Bhakti Darshan Bishes “Gosaikunda Yatra”

Gosaikunda is one of the holiest lake of Nepal located in Rasuwa district at the height of 4,380m from sea level. It is on the way of a popular trekking route of Dhunche- Gosaikunda- Helambu trek. Gosaikunda trek adjoins the famous Langtang trek in the same district. The lake remains frozen for six months in winter, October to June. In fact there are 108 total lakes , small to medium in this region. Among them, Gosaikunda, Bhairav Kunda and Saraswati Kunda are popular. Most of the trekking trails in Langtang- Helambu region pass the Gosaikunda Lake. There are plenty of hotels and guest houses along the route to Helambu. According to Hindu religion, the lake is believed to have originated from the digging of the land by the Trishul (holy three pointed sword) of lord Shiva after he drank the poison from Samundramanthan and desperately wanted cold water to quench the overwhelming heat of the poison.

Hindu pilgrim, a local Jhankri shaman or like me, a nosey onlooker, you have two possible routes to get to Gosaikunda. From the south east your way is blocked by the hefty Laurebina pass at over 15000 ft and consequently, pilgrims coming this way from Kathmandu often choose to make the walk from Sundarijal (1460m) gaining altitude slowly over a few days before attempting the pass. The alternate, much shorter and far more popular route is from the north west starting at Dunche (1960m) a town that is serviced by a main road from Kathmandu.