Sun Chahara in Raghu Ganga Rural Municipality-7, Myagdi, awaits infrastructure development and tourists. Despite its vast potential, Sun Chahara remains overlooked due to a lack of infrastructure and promotion. Without a proper trekking route and suspension bridge, tourists have not been able to visit the area.
Lalit Garbuja, a resident of Chimkhola, mentioned that the unique features of Sun Chahara have remained confined to the local level due to insufficient publicity. “Although Sun Chahara, located at the base of the Dhaulagiri Himal, has religious and tourist potential, it has been neglected,” he said. “There is a need for infrastructure development and promotion in Sun Chahara.”
Led by Garbuja, who works in the Indian Army, a team of officials from the Mandali Youth Club, tourism entrepreneurs, and journalists visited Sunchahara last week, which is situated at an altitude of 3,950 meters above sea level.
According to legend, in ancient times, a person who went to meditate at a waterfall was blessed by the gods, who asked him to wish for anything. The person asked for gold, and though the gods blessed him with as much gold as he could carry from the cave, when he tried to take more, a flood occurred, washing everything away. Since then, the place has been known as Sunchahara, according to local elders.
The cave inside the waterfall has yellow-colored walls, which is another reason it is called Sunchahara, according to Thakbahadur Paija (Rim), the ward chairman of Chimkhola, Raghu Ganga Rural Municipality-7. The cave contains shapes resembling various gods, goddesses, and animals, and when struck, the sound of a flute is heard inside.
The ward chairman further mentioned that a trekking route to the Dhaulagiri base camp is being developed, and efforts are being made to build a suspension bridge across the Raghu Ganga River on the way to Sunchhara.
During the winter, the cold causes the water of the waterfall to freeze into snow, which adds to the uniqueness of Sunchahara. The waterfall is about 15 meters high, and there is a cave inside that is about five meters long. There is a local belief that visiting Sunchhara and performing worship will fulfill one’s wishes.
It takes a four-hour vehicle journey from Beni to Chimkhola and then an additional day’s journey from Sugurthala to reach Sunchahara. Local people gather Yarsa (caterpillar fungus) in the area and stay there during the months of Baisakh and Jestha. Up to Sugurthala, there are hotels and restaurants.
