| I have traveled along Nepal's “East-West” | | | | the temple, some chanting and others ringing the |
| highway many times from its capital of Kathmandu | | | | hundreds of bells that are found around the structure |
| to the popular lakeside town of Pokhara, but I am | | | | and courtyard creating a pleasant harmonious |
| usually fortunate enough to sleep for most of the 5 | | | | atmosphere. Women were dressed in their lovely |
| hour journey – spectacular for the first few | | | | vibrant red saris and curta's while some sadhu men |
| times, but redundant otherwise. The last time I came | | | | were sitting in the shade of a massive tree along the |
| to Pokhara, I saw a curious sight that seemed a little | | | | courtyard perimeter taking in the sight. The overall |
| out of place in this country – a cable car. It | | | | feeling of the place was surprisingly magical and upon |
| stretched from the Trishuli River that runs along the | | | | walking closer to the temple itself you could feel a |
| highway and extended up the steep slope of a | | | | strong energy – a spiritual pull. At this moment I |
| surrounding mountain, how I missed this on one of | | | | silently believed that the rumors could be true and |
| my non-sleeping trips before is a mystery to me. | | | | the possibility of my wish being granted was very |
| “What is that for?!” I practically yelled, | | | | likely. I started imagining my wish and concentrating |
| waking up all of my fellow passengers. My aunt | | | | all of my vigor on why I had made this trip and what |
| informed me it takes you to a hilltop town where | | | | I really wanted. |
| people go when they have an important wish they | | | | I placed a small donation on my puja basket and |
| want granted. The steep walk to the top used to | | | | gave it to my cousin to carry it for me into the |
| take a whole day so the cable car really saves you | | | | actual temple. Imagining what my life would be like |
| time (and helps protect you from exhaustion). Even | | | | when my wish came true I started to circle the |
| though Nepal has numerous temples and deities that | | | | temple clockwise. I walked around the outer border |
| are said to be ideal places to wish for different things | | | | of temple grounds while my cousins wife walked our |
| in your life – Manakamana and its goddess in | | | | baskets to the edges of the temple where she |
| particular are said to really grant wishes. | | | | would wait in the line with the other Hindu devotees |
| In Nepali, Mana means wish and kamana means from | | | | to bring our wishes to the Goddess. I proceeded to |
| the heart, wish from the heart. | | | | walk around the temple and noticed on the back side |
| At this point I was not all that convinced that the | | | | through the clouds, I would have had spectacular |
| place was genuine about the wish-granting but you | | | | mountain views had I visited during a clearer season. |
| never know. I was determined to see for myself. I | | | | I kept to the right and passed the protected area |
| wasted no time trying to get a group together to go | | | | where devotees make their sacrifices to Shakti the |
| to the temple. I had a wish that I desperately | | | | Goddess. |
| wanted to come true and I suspected I was not the | | | | After coming full circle, I again noticed the massive |
| only one! | | | | lone tree that provided the only shade for the |
| The day I finally organized a group to go, also | | | | courtyard and to the left of this giant there was a |
| happened to fall on one of Nepal's many holidays | | | | designated 'pigeons for sale' area. Apparently, some |
| – Teej – also known as the Women's | | | | wishes require not a sacrifice but to buy a soul and |
| Festival. For this festival, women dress up in red sari's | | | | and set it free. You could purchase one of these fat |
| or curta's and pray for a long life for their husbands | | | | over-sized birds and set it free which also makes the |
| and brothers or if you have no husband you pray for | | | | Goddess happy to grant wishes. The bird sanctuary |
| a good one to come along. I have many brothers | | | | (I use this term lightly) is ironically just on the other |
| (and cousins count as brothers in Nepal) and I had | | | | side of a low fence from the sacrificing grounds and I |
| recently gotten married so it was the perfect | | | | am sure that after they are purchased and freed, |
| opportunity to indulge in the local traditions of | | | | they come right back to their same perch. |
| wearing red and to pray for their long lives as well as | | | | When my cousin came out of the temple from |
| make my important wish at this sacred Hindu temple. | | | | bringing our prayers to the Goddess, we all gathered |
| I brought along with me some of my family | | | | together again to make our Teej prayers. We lit our |
| members who had their own profound wishes, my | | | | candles by using the flame from the countless |
| cousins wife, my aunt and my husband. We cruised | | | | number of other candles that had been burning all |
| to the top of the mountain in the cable cars. The ride | | | | morning from other wishers. We then continued to |
| was surprisingly longer than expected because when | | | | light a hand-sized bundle of incense that had been |
| we reached the 'top' there was a second incline | | | | tucked away in our goodie-prayer baskets. We |
| waiting for us to climb to get to the end of our cable | | | | moved our hands over the smoke from the incense |
| car journey. | | | | to offer blessings to the Goddess and then we pulled |
| As we approached the peak of the first summit, we | | | | some of them back towards ourselves. It felt like I |
| were nearly 20 feet from a small village and passed | | | | was in a trance and the smell of the wax, the sweet |
| over property of some of the homes. My first | | | | incense and the gentle smoke that surrounded us |
| thought was that I would not want to live right there | | | | kept me conscious and in the moment, making me |
| and have strangers passing through my life looking at | | | | really think about what we were praying for. Our |
| me through a plastic box. But that was just my | | | | husbands' and brothers' long life. |
| opinion and the cable car did not stop for me to | | | | At this point I got lucky and received permission |
| change my idea. We sailed over lush green rice fields, | | | | from some of the local wishers and was able to walk |
| dirt ground and orange trees, and as we got higher, | | | | on the temple grounds. Here, I tied a ribbon on one |
| the vegetation turned into long-grass covered floor | | | | of the many bells, for my husband and brothers. I |
| with puffy pine-like trees that had a distinctly | | | | rang it proudly. |
| different color of green from the forest we had | | | | After we collected our belongings, we headed back |
| already passed. | | | | down the steps to the top of the cable car to the |
| As we stepped off to the mountain top town we | | | | line-less ride ready to take us down the mountain. |
| were greeted by the sweet scent of incense. | | | | We sat in a peaceful silence and thought about the |
| Merchants lined the pathway selling baskets filled with | | | | wishes we had asked for while we passed the |
| ritual-necessities for puja (prayer) that were | | | | changing vegetations. |
| especially spruced up for the Teej festival. There | | | | We approached the hilltop homes that I had criticized |
| were also stalls of goats and chickens for sale if your | | | | on the way up and with one quick swoop over the |
| wish requires a sacrifice to the Goddess. Each of us | | | | last edge before the end of our journey, I realized |
| bought one of the pre-made baskets for our wishes | | | | that living here would not be so bad. Their view of |
| and we all started the stair climb to the temple. | | | | the valley below, the Trishuli River, the curves of the |
| Our route wound through narrow rock slab streets | | | | “East-West” highway that cut in and out of |
| with brightly painted restaurants offering the | | | | the opposite mountain side, and the orange trees |
| traditional Nepali meal of dal bhat and souvenir shops | | | | made the plastic boxes of strange people not seem |
| selling unique gifts and beautiful woven handmade | | | | so bad. I again imagined what it would be like to live |
| baskets. | | | | here and I realized the villagers are privileged to live |
| After the semi-quiet walk up through the town with | | | | here. They are surrounded with unique beauty and |
| not many people around, the temple suddenly | | | | just below a powerful energy-filled temple with a |
| appeared and was surrounded with tens of wishers | | | | wish granting Goddess that allows hope and beliefs |
| all gathered in this one area. Devotees were circling | | | | to thrive. |