In the Nepali language, a place where the water gathers is called “Pokhari.” There is a city in Nepal where the water gathers from numerous rainfalls, springs, and waterfalls to form beautiful lakes known as Pokhara. It is undoubtedly a treasure trove of water, a city of lakes.
If you are enthusiastic about understanding human psychology and if you want to visit a city that offers scenery, calm atmosphere, lakes, almost daily rain, clouds, peaceful people, bustling day-and-night markets, European tourists wandering in markets just like their own neighborhood, silent standing religious figures in temples and minarets, mountains, lush green valleys, waterfalls, springs, and lakes altogether, then Pokhara might be the only city in the world that encompasses all these topographies simultaneously.
Pokhara is not just a city but a mesmerizing psychological state that lifts a person like a cloud, immerses them in the air, and intoxicates the traveler. This intoxication continues to pull its travelers towards it, even long after they come back, like a flower beckons a bee. The sublime feelings of Pokhara couldn’t be articulated in simple words, and it’s beyond the reach of imagination.
People say that Phewa Lake or Fewa Lake is located in the south of Pokhara city. While considering its beauty, vastness, purposes, benefits, and accessibility, this phrase seems inappropriate. If not overstated, this phrase appears insolent in describing the dignity of Phewa Lake. Rather, the sentence should be framed in a way that Phewa Lake compelled those people around its shores to settle, drawn by its various attractions, which is why this area is called Pokhara.
Elders say that one should respect the eldest, and for that, it is worth knowing that Phewa Lake is 13,000 years old, making it the oldest among lakes. No noise would be heard anywhere in Phewa; it’s a place of quietness, deep silence, a halt that teaches that no matter how significant, respected, or important you become, you should not let yourself be consumed by the storms you encounter. You should remain grounded even in the face of turbulence, like water cascading down mountains, roaring with noise, but as soon as it reaches Phewa, it embraces silence, mirroring the serenity that blankets a crying child upon finding solace in his mother’s lap.
It is being said that be grateful to the one who nourishes, and Phewa Lake, on the one hand, benefits the whole city through the revenue from tourists, as it is the most visited lake in Nepal. On the other hand, electricity is generated by utilizing its water flow. Additionally, it supplies a white meat source through fish farming that is the livelihood of over ten thousand individuals in more than one thousand shops around the three sides of Phewa. At the far end of Phewa is the Ratna Temple, constructed by Nepal’s King Mahendra for his wife, Ratna. It served as the royal residence, known by the name Ratna Mandir. In fact, it is a royal palace comprising an area of around 56,000 square meters and right in the middle of Phewa is the Brahi temple.
In Hinduism, there’s a famous concept called “Matrika,” which is used to refer to seven goddesses collectively. Another term used for this purpose is “Sapta Matrika,” meaning the Seven Mothers. Among these seven, one is known as “Varahi,” which is also called “Barahi” in Nepal and “Dandani” in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The temple of this Varahi goddess is situated right in the middle of Phewa Lake and can only be accessed by boat. Devotees of Hinduism and tourists from far and wide come here for darshan. They believe that this goddess protects her devotees from negative thoughts and evil influences, bestowing them with positive energy.
In Nepal, alcohol and its business are legal. You’ll find more liquor stores than eateries. On the other side of the border, in the Indian state of Bihar, where alcohol is prohibited, many Indians come here, especially during weekends, to consume alcohol. Indians don’t need a visa or passport to visit Nepal. Just hop on a bus or vehicle and come. Despite the abundance of liquor stores, the variety of cheap and expensive alcohol, and the freedom to drink in any manner, you won’t see anyone acting intoxicated, indulging in unruly behavior, neither during the day nor at night, not even on the last nights of the week.
The number of coffee shops in Pokhara is as high as you can count. While the locals in Pokhara don’t consume much coffee themselves. However, they know that the tourists, particularly the Westerners, consume a lot of it. Hence, they have filled their city with coffee shops. I have a different perspective on the principle of hospitality that prevails in our country and custom. We believe in serving food and drink according to our own preferences and quantities, generously opening up to the guests so they understand that it’s a gesture of hospitality. The simple response to this is found in the numerous coffee shops in Pokhara. They allow the guests to order exactly what they desire, rather than what we think they should have, in whatever quantity they wish.
Wherever you go in Pokhara, you’ll see the colors of various religions everywhere. Temples of peace, shrines of Shiva, the deity’s incarnations, Bhimsen or Khidim, statues of Mahatma Buddha, the half-closed eyes of Buddha that indicate, ‘Open your eyes only as much as necessary to survive, but keep them wide open inside, so that you become a guiding light for others,’ yet despite all this, you won’t find anyone in any corner of the city or the country trying to preach their religion, nor will anyone be handing you pamphlets about their faith. Here, 81% are Hindus, 8% are Buddhists, 5% are Muslims, and 3% follow the Kirat religion, yet you won’t encounter anyone trying to propagate their religion to you. Religion is like a silent Sufi saint waiting in a shrine. It doesn’t come out in search of people; people occasionally search for it and find it there.
Love and affection are terms used in Arabic to describe emotional sentiments. Love means that something is so important to you that living without it becomes difficult, and affection, in Arabic, describes a psychological state where the significance of something becomes so intense that living without it seems impossible. A thousand-year-old Arabic literature says that a frog loves water; when it finds water, it becomes happy, and when it doesn’t, it remains sad but doesn’t die. However, a fish has an affection for water; if it doesn’t find water, it dies.
Love and affection are also found in lakes and water; both cannot exist without each other. They both die without one another; life itself cannot continue. It’s due to this affection that whatever enters a lake flowing with water is embraced with warmth. The lake, through this affection, becomes a mirror that reflects the essence of whatever touches its waters.
Among the people of this lakeside city, you will also witness the reflection of affection. They greet you with modesty; the commencement of a meeting is marked by humbleness like the lake’s water that accepts everything that enters it; these people accept you regardless of your religion, country, nation, or reason for visiting. They don’t ask for a guarantee while renting a car; they trust that you will protect their asset and return it. According to psychology, one of the main reasons people perceive others as thieves is their own inherent tendency to steal, as famously said by Mian Muhammad Bakhsh:
*”Aapay bhala jaye koee hove, sab nu bhala takkenda.”*
(One who himself is good-hearted sees everyone else as good-hearted.)
Mian Sahab has vividly and beautifully expressed human psychology. This insight into human psychology, its beauty, and its simplicity might be hard to match.
He further talks about negative thoughts:
*”Shish mahal vich katta vadiya, te os nu samajh na aave,*
*Je hor passe jave, uhnu katta hi nazariye aave.”*
(One who’s a thief within will be seen as a thief, even if he enters a palace of mirrors.)
