Travel & Tourism
Thousands of bicycle riders are all set to descend on the streets, alleyways and dirt tracks of Kathmandu valley - and several other cities around the country - on Saturday July 16 to participate in the annual charity cycle festival popularly known as #KoraCycleJatra.
Kora is a term used by Himalayan Buddhists - and it denotes the act of clockwise circumambulation of a Buddhist stupa, monastery or even a mountain such as Mt Kailash. Buddhists believe the meditative Karma serves the Dharma and ensures holistic well being.
Ever since it started in July 2011, Kathmandu Kora Challenge has been attracting hundreds of cyclists - who generally find it difficult on weekdays to ride on the city’s traffic-choked streets, notorious for stress, noise and air pollution and even crashes.
But early on Saturday, thousands of cyclists will yet again ride around Kathmandu valley and other cities in clockwise directions as part of the #KoraCycleJatra.
Kora history
Raj Gyawali, a tourism entrepreneur and a cycling enthusiast, first conceived the idea 11 years ago.
Then “just 35 riders” joined the Cycle Jatra called Kathmandu Kora, but today he’s happy that “the ride has now become the biggest charity bicycle ride in the Himalayas, with upto 5,000 riders covering 175,000 kilometers of journey every year.”
Collaborating with a variety of partners and sponsors, Gyawali and friends have remained busy organising the event on the third Saturday of July every year: “We are expecting up to 3,000 riders in Kathmandu valley alone. Nationwide and internationally, hundreds more are expected to join the Kora.”
The riders in Kathmandu valley, he said, have a choice to select a Kora loop of their choice – short, medium or long Kora. Designed to go across towns, green fields and a multitude of green hills before it ends in Patan, the longest Kathmandu Kora route will cover a distance of 100 kilometres.
The charity ride also allows riders to “raise Rs 100 per kilometre funds for worthy cause”.
Kora culture
When it was first started, Gyawali said, Kathmandu Kora was aimed at promoting cycling culture in the city - plagued by deteriorating air quality stemming from uncontrolled growth of smoke-belching vehicles and motorcycles.
“But now we are glad to see more and more cyclists joining the Kora Challenge - and even organising their own Kora in several towns around the country, quite spontaneously.”
What’s even more heartening to bicycle-lovers is the news that “people have started organising Kora internationally too”.
Kora message
Organisers and riders hope that bicycling events like #KoraCycleJatra could send two messages: a) encourage more Nepalis to start riding bicycles by shunning petrol- or diesel-burning automobiles; and b) encourage mayors and leaders to develop bicycle lanes - something that are all but missing in Nepal’s cities and towns.
