The pain hidden behind Rara's beauty
King Mahendra reached Rara Lake on Tuesday, March 6, 2020. At that time, Rara was the first outsider to reach there. Only a few people outside Rara village knew that Rara was so beautiful to be seen around. Seeing Rara, King Mahendra was so enchanted by the mantra that he sat on the bank of the Dhupi on the bank of the same lake and recited a poem.
Sarah, the treasure of beauty,
Is Khanaya in this Rara?
Raraki Apsara
King Mahendra was fascinated by Rara. He thought that the Rara region should be allowed to remain beautiful in this way. King Mahendra, who spent some time in Rara, expressed the view that the beauty of Rara should not be spoiled. That was the Panchayat period. After the king had spoken, the race of punches would begin to complete it. It was decided to make Rara homeless by assessing that the settlement of Rara area could ruin the beauty of Rara.
Reaching the king was a matter of happiness for some. Some rejoiced at the king's poetry, but for some, the king's arrival was a curse. That visit of the king became a story that did not come to mind.
The three settlements near the lake were Murma, Rara and Chapra. There were about 232 households in Rara and Chhapra alone. There were about 1,500 people living in 232 households. Now there was a lot of discussion on how to remove the settlement. It was decided to create a national park in this hilly area in the foothills of Saipal Himal. Meanwhile, with the ascension of King Mahendra, this plan was stopped for a few years.
Rara National Park was formed in 2032 BS. Occupying about 106 sq km, the area of the lake alone is about 11 sq km. Also included were the Chapra settlement to the northwest of the lake, the Murma settlement to the southwest and the Rara settlement to the southeast. Finally, in the year 2035, it was decided to relocate the settlements of Chapra and Rara. For those people, forest land was allotted between Banke and Bardiya. For those living in high mountainous areas, the Ukharmaulo summer settlement of the Terai was chosen. At that time, no one had the courage to reject or protest against the Panchayat-era ordinance. Some even thought that they would have been given a place nearby instead of going so far to the Terai. But no one listened.
That day about 45 years ago was a painful day for the villagers. Government employees knocked on the doors of their houses and came to announce the government's decision. "Immediately evacuate the settlement and move to the Terai provided by the government." An order that irritates the heart, an order that irritates the heart. They were ready to give up the fact that they had been living in Bajebaraju for hundreds of years. The livestock went to a nearby settlement and sold as much as they could find. They carried whatever they could and were ready to go.
The story of this settlement is not so new and not very old. After the unification campaign of Prithvinarayan Shah, during the reign of King Ran Bahadur Shah, Bahadur Shah started invading the west during the expansion of the kingdom. It was during this period that Jumla was attacked on 15 September 1846 under the leadership of Kazi Shiv Narayan Khatri and Sardar Prabal Rana. Although the child king was Chakrasudarshan Shahi, his uncle Shobhan Shahi ruled the state. After the attack, Uncle Shobhan Shahi fled with the boy king towards North Humla and from there took refuge in Tibet. The king sought refuge in Tibet, but relatives and some of the people of the kingdom who had fled to the north to escape the oppression of the Gurkha kingdom. The same twins were sitting in Murma, Rara and Chhapra around Rara. The Shahis here were relatives of the king and the people of other Jumla kingdoms. In this way, the people who have been living in the slums for almost 200 years became homeless by the same order.
There was a lot of reassurance in the new place. They were assured to build 34 kattas of land and houses for each family. Loving his possessions, he locked the main door of the house. They had come out with the hope that the government would one day allow them to return to this place. When we reached the new place after walking for about 15 days, we were far from living in a house. No arrangement was made for a well-organized settlement. The biggest problem was faced by the people of the old settlement living nearby. Realizing the plight of the squatters, who had given up all their possessions and moved to a new settlement, the government relocated the 38 families already living there, to the satisfaction of the Rara residents.
Forty years later, new settlements have sprung up around Rara and hotels have been opened, but they must have felt very sad when they were not allowed to return. Now those who visit Rara Lake are enchanted by the beauty of Rara. But no one tries to feel their pain. There are still old temples and stone fountains waiting to be preserved. As the generation of those who left the settlement with stones on their heads gradually came to an end, those who expressed their pain disappeared. The new generation is enjoying a new place.
In the picture, some children living in the settlement of Rara village near the bank of the lake can be seen rejoicing in front of the house. Some children can be seen playing on the wooden floor. This picture is probably one of the last pictures of that settlement. These children's sports and fun moments are probably the last for here. Shortly afterwards, all the settlements were removed.
This article was translated from Nepali Language the official writer of this article is Sunil Ulak. All credit goes to Sunil Ulak
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