I was wondering how Jumla is...?!! When I reached there I found a cool breeze just catching my heart as I passed by. When I looked around, I found it surrounded by mountains- it’s valley..!!! It's name is Jumla bazar or Jumla or Jumla khalanga bazar...has two VDCs Chandannath and Mahatgaon...unexpectedly I found Newari community living for many generations and most are Shrestha people..! Here people are furnished in coat and nobody is there with bare foot. The coat in Jumla is like a common dress and unique among the Nepali culture.
A contrast you can notice here is building structures...they are modern and look up-to-date. I visited Karnali Technical School (KTS) that is located towards North West direction. It was established 30 years back in 2037 BS. All the buildings it has is modern not traditional. I think the modern building that Jumla has now are followed from KTS buildings which were built by United Mission to Nepal. The graduates of KTS are in appreciable position in their sectors- health, engineering and agriculture. Besides formal courses like CMA, ANM, sub/overseer and JTA, it provides some vocational training as well- electrician, plumbing etc
A legend is there, it was a lake before in ancient time and there was no civilization. The Jumla valley was made habitable by sage Chandannath and planted paddy crops there.
Historically, Mediniverma, the King of Sinja adopted Baliraj who had fled from Chittorgarh to this inaccessible Himalayan region since he could not bear torture of Taimur’s invasion. King Mediniverma married his daughter with Baliraj and declared him as his crown prince to keep his progeny through his daughter on Malla throne for subsequent generations though Baliraj himself is Rajpoot from Chittorgarh. Later, Baliraj became the ruler of Jumla state. It appears king Mediniverma had no eligible heir. (Ram Nivas Pandey, MADP archael. (ASI)). There are many different chronicles about Baliraj but this seems near to fact. He ruled Jumla at around 14th century. The Sinja Valley was where the Nepali language originates from and the earliest examples of the Devanagari script from the 13th Century were found on the cliffs and in nearby Dullu (UNESCO).
Valley’s beauty is embroidered by the Tila River that passes across it from East to West side. This River is source of irrigation for fields in valley. Tila River is mixed with Hema River coming from Sinja valley in Nagmagad the border between Jumla and Kalikot. It eventually mixed with Karnali River in Hulma gaon in Kalikot.
The weather is cold even in last week of Chaitra and you can assume the degree of cold in Poush and Magh months. We can see the snow on the mountains surrounding Jumla even in summer.
a one hour far towards west of Jumla valley called Tatopani where we can bathe and feel the warmth in the midst of cold, cold and cold..!
A new update for Jumla is the establishment of Zonal hospital but previously it was District hospital. Road has been constructed from Kalikot to Jumla and a new road is on the way to construction from Dailekh district. Here airport was established in 2020, it seems costlier to Jumli people. They did not have alternative except for airway. Now they can travel by bus from Nepalgunj in cheap price.
Jumla is well known for Apple and Marsi paddy and definitely the alcohol made from Apple. The Marsi paddy is available at the height of 1700 meter and it’s the paddy that we find at the highest level in the world. The red rice of Marsi paddy tastes different and yummy…I tasted and I loved it…!
All in all, Jumla has potentiality for Tourism and it’s on the way to development and it need not government’s special attention because Jumla has capacity to develop itself.
For scholars or students, Karnali region has potential for research on archaeological, anthropological or historical point of view and it is virgin place to research on.
See you next time with ‘Road to Jumla’……………..coming soon…!
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