The breathtaking beauty of Bichitra Cave

By Our Correspondent,Gulmi, Resunga, Nov. 8: Travel for 15 minutes by the Tamghas-Simaltari road section along the Madan Bhandari Highway from Tamghas, the district headquarters of Gulmi district, and you will reach Bichitra Cave.  The road leading to the cave is a dirt road.

Bichitra Cave is a unique gift of nature, naturally decorated with more than two dozen artworks and sculptures. It has been more than three and a half decades since the cave was discovered in the forest of the district's Dhurkot Rural Municipality-5. However, due to a lack of conservation and development efforts, it has yet to become a sought-after tourist destination. 

Although there has been no specific research on the cave so far, locals claim that the cave may be the largest in Nepal based on the naturally formed religious art sculptures. Many of the cave's features are hidden, and there has been no major investment and research work on the part of the state, said Keshab Bhandari, ward chairman of the municipality. Inside are the structures named Ramjanaki Ashram, Shivalaya, Swarjane Bato, etc. 

Lying 150 meters ahead of the main entrance of the cave is a large assembly hall, which has the capacity to hold 200 people. Various organisations hold meetings and conferences in the hall. Nearby are the temple with a Shivalinga, the statues of Lords Ram and Krishna, the figures of various snakes, Gopikrishna, Jatayu, among others, which are the sources of attraction for tourists, said local cave custodian Lalmani Bhandari. On the ceiling above the assembly hall, there is a pavilion painted with red clay between the artistically shaped patterns of various shapes. 

The cave figures found in the cave have been named Narasimhavatar, Kachhyavatar, Gopikrishna, Jatayu, Shivalinga, etc., and were promoted accordingly, said Bhandari. Until 2005/6, one had to climb dangerously to reach the cave. Before the federal structure came into being, some work had been done to protect it by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Ruru Resunga Area Conservation and Tourism Development Committee. Since the country adopted federalism, work has been done by all three levels of government for its development, protection, and promotion.