SANKHUWASABHA

Khadbari is the district headquarter of Sankhuwasabha district at a distance of 720 km from Kathmandu. Gupteshwor Mahadev is one of a good attractions of Sankhiwasabha. It is a shrine of Lord Shiva inside a natural cave. The gate to the cave is small but is wide enough for a person to get inside and it can accommodate 200 people at a time. There is a phallic symbol of great god Shiva inside the cave. The phallus is continually showered with milky-water from an under like image of a cow just above of it.
Sabha Pokhari is a natural lake of religious significance. Hindu mythology has it that a wise ascetic 'Byasa' (writer of VEDAS, holy scriptures of Hindu) once organized a gathering of all 88 thousand sages, saint and ascetics, and delivered a speech on how human beings can acquire peace in life time and attain heaven after death. Situated north of Tumlingtar in Sankhuwasabha district by the eastern bank of Arun River, the temple of Manakamana Devi, enshrines the ancient stone images of Manakamana Devi, Mava Durga Bhagawati, Lord Mahadev, Lord Ganesh (son of Shiva and Parbati) along with manymore images. Makalu-Barun National Park on the west, the Nepal-China border on the north and the Saune Danda to the south. This is the only protected area in Nepal with a strict natural reserve. There are 75 varieties of orchids, 67 species of valuable aromatic plants, 25 of Nepal's 30 varieties of rhododendron, 19 species of bamboo, and 15 oaks including Arkhoulo, 86 species of fodder trees and 48 species of primrose.
Over 400 species of berds have been sighted in the Makalu-Barun area, including two species never before seen in Nepal. The spotted wildlife includes the endangered red panda, musk deer, Himalayan black deer, clouded leopard and possibly the snow leopard, in addition to more substantial populations of ghoral, Himalayan tarh, wild boar, barking deer, Himalayan marmot and weasel, common langur monkey and the serow.