DALCHOKI AS "BHEDETAAR" OF KATHMANDU

DALCHOKI AS "BHEDETAAR" OF KATHMANDU

Dalchoki is a village development committee in Lalitpur District in the Bagmati Zone of Central Development Region of Nepal. It is situated on the southern part of Lalitpur district, nearly 23 Kilometers from Patan, its district headquarters.
Some parts of VDC's donot have the road access.Most of the male persons workes as masons and construction workers who travel Kathamandu to work.
There have been many myths related to the naming of Dalchoki. Some believe there were 3 goddesses Phulchoki, Dalchoki and Sanchoki respectively and the name Dalchoki was given following the residing of goddess Dalchoki in this place. Dalchoki has a temple dedicated to Dalchoki devi.

According to another myth, Dalchoki was said to be a point from where Prithivi Narayan Shah attacked Kathmandu. The troop (troop is called Dal in Nepali) resided here and had a check-post (Check-post is called Chowki) due to which the current name Dalchoki emerged. However there is not enough evidence to support this.

Dalchoki is a beautiful place with a modest tourist visiting every year. It has a good possibility of tourism. There are several things to be seen in Dalchoki such as the hill of Dalchoki, Thanapati-cave, Green forest with several herbs, plants and animals, Manakamana temple, Dalchoki temple, etc. We can see the beautiful sunrise and sunset from Dalchoki. In addition, we can have a view of Kathmandu, the Terai plains, beautiful cloud-covered mountains, and the movement of clouds.


Dalchoki has a Home-stay facility. There are about 6 home-stays registered under Nepal Tourism Board in Dalchoki. The list of the Homestays in Dalchoki are:

Dalchoki Rising Home-stay:Among the functioning home-stays in Dalchoki, one is situated near the Manokamana Temple. You can enjoy organic food with local taste here. Located near Manokamana temple, you can have the view of Kathmandu valley from here. A good night view of Kathmandu can be seen from here. You can come here for bon-fire, camping, food and drinks, also you can enjoy day picnics, hiking, cycling etc.

The climate of Dalchoki is mostly cold. It often is foggy. In winter the temperature goes below 0° Celsius and results in jamming of water supply with water frozen inside the pipes. At certain year interval, it snows at Dalchoki. If someone is planning to visit Dalchoki, it is recommended to carry a light jacket in every season and a thick one in winter.

The direction to Dalchoki from Lagankhel progresses as :Lagankhel-Satdobato ring road-Chapagaun chowk-Sunakothi-Dhapakhel-Thecho-Chapagaun-Tika Bhairav-Malla Hotel-Milan Dhara or Birkhe Dhara-Army Barrage-Dalchoki

Dalchoki has an access to a graveled road. The bus route to Ikudol from Lagankhel plied via Dalchoki but on year 2012-13 it fell under an upgrading plan and no longer reaches Dalchoki. Milk carrier mini trucks are the alternate to transportation in Dalchoki now. You can catch these trucks from Pyang-gaon, Chapagaun. Buses to Chapagaun plies from Lagankhel.

Bikes and Scooter easily reach Dalchoki. Cycling can be an adventurous means to travel to Dalchoki with steep slopes and rough terrain at some places. You need to take back-up supplies for possible maintenance on the way into the forest. If you are hiking, It takes around 3 hours to reach here. In this case you need to make sure you carry some food and water. For safety, keep a lighter and a paper within reach.