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Nagarkot to be rebranded with new identities to boost tourism

According to statistics, 25 percent of the tourists who come to Nepal visit Bhaktapur city. The data mentioned that even 10 percent do not arrive in Nagarkot among the tourists who visit Bhaktapur city.
By Krishna Kisi

BHAKTAPUR, Dec 5: Most tourists visit Nagarkot in Bhaktapur district to see the sunrise. The view of the sunrise from Nagarkot is also mesmerizing and picturesque, making Nagarkot famous for this reason. However, the scenic sunrise and sunset views that once made Nagarkot a popular destination are no longer as before.


Dhan Bahadur Lama, the ward chairman of Changunarayan Municipality-6, said that Nagarkot is in the process of being rebranded, as the sunrise and the sunset cannot be clearly visible from Nagarkot, which has led to the idea of rebranding the area.


According to ward chairman Lama, due to various reasons, neither sunrise nor sunset is visible from Nagarkot at the moment. The high levels of smoke and dust, environmental pollution, and climate change are among the factors preventing the visibility of the sunrise and sunset from Nagarkot.


Therefore, planning has been made for rebranding and promoting the destination under different names to ensure the continuity of tourist arrivals, said Lama. The plan has begun to rebrand Nagarkot by introducing six other tourist destinations in the area.  According to him, there is a plan to introduce Nagarkot through the new identities of Mahadev Kund, Maha Manjushree and other places.


Mahadev Kund is a unique pond in Nagarkot, where a large fair is held every year on the day of Raksha Bandhan. Devotees from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Sankhu, and Banepa gather here in large numbers. It is located between Nagarkot and Tukucha village in Kavre. Maha Manjushree, a well-known site, is in the Changu Narayan Municipality.


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Previously, when the village development committee in the northern part of Bhaktapur was restructured and declared a municipality, the area was initially designated as two separate municipalities as Changunarayan and Maha Manjushree. However, the plan to create both municipalities was later canceled, and the two were merged to form a single municipality, now known as Changunarayan Municipality.


Jeevan Khatri, the mayor of Changunarayan Municipality, said that the municipality is not in favor of misleading tourists to come to Nagarkot for sunrise and sunset views. “We are now planning to rebrand Nagarkot with a new name, as it is better not to attract tourists through false expectations,” he said.


Khatri said that the 2015 earthquake and the COVID pandemic have led to a decline in the number of foreign tourists visiting Nepal and that tourists learned that they could no longer see the sunrise and sunset from Nagarkot, resulting in a decrease of tourists visiting Nagarkot . He said that as a result, the entrance fee charged by the municipality to foreign tourists arriving in Nagarkot has now been cancelled.


Khatri further said that the municipality has a plan to re-introduce Nagarkot by a different name only after foreign tourists start arriving in Nagarkot.


According to statistics, 25 percent of the tourists who come to Nepal visit Bhaktapur city. The data mentioned that even 10 percent do not arrive in Nagarkot among the tourists who visit Bhaktapur city.


Mahankal temple is famous in Nagarkot along with sunrise and sunset. This temple is believed to be of great significance for tantric practitioners. It is widely believed that the Mahankal temple in Kathmandu was constructed by relocating the Mahankal deity.


Apart from the Mahankal temple, Kali Devi temple is also located in Nagarkot. Every year a fair is held here on the day of Paush Shukla Purnima. The Kali Devi temple is historically notable as the site of the Nagarkot massacre. The Jalpa Devi temple is also located in Nagarkot.


The Jalpa Devi temple located at Telkot in Nagarkot is an important place. Another famous place in Nagarkot is the Geeta temple, situated in Phedi-1, Nayabasti Gitanagar.


This place is located between Nagarkot, Chhaling and Bageshwari in Changunarayan Municipality. The temples such as Gita Mata, Saptarishi, Nagaraja, Budhanilkantha, Ganesh, Kumar and Shiva are also located in Nagarkot. Fairs are held here especially during festivals like Teej, Dashain, Tihar. 


People can enjoy a breathtaking view of the peaks in the north, including the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest from Nagarkot, when the weather is clear. Other notable peaks visible from here range include the Dhaulagiri range as well as Kanchenjunga, Manaslu, Ganesh, Langtang, Gaurishankar, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Makalu. 


Along with foreign visitors, many domestic tourists also visit Nagarkot. Particularly, People from the Kathmandu Valley often come to Nagarkot to take a break from their busy and chaotic lives and spend some time with nature.


Nagarkot is located 32 km north-east of the capital Kathmandu and 20 km east of Bhaktapur city. It is at an altitude of 2,750 meters above sea level. The climate in Nagarkot is cool, even during the summer season.


As both domestic and international tourists visit Nagarkot, hotels and resorts are available ranging from basic to high-standard facilities for food and accommodation. 




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