Manakamana Temple by Cable Car: Pilgrimage & Day-Trip Guide

Manakamana (मनकामना) is one of Nepal's most visited Hindu pilgrimage sites, perched on a ridge at about 1,302 metres in Gorkha district, roughly 100 kilometres west of Kathmandu. The temple is dedicated to Manakamana Devi, a form of the goddess Bhagawati (an incarnation of Parvati, consort of Shiva). The name joins the Nepali words mana (heart) and kamana (wish), which is why she is revered as the goddess who fulfils the heartfelt wishes of those who come to her with devotion.

Local tradition traces the shrine to the 17th century and the reign of the Gorkha king Ram Shah. According to the legend, the king's queen was believed to possess divine powers; after the king's death she committed sati on his pyre, having foretold that she would reappear. A farmer, an ancestor of the Magar priestly lineage that still serves the temple, is said to have later found a stone that bled milk and blood when struck, taken as a sign of the goddess, and a shrine was raised on the spot. Pilgrims have made the journey ever since, historically on foot up steep trails.

For pilgrims, Manakamana is above all a place to make and give thanks for wishes, from health and safe childbirth to success in exams, jobs and marriage. Newly married couples, families with newborns, students and those starting businesses are especially common among the crowds, and many return to fulfil a vow (bhakal) once a wish has been granted.

The Manakamana cable car, opened in 1998, was Nepal's first commercial cable car and remains one of the country's best-known rides. It was built by the Austrian ropeway specialist Doppelmayr and is operated by Manakamana Darshan Pvt. Ltd. The gondola replaced a strenuous multi-hour uphill walk with a short, scenic aerial journey that has made the shrine accessible to elderly pilgrims, families and casual day-trippers alike.

The lower station sits at Kurintar (Cheres) beside the Trishuli River at about 258 metres, and the upper station is next to the temple at about 1,302 metres, a climb of roughly a kilometre in height. The ride covers around 2.8 kilometres and takes about 10 minutes each way, gliding over terraced farmland, forest and the river valley, with views that many visitors rate as the highlight of the trip. Six-person gondola cabins run continuously, and the system can carry several hundred passengers an hour, though queues still build on weekends and festivals.

As of 2026, the cable car generally operates daily from about 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, typically with a lunch/maintenance break around midday (commonly cited as roughly 12:00 to 1:00 or 1:30 PM). Hours can change for festivals, peak season and maintenance, so check the official operator's website or call the station before planning a tight schedule. This guide focuses on the visit experience; for full ride specifications see the dedicated cable-car page.

Fares are tiered by nationality (Nepali, Indian, other SAARC and Chinese, and other foreign nationals) and split into one-way and return, with reduced child rates. The figures below are the operator's published rates as of 2026 and should be confirmed on the official website, at the counter or by phone before travelling, as ropeway fares in Nepal are revised periodically.

For most visitors a return (two-way) ticket is the practical choice, since you have to come back down the same way. Children are generally charged the child rate by height (commonly around 3 to 4 feet), and infants below that travel free or at a reduced rate. Bring cash and photo identification, as ID may be requested to establish nationality for the correct fare band.

From the upper cable-car station it is a short, easy walk through a lane of shops and stalls to the temple, a modest pagoda-style shrine that is the heart of a busy little bazaar town. Pilgrims join a queue for darshan (viewing and worship of the goddess); waits are short on quiet weekdays but can stretch to several hours on Saturdays and during festivals. Shops near the temple sell puja materials, prasad, souvenirs and food, and there are tea stalls and simple restaurants for a meal after darshan.

Typical offerings are coconuts, bananas and other fruit, flowers, red sindoor (vermilion), incense, sweets and cloth. As at many Shakti (goddess) shrines in Nepal, Manakamana also has a long tradition of animal sacrifice, and some pilgrims offer goats, particularly on Saturdays and during Dashain, in a designated area behind the main temple. Sacrifice of birds such as pigeons has been restricted by the local livestock authorities, and there is a clear, growing shift among many devotees toward bloodless, symbolic offerings of coconuts, fruit and flowers instead.

Visitors uncomfortable with animal sacrifice can simply visit on a weekday away from festivals and make bloodless offerings; the ritual area is set apart from the main worship. As at any temple, dress modestly, remove shoes before entering the shrine, ask before photographing people or the deity, and be mindful of the resident monkeys, which readily snatch food, prasad and loose items.

The most comfortable times to visit are the clear, mild months of spring (roughly March to May) and autumn (roughly late September to November), when hill views are at their best. The monsoon (June to August) brings lush greenery but cloud, rain and haze that can obscure the mountain panoramas, and winter mornings can be cold and misty on the ridge.

For the calmest experience and shortest darshan queues, come on a weekday morning outside festival season and ride the cable car soon after it opens. Saturdays are the busiest day of the week (Saturday is the main worship and sacrifice day), Fridays are also busy, and the very largest crowds gather during Dashain (around September to October) and Nag Panchami (around July to August), when devotees can wait many hours for darshan and both the queues and the cable-car lines are long.

If your goal is the pilgrimage atmosphere at its most intense, a festival or Saturday visit delivers it; if your goal is an easy, scenic outing with minimal waiting, choose a weekday and go early. Full-moon days and other Hindu calendar dates also draw larger-than-usual crowds.

The cable-car base at Kurintar lies directly on the Prithvi Highway, the main Kathmandu-Pokhara road, which makes it very easy to reach and to combine with a wider trip. It is roughly 100 to 106 km from Kathmandu (about 3.5 to 4.5 hours by road, traffic permitting), around 100 km from Pokhara, and about 60 km from Sauraha in Chitwan, so it slots neatly into a Kathmandu-Pokhara or Kathmandu-Chitwan journey.

By public transport, frequent buses and microbuses run from Kathmandu's Gongabu (New Bus Park) toward Pokhara, Gorkha and Chitwan; ask to be dropped at Kurintar / Manakamana cable car, which is a well-known stop, and flag down onward or return buses from the highway. From Pokhara, take any Kathmandu- or Chitwan-bound vehicle and alight at Kurintar. Many travellers instead hire a private car or jeep, or join a day tour, which allows a flexible, direct stop at the station.

Practical tips: allow a full half-day for the round trip from the highway (drive time plus the ride, queue and time at the temple), and a long day if travelling from Kathmandu or Pokhara and back. Carry enough cash for tickets, offerings and food, as card facilities are limited; bring water, sun protection and a light layer for the cooler, breezier top. Reach Kurintar with time to ride up, worship and return before the last cable car, and confirm the day's operating hours in advance, especially in peak season or around festivals.