and switch backs down to rivers and back up to the hills we saw our last view of Kanchenjunga.

 

This day was a special holiday, everything was closed so that people could dance and celebrate. At one point Limbu women and men were dancing in the road so we stopped to watch since it was taking place right in the middle of the highway.

It was hard to find a place to eat since it was a big holiday, but just where the dance was we found a shop selling tea and freshly cooked sel roti, something like a doughnut. The woman's kitchen was beautifully crafted with a wood stove made of mud and rows of lovely brass plates and copper water containers.

A few parting shots of a damselfly, Calicnemia exima, found beside a small stream.

 And an Oak Blue butterfly at another stop.

After leaving the dancers to finish their celebrations we had one last parting view of Kanchenjunga.

It was a lovely 4 day trip, and when Olivia finishes her degree we will have to return to hang a bell at the temple.