Bandipur– From an Isolated Town to Famous Destination

Beautiful Traditional Houses in Bandipur

There was a time,  Bandipur used to be the district  headquarter of Tanahu district. It housed government administrative offices, schools and market. People from the neighboring districts like Lamjung, Kaski and Chitwan would throng to this beautiful hill town. It was the main trading hub. But construction of Kathmandu–Pokhara Highway changed everything. In 1968, the highway completed and for technical reasons Tanahun headquarter was logically shifted to Damauli, leaving Bandipur isolated up on the hill.

In the 1970s, trading fell into a steep decline. No surprise,  Bandipur remained a mere hill town. The movement of people from other places stopped completely. Seeing uncertain future, the tradesmen of Bandipur were forced to migrate to Kathmandu, Pokhara and Narayangadh. Ram Hari Sharma, a local teacher remembers, "Most of the business men sold their houses and migrated to other big cities". Bandipur was slowly deserted and turned into a semi-ghost town. The small beautiful Newar town slept for several years.

It is a history now. It's been more than forty years and much water has flown on Marshyandi River since then. The deserted town has changed into a famous attraction for tourists. Thanks to local tourism entrepreneur who helped Bandipur stretches its arms once again.  

At a quick look, Bandipur looks much like a street in Bhaktapur or Patan but it has its own peculiarity. The stone paved street and slate roofed traditional houses have painted color to Bandipur town. The crafted windows are the best example of Newar splendid workmanship and artistic excellence. "This small well preserved town gives different experience than Pokhara and Kathmandu" said Sally (46) from Finland.  She was among the group of fifteen  and spent a night here before returning to Kathmandu.

Local involvement in branding Bandipur as the tourist destination is appreciable. Some of the migrated businessmen returned and run hotels and lodges. Bandipur Social Development Committee has been organizing Bandipur Mahotsav (festival) every year. This has given some impetus to the publicity of the place. Few years back, with the support of European commission, concept of eco cultural tourism was developed in Bandipur. Proliferation   in number of hotels and resorts are the indication of future of tourism in Bandipur.

As a famous stopover for tourists returning to Kathmandu from Pokhara and vice versa, Bandipur has many things to offer to its guests.  Tundikhel, a big open ground, which was a parking area for vehicles few years back, is a vehicular movement free zone. It serves as the main tourist attraction in Bandipur. From there, on the one hand, one can enjoy breathtaking panoramic view of mountain range. No doubt, smile automatically comes in tourists' faces when they look  at the beautiful mountain range. It feels like mountains – Annapurna, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung  Himal, Machhapuchhre, Langtang and  Ganesh are  smiling back to them as well. On the other, pair of eyes never gets tired looking at the scenic beauty of deep Marsyangdi Valley. Green lush forests, orange farm and silk worm farm attract tourist attention too.

Downhill trek to the Siddha Cave, probably the biggest cave in Nepal can be another adventure. It is believed that the cave is as big as one can enjoy an elephant ride inside the cave. A hike to Ramkot village, tour to the Bindyabashini temple, Thani Mai, Tindhara, Raniban can be other options for tourists who want to spend 2-3 days.

Although, February is not a pick tourist season, international tourists are seen roaming around Bandipur. "We receive large number of tourists during two seasons; September to December and in March to May. It may be because of publicity of Nepal Tourism Year, the booking is satisfactory", Krishna Bhattarai, manager at Bandipur Mountain Resort shared. He added that Bandipur can be developed as MICE tourism. But he admitted the resorts and hotels lack necessary facilities to cater the requirement for convention and meeting, convention tourism can be another possibility in this region. Like convention tourism, Bandipur has big potential for adventures  like paragliding and rock climbing.

Bandipur changes its face from a famous trading hub to a ghost town and again to a favorite tourist destination.  An amalgam of culture and nature,   fresh and healthy environment, scenic grandeur and vibrant culture, Bandipur does worth 1-2 day stay of both domestic and international travelers.