GORKHA, Sept 10: The attractive Bhimsen Park in Gorkha Municipality-4 is surrounded by scenic beauty and hills. 

A two kilometer walk from Gorakhkali Durbar leads to Bhimsen Park. Fewer settlements and abundant natural beauty follows as the journey gets rural. If one decides to take a bus from Gorkha district headquarters, the park is merely a 15-minute ride. 

The park, connected to the history of former prime minister Bhimsen Thapa, constitutes an area of three ropani land. The park is currently undergoing renovations. In earlier days, the descendents of Bhimsen Thapa used to perform rituals at the park after worshiping at Gorkhali Durbar during Dashain. They used to perform grand pujas and sacrifice animals at the park while the royal family took care of the rituals’ costs. However, the Thapa family ended the tradition ever since the royal family was massacred. Now, Gorkha locals have taken over the tradition. 

Despite being located in the district headquarters, the park has been neglected due to lack of adequate promotion. “Though the number of visitors has increased of late as compared to the past years, the park is still in shadows due to apathy on the part of authorities concerned,” said Secretary of Park Construction Committee, Makar Bahadur Gurung. 

A statue of Bhimsen Thapa, to be installed at the park, is also being constructed. “Domestic as well as foreign tourists mostly don’t visit the park due to the lack of proper roads. The government has allocated three million rupees for road construction and sanitation. Once the road is constructed, it would help the visitors to comfortably travel to Bhimsen Park,” said ward chief, Khop Bahadur Adhikari. 

Meanwhile, Gorkha Municipality Environment Friendly Program has provided a budget of Rs 500,000 and the District Forest Office has pledged Rs 800,000 for the park’s management and renovation, as per Gorkha Municipality's environment expert Dhruba Ghimire.