Welcome to Panchase

YEARS

Trusted Flying

B U D D H A

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Issue # 34 Nov 2018

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Welcome to

PANCHASE

Tourist Police for Tourist Safety

The Rich Culture of the Tamang Community

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Trekking

View from Kyanjen Ri 4350 m

Baden Peak

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• Surendra Rana

Photo: Roman Shakya

Langtang

The region is known for ethnic Tamang people with their rich Himalayan tradition, culture and stunning view of snow mountain ranges of Langtang and Gosaikunda

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Paragliding

Masters of the Sky

Nepal’s Paraglding Team

Paragliding glorifies the enchanting beauty of the mountains and scenic nature from the top. Paragliding in Pokhara started almost around two and a half decades ago. Paragliding, in simple terms, means to glide in the air before the touchdown on land. There is a unique thrill in jumping off the hill and breathing in the nature around as you see the snow covered mountain ranges. Pokhara is the most prioritized destination for domestic and international tourists for paragliding for the past two decades. It has been a strength to boosting tourism in Pokhara.

It barely came to anyone’s prediction that paragliding would be a pride of the nation. In the 18th Asian Games held in Indonesia from 18 August 2018 to 2 September 2018, Nepal won the silver medal in the paragliding sport competition, that too at a time when paragliding was included in the games for the first time in 2018. After winning no medals until the eleventh day of the games, this win was a saviour to Nepal.

Nepal had competed in the Cross Country and Accuracy aspects of paragliding. A maximum number of games in the Asian Cup was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Paragliding was held in Gunung Mas,

Puncak. This sport has now marked a new history. This is the second silver medal in the Asian Cup for Nepal. In the 1998 Bangkok Asian Cup, Sabita Rajbhandari had achieved the first silver medal for Nepal. It was a satisfactory performance for Nepal in “Accuracy” and the gliders were neck and neck with the winners in “Cross Country.” Nepal gave an unforgettable performance on the last day. While competing in Task 5, Nepali gliders had the best performance. 3 of the 4 gliders successfully completed the overall task and reached the goal. If the fourth glider too had completed the task, the Nepali team would have upgraded their score above Japan and won the gold medal. The Nepali paragliding team consisted of Bijaya Gautam, Bishal Thapa, Yukesh Gurung and Sushil Gurung under the leadership of Bimal Adhikari. Among the 4 team members, 17 year old Yukesh was the youngest. On the final day, the team managed to score 2700, whereas the Japanese team who led the leader board on the previous day had only managed to score 2057 on the last day. On the last day, the Japanese team only managed to complete 2 tasks.

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21ARCHITECTURE

A Closer Insight to a

Newari House

• Pramita Shrestha Untouched by the temptations of the Western culture, the lifestyle of the Newars, the oldest inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley, has remained relatively similar over the years. The cultural and religious convictions the Newari community abides by, can be substantiated by their outlook on architecture. Even today, the medieval aura is upheld by the Pati-Pauwas’, tiered pagoda style temples, chowks and bahals and rectangular houses with tiled roofs seen in the major cities of the valley.

The Newari settlement, formed of dense population, share similar lifestyles and building methods. The Newari

houses are narrow, rectangular shaped, made of exposed brick with finely detailed wooden carvings and tiled roof which ooze history and antiquity. Resided by a dense population, these houses are built following the perimeter of a courtyard, known as ‘Chowk’. Everyone living in and around the similar chowk, take it as their gathering point for all social activities or just casual meetings. The cluster of these houses is apparently possible for the uniformity in their design.

These days with the changing lifestyles, there is a change in spatial usage in the houses, but the fundamental space usage custom is the same. A spine wall, ‘Du Angha’ divides

the front of the house to the ground floor room called ‘Chiddi’ into two spaces. The façade would most probably have a shop or a workshop whereas, the latter space would have a store room or a stable alongside the staircase in the corner. The other floors were used for living and the attic was used as kitchen and dining area or storerooms.

The best kept secrets lie in the attic of Newari houses traditionally called ‘Baigah’ or ‘Buigal’. A small wooden staircase leads to the trap door, two heavy planks locked by chains, that closes off the stairway to the attic. Some use the attic as kitchen, while some as storerooms or place of worship where no one except the head of the family

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COVER STORY

Panchase

Garden of Agro-biodiversity and Culture

The confluence of nature, culture and spiritualism is

Khaptad. It is a majestic gift where visitors can meditate, do yoga or just travel. To explore the vast beauty if Khaptad National Park, you will need to plan a minimum 3 day tour.

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Mt. FishtailChitre Homestay

Panchase Bhanjyang

Panchkoshi Lake

A destination close to the touristic city of Pokhara lies Panchase, a city of scenic natural beauty, belongingness and a taste of culturalism. You can visit Panchase throughout the year, but the best time is between October to December

• Amrit Bhadgaunle

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