New tourism products in the Chitwan Hills

Chepangs of Chitwan, who were pursuing their traditional occupations of fishing, hunting, bird catching and farming at jungle edges, now have attempted to seek new avenues of income by displaying these originalities to tourists. The tribal people with their domination in mountainous VDCs of the district - Kaule, Siddhi, Korak and Shaktikhor- had been compelled to live on wild tubers, fruits and hunted animals till the last decade.

It is no doubt that additional income can be made and the tribal existence preserved provided the original arts, cultures, rituals, customs and identities of the Chepang people were presented before tourists visiting the area. This awareness, though lately developed, has given new hopes and enthusiasm to the people towards tourism. Aiming to improve the livelihood of the people through tourism, Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) has been launched in the area for the last two years, which has been running different programs and activities.

"The tourism programme has not only encouraged us to preserve materials, costumes and old handicrafts that were on the way to extinction, but has also inspired us to protect our tribal identity,' says Ramji Maya Praja of Chepang Culture Group. This has helped in making income for living as well as encouraging the coming generations towards the protection of tribal heritage - adds Ramji Maya.

Recently, a Chepang Museum has been set up at Shaktikhor with the view to preserve and promote the primitive cultures, originalities, costumes, and life styles of the people. It also aims at making known these aspects to the world. Different materials used by the Chepangs and relics like catapults used in killing birds, slings and bows used in hunting animals, crushing devices, dhiki and janto (traditional stone tools for beating and grinding grains), pots, wooden containers, drums have been kept in the museum.

Assisted by the TRPAP, Som Bahadur Praja of Kaule-2, Hattibang has started home-stay services for tourists at home and also a grocery, which help him make a good income. 'It used to be hard to support my family by working on wages at other's houses or lands, but now I work for myself and the income is sufficient to keep my family,' says Som Bahadur.

Shuddha Bahadur Praja of Kaule- Jyandala has started bamboo and rattan works and making handicrafts for income generation. TRPAP had provided training on making different sorts of handicrafts, especially to different Chepangs including him.

Likewise, Kavita Gurung of Shaktikhor also took training on constructing improved cooking stoves (ICS) from TRPAP. She has not only helped her neighbors construct ICSs at their houses, but has also started providing training to locals from other VDCs as well as nearby districts. Similarly, Ganga Gurung's homestay at Shaktikhor is also exemplary in the area, inspired by the visit to Ghandruk, which was organized by TRPAP.

A visit to this area, famous as the Chepang Trekking Route, can be one of the most unforgettable, explorative and romantic visits in one's life. The tourists traveling to Sauraha through this route can make a package ranging from 3 to 7 days, according to the leisure they have. The trekking tour through this route takes the visitor at proximity with the cultures, customs, life styles and traditions of Chepang people besides providing chances to have first hand experiences with the Gurung, Magar and Giripuri communal people.

Siraichuli (1946 metres), which is the highest peak in Chitwan and is on this trekking route, provides chance to have panoramic views of sun rise and sun set. It is often comapred with the Tiger Hill of Darjeeling, India. One can enjoy the scenes of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh and other peaks at their front in the north while the flow of Rapti and Narayani rivers, green stretch of Chitwan National Park and Terai lowlands can be seen in the south from the spot. After few hours' walk, a visitor can reach the Upardang Gadhi, one of the ancient forts of historic importance. Along with that, one can also do bird watching, enjoying the views of different caves, cascades, wild lives and cool wilderness. There is a lot of tourism potential in the area as some of the caves in the area are yet to be explored.

A tourist can start his tour on the Chepang Trekking Route from Jogimara VDC on the Prithvi highway from two sides. There are information boards, home stay hotels, shops and other facilities for the tourists at different spots on the trekking route with the view to promoting facilities to them. There are handicraft materials kept on sale and porters available at different places on the route.

Different attempts have been made for the promotion of tourism in the area at district and local levels. A separate tourism section has been established at the District Development Committee as the Sustainable Tourism Development Section (STDS). Sustainable Tourism Development Committees have been formed in Kaule, Siddhi and Shaktikhor VDCs. A similar committee will soon be constituted at Korak VDC in the near future. Different programs and activities have been running at local level through 155 community organisations and more than 40 users committees under TRPAP.

Different kinds of training, seminar, orientation, and field visit are conducted, which are vital in building confidence of the local people and helping attract them towards different income generation works. Loans at lower rates have been made available to more than 150 local people from the fixed capital fund without any deposits with the view to encouraging them towards tourist activities. They have utilized the amount in running different sorts of occupations, directly and indirectly uplifting the living status.

The programme has helped the villagers to be organized and sociable. 'Now I can talk to other people freely and express myself in front of them without any embarrassment or inhibition,' says Relimaya Praja of Siddhi.

The programme has assisted the local people in setting up multi-purpose tourism information centre at Shaktikhor, construction of community guest house and public latrine, repair and maintenance of the tourist trekking route, drinking water and irrigation, construction of picnic and camping spots, development of alternative energy, environment conservation. TRPAP has also assisted to conduct detailed feasibility study for the setting up of 6-kw micro-hydro project at Kaule VDC.
Some of the other villagers have been attracted to the cultivation of vegetables in the encouragement of the program. It has provided training on vegetable cultivation to the people and management of irrigation.

Local tourism entrepreneurs and different government and non-government bodies have been working in coordinated manner in order to attract the tourists visiting Sauraha to this trekking route. Since preparation of major infrastructures for the promotion of tourism in the area has been made, it is likely that the prevailing poverty in this area can be reduced through the means of tourism.