Mai Pokhari

Mai Pokhari is a small sacred lake set among the tea-growing mid-hills of Ilam District in eastern Nepal's Koshi Province. It lies roughly 13-15 kilometres north of Ilam Bazar, the district headquarters, at an elevation of about 2,100 metres (6,900 feet) above sea level, in the cool, cloud-wrapped middle ranges of the Himalaya south of the Kanchenjunga massif. The name combines 'Mai', a local honorific for the mother goddess, with 'pokhari', the Nepali word for a pond or tank, so the name itself signals the lake's status as a sacred mother-pond.

The wetland sits in a forested basin and is described as a permanent freshwater body fed by natural springs and by direct precipitation rather than by any large inflowing river, and it in turn helps recharge groundwater that supplies surrounding communities. The lake is modest in size, with a shoreline circumference of roughly one kilometre, while the broader protected wetland and its surrounding forest cover about 90 hectares (220 acres). Its waters are often described as emerald-green, and the basin is frequently shrouded in mist, giving the place its characteristic still, otherworldly atmosphere.

A distinctive feature is the lake's irregular, indented outline. It is popularly described as star-shaped, with nine corners or points, and in local tradition each of the nine corners is associated with a different deity. This unusual shape, combined with the encircling temperate forest, makes Mai Pokhari both an ecological and a cultural landmark in the eastern hills.

Mai Pokhari sits within the species-rich Kanchenjunga-Singhalila landscape, an area recognised for its high biodiversity, and the lake and its surrounding temperate forest form an important wetland habitat in the mid-hills. The forest lies in the transition zone between Schima-Castanopsis and oak-laurel woodland, with rhododendrons, magnolias, laurels and a notable wealth of orchids. Botanical surveys of the area have recorded several hundred plant species, including numerous orchids (among them many epiphytic species), multiple species of rhododendron and magnolia, and dozens of tree species, alongside ferns, water lilies and a range of medicinal herbs.

The site is especially valued for its birdlife, with more than 300 bird species, both resident and seasonal, reported from the wetland and its forest. The lake is best known biologically, however, as a stronghold for the Himalayan newt (a crocodile newt of the genus Tylototriton), an aquatic salamander locally called 'thakthake' or 'thukthuke'. Mai Pokhari is the type locality of Tylototriton himalayanus, the Himalayan newt formally described from Ilam in 2015, and the site has long been associated with the related, more widely distributed Himalayan newt Tylototriton verrucosus. Salamanders are rare in this part of South Asia, so this population gives the lake exceptional scientific importance.

These ecological values underpinned the lake's listing as a Wetland of International Importance. Mai Pokhari was designated a Ramsar site in October 2008 (Ramsar Site no. 1850), recognising it as a representative high-value mid-hill wetland and a refuge for rare and threatened species — Nepal's first mid-hill Ramsar site. The newt population has nonetheless come under pressure: the introduction of non-native fish such as goldfish and carp, which prey on newt eggs and larvae, contributed to a decline, prompting conservation responses including in-situ breeding ponds intended to help the species recover.

Mai Pokhari is one of eastern Nepal's most revered sacred lakes, holy to Hindus, Buddhists and the Kirat (Limbu and Rai) communities of the region. Its sanctity is centred on the goddess Bhagawati, regarded as the presiding deity of the lake, and the site is treated as a living shrine where the water itself is venerated. The nine corners of the star-shaped pond are each dedicated to a deity, reinforcing the belief that the whole lake is a divine precinct rather than simply a body of water.

Around the lake stand several places of worship, including a Bhagawati shrine and shrines associated with Shiva and Saraswati, while a Tibetan Buddhist presence is reflected in the nearby Tashi Choling monastic community, so that Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous Kirat traditions converge on the same sacred ground. Local legend also links the site to figures from the Hindu epics, adding to its standing as a pilgrimage destination.

The lake draws its largest crowds during the autumn pilgrimage season around the Ekadashi and full-moon observances of the months of Kartik and Mangsir (roughly October-November), when a major fair is held and devotees gather to bathe, make offerings and worship Bhagawati amid the misty forest. These gatherings, alongside everyday acts of devotion, make Mai Pokhari a focus of regional religious life as well as a natural reserve.

Mai Pokhari lies about 13-15 kilometres north of Ilam town and is typically reached by road in around an hour to ninety minutes from the bazaar, making it a popular short excursion for visitors to the Ilam tea region. The lake can be walked around on a roughly one-kilometre circuit through cool temperate forest; the surrounding hills and the frequent mist give the area a tranquil, contemplative character that complements its sacred status.

On the lake's periphery is the Mai Pokhari Botanical Garden, of horticultural and ecological value, which includes a rock garden, an orchid house, a greenhouse and collections of plants gathered from across eastern Nepal. The garden, together with the forest and the lake, makes the site a destination for nature lovers, birdwatchers and botanists as well as pilgrims.

As a Ramsar site, Mai Pokhari is managed for conservation through a combination of government oversight and community participation, with measures such as a wetland management plan, local monitoring and agreed codes of conduct for visitors. Key conservation concerns include the impact of introduced fish on the native Himalayan newt, sedimentation and shrinkage of the pond, encroachment and tourism pressure. Visitors are expected to respect the lake's sacred character, avoid polluting or disturbing the water and wildlife, and keep to designated paths so that this rare combination of natural and spiritual heritage is preserved.