Badimalika; a journey worth giving a Try

*All the images are credited to towards.moksha.

Badimalika, about that place, have had heard before but was not sure of exploring it in any near days. My latest trip, to the far west of Nepal, was a wholesome trip. Among the spiritual travelers and researchers, I might be the only one who joined the group just because of Ramaroshan.

So, yes, it all started with Ramaroshan Site. While the talk about the trip was going on, the mention of Ramaroshan alone made me join the trek. Besides Ramaroshan, Khaptad, and Badimalika were later added to my destination list.

Of course, all these places were the least explored attractions of Nepal. So, I also had a little piece of information about these places, especially Ramaroshan and Khaptad but Badimalika was a totally unknown destination for me. I only heard about it because it often is mentioned with Khaptad. Besides that, I had zero information about Badimalika and didn’t even bother to check on the internet about it. I was going there anyway.

Result! Not to mention, the unexpected and spur-of-the-moment walk I did during the trek to reach Badimalika.

It was intense.

But thinking about that now, make me feel happy and proud of myself. The trip was worth participating in.

Our motive behind this trip was basically to explore the far west of Nepal and study the opportunities to develop it as a tourist attraction. In between all these things we have had the best experience of our lives.

The first time experience sleeping in a barn, being lost in the jungle, trekking in the night (that I would never recommend you to do), looking out for water sources, searching for food and mushrooms in the jungle, having breakfast in between nowhere of human settlement, packing lunch, find even noodles tastier, surpassing all the curve and steep paths, you would never get such an experience in your life besides in this place. And, that’s for sure.

The road to Badimalika temple was, of course, one of the most dangerous roads to be walking on. Though I joined the trip because of Ramaroshan, climbing up to the top of Badimalika was one unforgettable experience. And it was the most remarkable moment that I had during the entire trip.

Leave the hilltop, the way to reach there was the real deal to deal with. There was this narrow path, and on top of that the weather was playing with us since the early morning, at one time, we thought where do we got stuck?

In a second, the clouds were covering us, and in another one, revealing the beautiful landscapes and Himalayan ranges of Api and Saipal. But till the end, we could not figure out, where was the temple of Badmalika because those clouds didn’t let us see through them.

It’s because of Pujari, who went along with us, we were able to reach the temple before the anticipated time. The clouds were, of course, covering the temple, and the Pujari Ji, on top of that, was saying you are only halfway to the temple. When will you guys reach there?

After saying that, he walked for a minute, stopped, and started to take off his shoes. That means we were almost there and it turned out he was rushing us to walk faster. But we were glad that he did so. Or else, who knows when will we finally make it there.

Along with him, we also took off our shoes and went on to the temple.

After crossing all that dangerous way, we ended up at a small plain land where the temple of Goddess Badimalika along with a Yagya spot and Shiva temple was established.

The Badimalika Temple

There were three images of the Goddess inside the temple. One of them is Mahisasurmardini, another Chandi, and lastly, the Goddess Durga. The pujari, Ganesh Rajupadhya told us that, besides the pujari, no one is allowed to enter the temple. Luckily, we had him and he did all the worshiping for us. He even cleaned the temple.

The devotees worship Badimalika only after taking a bath at Triveni or Basudhara. Since we took the shortest route, which do not come across Triveni, so, we didn’t go to Triveni. It was too far for us. We did take the shortest route but it was dangerous.

But, we didn’t hear about any accidents that happened on that path. Before us, there was not even a railing on the steep climbs. We heard that there were not even stone-paved steps before. So, it became really easy for us to climb the hill. The climb was comparatively easy but, it’s the mountain so, of course, no matter how advanced the path is, it’ll be always hard to keep up. Thus, you must have patience, breath steadily, take short breaks, and walk to reach there.

Ways to go to Badimalika

There are various ways to reach Badimalika. As mentioned before, we choose the shortest route yes, but it was dangerous too. If you have a lot of time on your hand, you can choose the longer route. From Marthadi to Triveni Patans and lastly, the Badimalika.

You can even choose to return to Balde via Nateshwori temple, another famous temple in the area. The place is heavenly and beautiful, but you find no luxurious hotels or any services on the spot.

There is another beautiful village named Puema. It is a small village located above the highway named Balde and Budiganga. The river is also known as Bridhaganga. You can find a local guesthouse over there. But from there, you won’t find any hotels or shops on your way to Badimalika, if you choose to go on from our route, the shortest one.

Story related to Badimalika

While we are talking about Badimalika, one of the holiest religious sites in Nepal, we should not miss out on its story.

And the story goes like this. If you have heard the stories written in Swasthani, then, you can easily relate to the story. In that book, it is mentioned that when Satidevi, the first wife of Lord Shiva threw herself on the fire, the fire didn’t dare to burn her body.

Thus, it was still as it used to be but she was dead. Then, Lord Shiva started to roam around the world carrying her body which neither was rotting nor changing into any form. Then, Lord Vishnu went on to the body being a fly and started to rot the body. After which, slowly, the body parts of Satidvi started to fall apart and Lord Shiva realized she no longer is with him.

And, Badimalika is believed to be the place where the right shoulder of Devi Sati fell. That’s why the place is considered one of the holiest places in Nepal. Each year, thousands of Indian and Nepalese devotees go to the temple. The one who can climb the hill goes on to the top of the hill. And others, who physically and by other means could not reach the top go to the Sano Badimalika temple, established in the house of Pujari.

Another Temple of Badimalika

The house of Badimalika’s pujari itself is an attraction. According to Naresh Rajupadhyaya, one of the Pujari, their clan has been worshiping the Badimalika for nearly 800 years. And that house of them, Pujari ghar is said to be at least 600 years old. It’s a masterpiece in itself.

Nevertheless, one must visit this holy site, at least once in a lifetime. Not only Badimalika, but one must visit the far west of Nepal, at least once, because it still is untouched. If nothing, one can find peace and a sense of realization of how life should be lived. Badimalika is a journey worth giving a try.