Rukum, May 20
Preparations are afoot to organise a Yarsa (caterpillar fungus) festival in Pupal of Rainmamkot VDC, Rukum district. The Pupal Yarsa Festival will take place at an altitude of 4,500 metres above the sea level from May 22 to June 5. The objective is to disseminate information about the medicinal herb at the international level. Coordinator of the festival organising committee, Laxmi Prasad Pun, says preparations for the fair are at the final stage. The fair coincides with the Biodiversity Day.
Speaker Onsari Gharti will inaugurate the festival. The organisers said Forest Minister Agni Sapkota and Minister for Supplies Ganesh Man Pun will also take part in the event.
According to Coordinator Pun, Pupal’s Yarsa is of highest quality. He says the festival aims to promote this high-quality herb, adding that the festival will also help develop tourism in the region. The organisers said they will open the region for annual Yarsa collection only after conclusion of the festival. Local people say Yarsa has been in use as an Ayurvedic medicine for more than 1,500 years.
Interested in the festival? Pack your bags, be ready for a hard trek and head for the mid-western district via road or air.
