Shailung: Nature, Faith and Tourism
The very word “Shailung” sounds gentle and affectionate.
Whether in legends or realistic narratives, in melodious songs or in emotional poems, this word is easily and warmly received.
Because of this, many stories and legends are connected with it. Songs have been composed with Shailung as their central theme, poems have been written, and travel essays have been created.
Shailung is a beautiful, sky-piercing peak of the Mahabharat mountain range. It is a meeting point of natural and religious tourism. It is an incomparable natural gift for observation, and a heritage of faith and devotion for religious rituals.
The summit of Shailung lies in Shailung Rural Municipality of Dolakha district and also forms the border of Doramba Rural Municipality of Ramechhap district. This mountain summit is known as Shailung Danda. The names of Dolakha’s Shailung Rural Municipality and Ramechhap’s Doramba Shailung Rural Municipality have been taken from this very hill.
Location and Access from Kathmandu
From Ratnapark in Kathmandu, Shailung lies about 115 kilometres to the east in Dolakha district and is commonly known, for identification, as Shailung Dolakha.
In the lap below the hill lies Kalapani. This is where tourists who come to visit Shailung usually stay.
From Kathmandu, one reaches Shailung Kalapani by travelling via Bhaktapur, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Panchkhal, Dolalghat, Khadichaur and Mude Bazaar. From Kalapani, walking gradually uphill, it takes less than an hour to reach the summit of this mountain range.
Name, Language and Legends of Shailung
Shailung Danda is the crown of Shailung Rural Municipality, where the Tamang community has a higher population density.
According to one view, the name Shailung comes from the Tamang words “shai” and “lung”. In the Tamang language, Shailung means “a hundred hillocks”. The name fits well with this hill, which in fact has more than a hundred hillocks.
There are other legends as well.
According to one, this sacred land, where the First Buddha Sange Mhamorche bestowed knowledge, was formerly called “Sangelung”, and over time it came to be called Shailung.
According to Bon religion, “se” means deity and “lung” means speech. The full meaning of “Selung” is “speech of the deity”. Later, Selung also came to be called Shailung.
Another legend holds this mountain to be the place of penance of hundreds of deities. There is also a legend that Guru Padmasambhava, the Buddhist master, performed penance here for five years.
Religious Sites and Cultural Diversity
On the hilltop there is a chaitya, the footprints of Guru Padmasambhava, and the temple of Shailungeshwar Mahadev.
On the way, there is a pilgrimage site established in the belief that it holds the sword of Bhimsen. The Newar community has begun to regard this as one of their important pilgrimage sites.
Lower down, inside the forest, lies the well-known temple of Gupteshwar Mahadev.
From the Charanawati Dham at the sacred Triveni ghat up to the 80-hut Vietnamese meditation centre in Shailung-6, Pharpu, various places have become focal points of religious attraction in Shailung.
Because the summit area around this religious region is named Shailung, it has become, from a religious perspective, a centre of faith for followers of Hindu, Buddhist and Bon traditions. For this reason, it is now also considered an attractive centre for religious tourism.
In this Shailung village, where social harmony is alive, Tamang, Bahun, Chhetri, Dalit, Gurung, Magar and other communities live together. Therefore, monasteries, shrines, temples, sacred sites, caves, ghats, ponds and forests all exist as repositories of faith.
The palace of the Tamang Golma king and queen is also said to have stood somewhere within this same area. Local residents say that this palace remains in a condition that calls for excavation. At present, there is a temple at that site, and priests of the Dulal lineage perform regular worship there.
Natural Beauty and Landscape
From the point of view of natural beauty, Shailung is very rare and very precious.
Green forests, slopes where rhododendron, chimal and chap flowers bloom, and terraced fields covered with potato and other vegetable crops are the hallmarks of this village area.
When a person sets Shailung’s summit as a destination and begins climbing uphill from Kalapani, they themselves become coloured by the hues of natural beauty.
Climbing the steps of the Shailung “Great Wall”, which evokes a glimpse of China’s Great Wall, taking photographs and moving upwards, a person feels that they are also ascending a slope of inner joy.
Taking the alternative natural trail brings a level of enjoyment that cannot even be measured.
Seasonal Charms and Himalayan Panoramas
Seasonal beauty is one of Shailung’s outstanding features.
In the season when rhododendron, chimal and chap are in bloom, the surrounding silver-like snow peaks start to smile. There are times when the earth is covered entirely by snow. There are times when greenery covers hillsides and hillocks, and ground fog keeps swirling now and then.
At different times, Shailung stands adorned with different garlands of charm.
The higher one goes, the more the mountains reveal themselves.
By the time a person reaches the summit, placing their feet in the snow, slipping, falling and rising again, the Himalayas have already embraced them. Everest, Gaurishankar, Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh and Langtang cast affectionate smiles.
Dorje Lakpa, Melungtse, Numbur and more than sixty other Himalayan peaks add further appeal to the unique beauty of the entire mountain range.
The chance to observe the broad line of these silver-white peaks is felt as a priceless gain in life.
When rhododendron, chap and chimal are in bloom, it is a colourful time in Shailung. Travellers write poems such as:
“Wow, colourful Shailung,
colour scattered over the body,
colour filled in the heart.”
Monsoon Meadows and Year-Round Attraction
In the monsoon season, greenery, ground fog and closeness to the herds of chauri (yak and cross-breeds) are the gifts of this place.
Looking down from the summit, travellers feel, “I am standing above a sea of clouds.”
The thick spread of fog covers the ground in such a way that one remembers it again and again.
Meadows are covered in green. Chauri are grazing in the pastures. What a beautiful world it seems.
At whatever time one visits, the touristic attraction and charm of Shailung’s summit are not found to have lessened at all.
As soon as they arrive, people feel like running, climbing one hillock after another from one end to the other and looking even farther out.
The residents living in the lap of beautiful Shailung and the tourists who come for travel are always entranced by Shailung’s beauty and appeal.
Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Ward Chair of Shailung Rural Municipality–8, where Shailung’s summit lies, says, “Shailung is our pride. Shailung is our honour. In truth, Shailung’s summit is our life. Because of this summit, we are known as Shailunge. Our pace of development moves forward.”
Voices from Tourism and Local Economy
Hotel entrepreneur Rajan Thapaliya says, “Shailung is not only ours; it belongs to all Nepalis. People from all across the country come to visit Shailung. It would be even better if this could be developed as an international-level tourist area.”
Another hotel entrepreneur, Govinda Shrestha, says, “Because of Shailung, the number of guests has increased. On Fridays and Saturdays, bookings have to be made in advance. Otherwise, there is a shortage of food and rooms. On other days too, visitors keep coming. There has been little promotion of sunrise and sunset viewing. If this information spreads, it will become hard to handle the flow. Employment will increase further, and trade and business will expand even more.”
In the view of farmer Ram Bahadur Thapaliya, roads were built because of tourism in Shailung. Because of the roads, farmers’ products have been able to reach the market. It has become easier to obtain manure and other inputs.
The initiation of the Charanawati–Shailung trekking trail construction project, preparations by the Department of Botany to establish a botanical garden for the study and research of plant science, the provincial government’s plan for a science park, and the same provincial government’s plan to declare the entire Shailung area an open film shooting zone have all made the people of Shailung very happy.
Sports, Meditation and New Infrastructure
In Shailung-8, Kalapani, construction of a “High Altitude International Taekwondo Covered Hall” is nearing completion. With the development of sports tourism, it is certain that Shailung’s profile will brighten further.
In Shailung-6, Pharpu, the eighty-hut meditation centre run by Vietnamese Buddhists is believed by Shailung residents to be another centre for religious tourism.
An old-age home has already been built at Charanawati Dham. Local people say that the concept of a well-equipped children’s park is also emerging there.
Hotel entrepreneurs say that tourists are pleased that well-equipped hotels are being built and brought into operation in Kalapani.
Traveller Experiences and Environmental Concerns
Those who have already visited Shailung say that a journey to Shailung feels like a “confluence of peace, recreation and health”.
Pavitra Subedi, who travelled to Shailung one year ago, says, “Because of the natural beauty that provides recreation, the religious and environmental setting that provides peace, and the healthful environment created by natural cleanliness, this place has become a confluence of peace, recreation and health.”
She also has concerns: negligence in waste management and the risks posed by constructions that could damage the natural form.
Poet Jayanta Pokhrel, who reached Shailung for a literary conference two years ago, believes that Shailung is a very beautiful gift given by nature to people. She says, “Shailung, which attracts anyone, is the pride of our Himalayan region. I even wrote a poem there about Shailung.”
Shailung’s Future as an Organised Tourism Hub
Shailung is not just a high mountain. It is a centre for nature-based, religious and sports tourism, and it is becoming an increasingly organised centre.
In the process of becoming a well-organised centre, its natural originality must remain alive, and its pride must rise even higher.
