Sankhu

Sankhu is an old newari town in Nepal that shines annually due to the Swasthani Barta Mela and Bajrayogini Jatra. That area is now known as Kathmandu’s Shankharpur Municipality.

Because of its conch-shaped town form, it was known as Shankharpur even before it was established as a municipality.

According to popular legend, this city was founded by the Goddess Bajrayogini herself. She is claimed to have drained the water and directed the priest Jogdev and the first King Shankhardeva to raise a city in the shape of a conch when that place was inundated with water, similar to the Kathmandu valley.

Because it was a good commerce route to Lhasa, several rulers arrived and governed there after that. The Swasthani Barta Mela and Bajrayogini, however, ensure that it remains a sacred site.

During the month of Magh, tens of thousands of devotees flock to Sankhu to worship Goddess Swasthani and Madhav Narayan.