Jodu Village

The wonder that is Karnali

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Jumla is a remote district in the Karnali province of mid-western Nepal. It is the gateway to the northwestern mountains of Nepal and where the Nepali language first originated. Set at an elevation of 2,514m from the sea level, nature seems to have poured its entire splendor on it. Being a developing tourist hub, Jumla is the starting point for a ‘4-day hike’ to Rara, trek across the Kagmara Pass and on to Phoksundo Lake. Its famous apples and red rice are the primary sources of income for most of the people. Having so many places of historical significance and ruins in and around, UNESCO has included Sinja Valley of Jumla in the tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

Beautiful but ‘difficult’

A small part of this district is Jodu village of Sinja village municipality situated at the height of 3070m above sea level. Isolated by the majestic mountains, it takes a total of 3 days to reach the village from Kathmandu. After 4 hours of off-road drive from the Jumla Bazaar and 8 hours of walking on the narrow cobblestone, its steps lead to the stone and mud houses with slate roofs on the sloping lands surrounded by high rugged, scrubby hillsides. The picturesque view of the golden rays of the sun falling on the mountains leaves everyone breathless and the chilly breeze blowing from the hills leaves one seeking for warmth even in the summer. Home to 800 people, Jodu village consists of 100 households, an elementary school, a secondary school, and a health post. The elementary school is equipped with five computers and a total of 260 children study in these schools. The village was severely affected by the decade long Maoist Insurgency and is now recovering from all the devastation brought on by the civil-war. While Jumla is trying to change its face from an underdeveloped district through various development projects, Jodu village has little to no signs of development and seems to be still left in the past.