Gurja villagers depend on horses, mules for travel, transport

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Beni, May 5: Gurja village, situated in Ward No. 1 of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality in Myagdi district, has many names. Sometimes it is referred to as the "last human settlement in the district" or a "veiled village".

The village still remains hidden because it has not been connected to a road network. 

Even if authorities wanted, it would take years to build a road to Gurja as the path goes through difficult hills, cliffs and forests.

The villagers for long walked on foot for hours and days to reach a nearby market. With no chance of any means of transportation reaching the village anytime soon, the villagers continue to depend on horses and mules for travel or transport.

While the villagers transport daily goods on mules, they ride horses to reach different places – animals which have now become an integral part of life of Gurja locals.

With the increase in the number of people using horses, the popularity of the animal has also increased, leading to a thriving horse riding businesses. 

Currently, 15 horses are in the village to transport people.

It takes one whole day to reach Gurja from Muna, the centre of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality, on foot. "The path to and through the village is always difficult and tiring. Horses have now become a big help in our travel," said Gunram Chhantyal, a local.

According to Chhantyal, a couple of tourists head for the village every now and then. "Even the tourists use horses to come to our village nowadays from Deurali Danda. Otherwise, they would be walking with difficulty to this village," he added.

Chhantyal also said that he and other villagers think that a road would reach their doorsteps only in their dream. "It is why horses and mules have been our friends in hard times," he added.

"A horse ride from the village to Deurali Danda costs Rs. 2,000 and it costs Rs. 3,000 to reach Lulang village," said Lokesh BK, one of the horse operators.

Lulang village is the nearest marketplace for Gurja locals as road access reached there only recently. Up until a few some months ago, locals of Lulang had to walk for hours to reach Muna, the rural municipality centre.

"Tourists, government officials and locals travelling to and through the village ride horses when the road climbs uphill. 

Horses should not be ridden downhill as the road is congested and slippery," said Chhantyal.

"The road to Gurja is extremely difficult. When returning to Deurali Danda from Gurja, the road is uphill. 

Thanks to the horses, the travel was not that tiresome," said Krishna Prasad Nepal, Judge at the Myagdi District Court, who recently visited Gurja.