Bajura, Aug 17:<\/strong> The annual Badimalika Puja has begun at the Badimalika Temple in Bajura, with authorities making extensive preparations to manage the expected surge in pilgrims and visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The worship was started earlier than usual following a decision by an all-party meeting convened by the District Coordination Committee. The move was aimed at easing pressure on the temple area ahead of the main puja scheduled for August 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 45,000 devotees visited Badimalika during last year’s festival, including pilgrims from different parts of Nepal and neighbouring India. Officials expect the number to rise this year, particularly following the construction of a new temple by the Nepali Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local authorities, the district administration and security agencies have coordinated preparations for the festival. Fourteen measures have been introduced to maintain security, manage crowds and ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authorities have also prohibited the consumption and sale of alcohol and drugs and the use of meat products in the temple area. Information boards and signposts are being installed along the route to assist pilgrims travelling to the high-altitude religious site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n District Coordinating Officer Dipendra Pandey said the district administration, security agencies and local governments are prepared to provide emergency assistance to pilgrims. Coordination has also been established with the district hospital and health office, while the Nepali Army and health workers will provide additional support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, efforts are underway to improve telecommunications services in the area ahead of the festival. Nepal Telecom is working to bring a 4G tower into operation, although adverse weather and the lack of road access have delayed the transportation of equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nepal Telecom Telecommunications Office Chief Ishwar Singh said a technical team had recently spent about a week at the site, but work was disrupted after equipment failed to arrive on time. Another team is expected to resume the work once the necessary materials reach the construction site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chief District Officer Dorendra Niraula said Badimalika Municipality is assisting in transporting equipment and other materials to the tower site, with the aim of ensuring communication services are available before the main festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Badimalika Municipality Mayor Amar Bahadur Khadka said tourist arrivals have increased significantly as the puja approaches. The destination has received further attention after Prime Minister Balendra Shah described Badimalika as the \u201cSwitzerland of Nepal\u201d during a recent election campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Located at an altitude of around 4,200 metres, Badimalika is regarded as both a major pilgrimage destination and a popular high-altitude tourist site. It is especially crowded during the main puja held around Janai Purnima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The area is renowned for its natural landscapes, diverse flora and religious sites, including Triveni, Kehitibeti, Bishnupani and Dharmadwar. Local traditions and legends associated with the site, along with its rich biodiversity and rare bird species, have further enhanced Badimalika’s appeal among pilgrims and tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials have urged visitors to remain cautious while travelling to the high-altitude area and assured that necessary arrangements have been made for their safety and assistance during the festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bajura, Aug 17: The annual Badimalika Puja has begun at the Badimalika Temple in Bajura, with authorities making extensive preparations to manage the expected surge in pilgrims and visitors. The worship was started earlier than usual following a decision by an all-party meeting convened by the District Coordination Committee. The move was aimed at easing …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":434220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,15,22],"tags":[],"reporter":[],"class_list":["post-434219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-en-news","category-province","category-sudurpaschim"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":434221,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434219\/revisions\/434221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434219"},{"taxonomy":"reporter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radionepalonline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reporter?post=434219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}