Rishi Ram Paudyal

Only about seven kilo-metres away from windy Pokhara-Jomsom highway, you can reach a paradise-village called Jhaurikuna, which is nestled on the lap of a mountain, surrounded by other hills and hillocks. The land is adorned with nine houses with different types of roofs – stone-slated, grass, and corrugated iron. All the walls of the houses made of mud and stone are painted white at the top and mud-colour the rest. The dwellings look like exotic elegant brides with their windows and doors coloured black and blue.

The serenity of Jhaurikuna is astounding. For peace and mediation, you don't need to look for any other places. The streams – meandering Jare Khola to its left and swishing Lapsi Khola to its right — have further added to its bride-like outlook. The aroma of lush vegetation, flowers and fruit permeate the whole village. With native trees, bushes, green grass and flowers around, Jhaurikuna is a paradise on earth. The babbling brooks and singing of beautiful age-old local birds give sweet natural music to the ears which puts you in a trance-like state and you forget whether you are on earth or heaven.

The land in and around Jhaurikuna is amazingly fertile. Seasonal juicy fruits available in the village, especially orange and jackfruit have amazingly sweet tastes. In the irrigable fields, mainly rice and wheat are grown whereas in the non-irrigable land, corn and millet are produced. Different types of beans such as soybeans and runner beans, and other vegetables such as cauliflower and cabbage are grown taking into consideration the weather and seasons that best fit them.

Just walk about ten minutes from Jhaurikuna toward the east and you'll come to a Bagar natural water pool where you can bathe, swim and bask in the brilliant healing sun. Likewise, walking or dogtrotting along the suspension bridge over Jare Khola with your cheeks being gently caressed by the gentle wind will be an experience you’ll never be able to express in words. Further, feasting your eyes on the trout, namely ‘asalaa’ and ‘budunaa’, that swim and sway, jump and dive, and play hide and seek in the crystal clear water is a medicine to a forlorn or broken heart.

Anybody can learn a lesson or two from the benevolence of Jare Khola, which is not only serving the people of Jhaurikuna but also the people of other villages through quenching the thirst of their parched lands and rendering them fertile as it flows gently along through an irrigational canal. Jarekhola in its reverence seems to be echoing this message to the people, "It’s a sin to restrict love and benevolence. Rather, they should be allowed to flow freely and go far and beyond human greed, jealousy and narcissism."

Jhaurikuna in it all goodness has inhabited benevolent, hard-working, friendly, cooperative and helpful people. It is said that the ancestors of this village came from Handigaun, Kathmandu. Needless to say, even in those days, Jhaurikuna must have boasted of its beauty and promised perennial providence of piety, property and progress.

Have you ever wondered what a paradise would be like? Or did you ever want to be in a paradise? Or even, did you ever want to heal your broken heart? If so, why not pursue your dream and make it a reality?