The above illustration shows the eastern section of the Kabhre Palanchok Mahabharat range viewed from the Timal ridge north of the Roshi Khola river. The Mahabharat is the highest mountain range south of the Himalayan foothills that spans several districts. In Kabhre Palanchok district, the Mahabharat range occupies more then thirty percent of the district's territory between the Roshi Khola river in the north and the Kabhre-Sindhuli-Makawanpur district boundary in the south. Due to the limited and to some degree difficult access, the Mahabharat ridge virtually isolates the population of southern Mahabharat from the rest of the district. In the illustration below, the eastern part of the Timal region is the second ridge from the front.
The Mahabharat range, though scenically very beautiful, is a very rugged mountain region with very steep hillsides and narrow valleys. From the top of the Mahabharat ridge, on a clear day, one can observe a panorama of the entire Nepal Himalayas, from the Mount Everest region in the east, all the way to the Annapurnas in the west. The above illustration shows a section of the eastern Himalayas, the eastern part of Rolwaling Himal on the left and the Khumbu Himal on the right. Mt. Everest is clearly visible just to the right of centre. The picture below shows the central Himalayas as observed from the top of the Mahabharat ridge. The Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Himal is on the left, the Himalchuli-Manaslu Himal is on the right. These mountains are between 200 to 300 kilometers distant from where the pictures were taken, yet they are clearly identifiable.
There is only one access crossing into the western part of southern Mahabharat via Khopasi and the Phalametar VDC. The central and eastern parts of the region can be accessed via several crossings leading into the Dandagaon, Gokule, Phokshintar and Budhakhani VDCs. In the central and eastern part, a long trail traverses the top of the Mahabharat ridge. The trail is quite scenic as it passes through a dense rhododendron forest with occasional views toward the Himalayas or the hills of southern Mahabharat. In the spring, the forest abounds with a variety of wild flowers.
The pictures below illustrate the various parts of southern Mahabharat. The north, central and eastern part of the Budhakhani VDC, parts of the Bankhu VDC in the southeast along the Kabhre-Sindhuli district boundary, parts of Phokshintar, Ghartichap and Gokule VDCs in the central part of the region, and parts of the Dandagaon, Salme Chakal, Saldhara and Phalametar VDCs in the western and northwestern parts of the region. As can be observed from these photographs, although very beautiful, the southern Mahabharat is also a very rugged mountain region.
Although not as densely populated as northern regions of Kabhre district, the southern Mahabharat occupies nearly twenty five percent of the district's area. As far as local the economy is concerned, there is a great difference between the northern and the southern regions of the Mahabharat. A keen observer would hardly believe that the southern Mahabharat belongs to the same district. While the northern Mahabharat has a great abundance of citrus fruit orchards, virtually no fruit trees can be found throughout the southern part of the region. It seems that the limited and difficult access into the southern Mahabharat resulted in a major neglect of the region by government development planners.
The population settled along the northern slopes of the Mahabharat range derives considerable economic benefits from agriculture and fruit growing. By contrast, the entire economy of southern Mahabharat is based on subsistence or below subsistence farming. Due to the lack of development activities within the region throughout the past several decades, the southern Mahabharat remains the poorest region of Kabhre district and a undeveloped remote area.
The economic neglect of southern Mahabharat is not the only negative factor affecting the way of life of the region's population. There were very few schools within the region when we first engaged there in development activities more than a decade ago. Although many new primary schools have been established during the past decade, there are still many areas within the region where the distances to reach the nearest schoolhouse are too great for the children to be able to attend school.
The lack of schools in the past is also reflected in the high illiteracy level among the southern Mahabharat's population. The majority of teenage and adult population, especially women, is illiterate. Furthermore, access to education beyond the current primary grade five level is also almost non-existent. There is only one secondary school within the entire region.
Next to educational deprivation is the lack of health care facilities. Until about ten years ago, there was only one health post within the entire region. Yet, it is the southern Mahabharat's population that has the longest and most difficult route to reach any available health care facilities within the entire district. The neglect in this area has also been reflected in above average mortality rate among the region's population.
Whenever a natural calamity occurred in Kabhre Palanchok district, it has always been the southern Mahabharat that had suffered the greatest damage. This was the case when a major earthquake struck eastern Nepal in 1988, and also in July 1993, when heavy rainfall caused major floods in the valleys and massive landslides in the hills. The region's population is still recovering from the heavy damage caused by the floods and landslides. While the earthquake damaged or destroyed many village homes, the agricultural land remained virtually intact. On the other hand, the floods and landslides rendered many families both homeless and landless. Major damage has also been caused to the foot trails that represent the only means of transportation and communication in this roadless remote part of Nepal.
While the broad river valleys in other parts of Kabhre district have large tracts of agricultural land that may yield up to three crops per year, the narrow valleys between the very steep mountainsides within the southern Mahabharat offer very limited opportunity for crop cultivation. What little cultivation was possible in the past has for the most part been washed away by the floods of 1993.
Due to the region's isolated location, the lifestyle within the southern Mahabharat is perhaps a century behind that of the economically more prosperous hill regions of Nepal. Modernity has not yet started knocking on the doors within the region. However, the old fashioned lifestyle has also retained many positive aspects to it. Every village is like one large family, with the people helping each other whenever the need arises.
Although the majority of marriages among young couples are arranged by the parents, they do last. As poor as these people are, they adhere to very high moral standards. Such social ills as marriage breakups, family violence, abuse of women and children that affect highly developed societies are totally absent among the region's population.
Southern Mahabharat's population is made up of several ethnic communities. The Tamangs and Magars represent the largest segment of the region's population, along with a few small settlements of Newars, Majhis, Chhetris and Brahmins. The main crops are corn and millet. Due to the rugged mountain terrain and very narrow valleys, rice cultivation in the region is very limited. As mentioned earlier, there are virtually no fruit trees within the region. The soil is also not well suited for vegetable growing.
There is only very limited evidence of animal husbandry as a source of income. The marketable animals are goats or jungle boars (banels) bred by the Tamangs, providing the family can afford to purchase a baby boar from the government agencies in the Chitwan district. The sale of a grown boar may represent the family's only source of annual income.
Throughout our almost two decades long presence within the region, we have been very impressed by the local people and their keen desire to help themselves. They also appreciate the development assistance they receive. The projects that we support all fall into the local self-help category. Every community seeking our assistance makes a substantial in-kind contribution both in locally available materials and voluntary labor toward their project. The village project committees coordinate all project related activities from project planning through to implementation. We donate only such materials that cannot be provided through local resources and provide technical expertise in project design and during project implementation.
The Mahabharat range, though scenically very beautiful, is a very rugged mountain region with very steep hillsides and narrow valleys. From the top of the Mahabharat ridge, on a clear day, one can observe a panorama of the entire Nepal Himalayas, from the Mount Everest region in the east, all the way to the Annapurnas in the west. The above illustration shows a section of the eastern Himalayas, the eastern part of Rolwaling Himal on the left and the Khumbu Himal on the right. Mt. Everest is clearly visible just to the right of centre. The picture below shows the central Himalayas as observed from the top of the Mahabharat ridge. The Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Himal is on the left, the Himalchuli-Manaslu Himal is on the right. These mountains are between 200 to 300 kilometers distant from where the pictures were taken, yet they are clearly identifiable.
There is only one access crossing into the western part of southern Mahabharat via Khopasi and the Phalametar VDC. The central and eastern parts of the region can be accessed via several crossings leading into the Dandagaon, Gokule, Phokshintar and Budhakhani VDCs. In the central and eastern part, a long trail traverses the top of the Mahabharat ridge. The trail is quite scenic as it passes through a dense rhododendron forest with occasional views toward the Himalayas or the hills of southern Mahabharat. In the spring, the forest abounds with a variety of wild flowers.
The pictures below illustrate the various parts of southern Mahabharat. The north, central and eastern part of the Budhakhani VDC, parts of the Bankhu VDC in the southeast along the Kabhre-Sindhuli district boundary, parts of Phokshintar, Ghartichap and Gokule VDCs in the central part of the region, and parts of the Dandagaon, Salme Chakal, Saldhara and Phalametar VDCs in the western and northwestern parts of the region. As can be observed from these photographs, although very beautiful, the southern Mahabharat is also a very rugged mountain region.
Although not as densely populated as northern regions of Kabhre district, the southern Mahabharat occupies nearly twenty five percent of the district's area. As far as local the economy is concerned, there is a great difference between the northern and the southern regions of the Mahabharat. A keen observer would hardly believe that the southern Mahabharat belongs to the same district. While the northern Mahabharat has a great abundance of citrus fruit orchards, virtually no fruit trees can be found throughout the southern part of the region. It seems that the limited and difficult access into the southern Mahabharat resulted in a major neglect of the region by government development planners.
The population settled along the northern slopes of the Mahabharat range derives considerable economic benefits from agriculture and fruit growing. By contrast, the entire economy of southern Mahabharat is based on subsistence or below subsistence farming. Due to the lack of development activities within the region throughout the past several decades, the southern Mahabharat remains the poorest region of Kabhre district and a undeveloped remote area.
The economic neglect of southern Mahabharat is not the only negative factor affecting the way of life of the region's population. There were very few schools within the region when we first engaged there in development activities more than a decade ago. Although many new primary schools have been established during the past decade, there are still many areas within the region where the distances to reach the nearest schoolhouse are too great for the children to be able to attend school.
The lack of schools in the past is also reflected in the high illiteracy level among the southern Mahabharat's population. The majority of teenage and adult population, especially women, is illiterate. Furthermore, access to education beyond the current primary grade five level is also almost non-existent. There is only one secondary school within the entire region.
Next to educational deprivation is the lack of health care facilities. Until about ten years ago, there was only one health post within the entire region. Yet, it is the southern Mahabharat's population that has the longest and most difficult route to reach any available health care facilities within the entire district. The neglect in this area has also been reflected in above average mortality rate among the region's population.
Whenever a natural calamity occurred in Kabhre Palanchok district, it has always been the southern Mahabharat that had suffered the greatest damage. This was the case when a major earthquake struck eastern Nepal in 1988, and also in July 1993, when heavy rainfall caused major floods in the valleys and massive landslides in the hills. The region's population is still recovering from the heavy damage caused by the floods and landslides. While the earthquake damaged or destroyed many village homes, the agricultural land remained virtually intact. On the other hand, the floods and landslides rendered many families both homeless and landless. Major damage has also been caused to the foot trails that represent the only means of transportation and communication in this roadless remote part of Nepal.
While the broad river valleys in other parts of Kabhre district have large tracts of agricultural land that may yield up to three crops per year, the narrow valleys between the very steep mountainsides within the southern Mahabharat offer very limited opportunity for crop cultivation. What little cultivation was possible in the past has for the most part been washed away by the floods of 1993.
Due to the region's isolated location, the lifestyle within the southern Mahabharat is perhaps a century behind that of the economically more prosperous hill regions of Nepal. Modernity has not yet started knocking on the doors within the region. However, the old fashioned lifestyle has also retained many positive aspects to it. Every village is like one large family, with the people helping each other whenever the need arises.
Although the majority of marriages among young couples are arranged by the parents, they do last. As poor as these people are, they adhere to very high moral standards. Such social ills as marriage breakups, family violence, abuse of women and children that affect highly developed societies are totally absent among the region's population.
Southern Mahabharat's population is made up of several ethnic communities. The Tamangs and Magars represent the largest segment of the region's population, along with a few small settlements of Newars, Majhis, Chhetris and Brahmins. The main crops are corn and millet. Due to the rugged mountain terrain and very narrow valleys, rice cultivation in the region is very limited. As mentioned earlier, there are virtually no fruit trees within the region. The soil is also not well suited for vegetable growing.
There is only very limited evidence of animal husbandry as a source of income. The marketable animals are goats or jungle boars (banels) bred by the Tamangs, providing the family can afford to purchase a baby boar from the government agencies in the Chitwan district. The sale of a grown boar may represent the family's only source of annual income.
Throughout our almost two decades long presence within the region, we have been very impressed by the local people and their keen desire to help themselves. They also appreciate the development assistance they receive. The projects that we support all fall into the local self-help category. Every community seeking our assistance makes a substantial in-kind contribution both in locally available materials and voluntary labor toward their project. The village project committees coordinate all project related activities from project planning through to implementation. We donate only such materials that cannot be provided through local resources and provide technical expertise in project design and during project implementation.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment