Malikarjun is a small village, with barely 300 houses, in Darchula. Tucked away in Far Western Nepal, this hill top village is approximately 28 km away from Khalanga, the headquarters. To reach it, you have to hike at least 20 minutes from the nearest motorable road, which can be reached only after 15 hours of bus ride from Kathmandu. 

But once here, you quickly realise that Malikarjun exists in a different plane altogether. In the morning, you find yourself amid misty hills, watching birds fly to the horizon and beyond. Yet, when you sip your chiya, listening to Dokane Baje’s stories, you sense some resemblance between home and this far-flung village and how the mornings kick off in each.  

Only, Malkiarjun has an underlying calmness in the air. It could be because the people in the village lead a very monastic lifestyle, keeping away from vices such as drinking, smoking, or meat. The locals will even take offense if the visitors ask for any of it. 

The air feels so clean and calm, that the village goes beyond being just a visual boost. Malikarjun feels like a spiritual getaway from the everyday, mediocre life. 

Photos & Text: Pramin Manandhar 

The symmetry of life.

Gridlock girl with a teddy bear.

Focal point—focal kid.

Staring back at suspicious camera-totting strangers.

Peek-a-moo! 

Elderly woman with a silver ornament on her neck and Bulaki (a gold ornament that hangs below a hole pierced on the nose). 

Where stories brew alongside tea.

Hills enshrouded. 

A patch of blue.