“Bhoot = Ghost, Khola = River”
On a first glance it looks like some waterfall in Bali, A clean waterfall, blue pond and surrounded by the trees.
Most of the people are unaware of the place, as it’s not publicized by any means. But if it is made known among the people, it has the potential of becoming one of the tourist destination in Western Nepal.
Bhoot Khola is a beautiful destination for tourist and can spend couple of hours.
It is located near Rupandehi district (Western Development Region) and lies on the way to Tansen (Palpa) from Butwal.
It is 6.5 KM from Butwal city and 32.5 KM from Tansen.
Naturally build swimming pool like structure has a breathtaking waterfall, and the constant flow of water has made the water of this pond very clean.
Myths of Bhoot Khola
Legend say that, The bottom of the pond can’t be reached, and there are still some dead body in deep.
Once a time, some boys came to this place for swimming. But unfortunately, they vanished from the pond and their body was not found.
Hence, It’s believed that there is some kind of ghost at the bottom of the pond, which will catch (strangle) you and and drown, till you die.
Origin of Birakteshwor Mahadev
It is also believed that, during the ancient times of god, Lord Shiva with Satidevi, visited this place, thus also called the place of Birakteshwor Mahadev.
On the side of this waterfall, people also worship Shiva Linga.
We went there and came alive
On October 2018, I was in Butwal to celebrate Dashain (National Festival) at my Mama-Maiju’s (Maternal Uncle-Aunt).
While I was there, I planned to meet couple of my friends who were in Butwal. Thus, we met at a place and planned to go Jordhara (Palpa) for refreshment and beat the heat of Butwal.
We were travelling on Two Wheelers, so we had freedom to stop wherever we want and enjoy the nature.
The road was narrow and was damaged on some places, causing difficulty to pass two vehicles at once.
But the natural beauty of the hills, forests and clean white water of Tinau river made us to forget all the obstacles we had on the way.
After travelling for a while we reached to Siddhababa, one of the great place for Hindus to worship.
We didn’t stop there, as our goal was to reach Jordhara and return back, and it’s already evening. As we reach higher, it started to feel cold, and we also passed couple of waterfalls on roadside.
Reaching Bhoot Khola
After travelling for around 7 KM, we reached to Bhoot Khola. We parked our bikes on side of the road and walked couple of minutes towards the fall.
Near the waterfall, people had made a small bridge from where, the majestic waterfall and blue water pond can be seen clearly.
But we wanted to go as near as possible, so we climbed down from the bridge and moved toward the fall. The path was slippery and had to struggle to reach there.
We took some pictures there and came back.
But we didn’t take risk to swim there as we’ve already about the myths about the place. And we thought, Our lives matters most than swimming there. Ha ha…
After roaming around the fall and taking pictures, we continued our journey to Jor Dhara.
Few Kilometers (KM) ahead from here (Bhoot Khola), lies a place called Jor Dhara. The place is famous for foods like Chukauni, Fried Fish, Batuk (Furaula: food made of lentil), Sel Roti, etc.
As recommended by our local friend, we stayed here for a while and enjoyed the food together.
After trying every food and resting for a while, we returned to Butwal as it was getting darker.
Final Note
So, if you’re in Butwal or in Palpa I’d recommend you to visit this amazing (and hidden) place and try the foods in Jordhara (You won’t regret it).
“But I won’t recommend anyone to swim in Bhoot Khola unless it’s declared safe by concerned authority.”
Can you help Me?
Hi, I’m new in Butwal but looking for really cool places to visit near Butwal, Palpa, Bhairahawa or even further west. So can you help me?
Mention your favorite places in comment below and I will be there.
