Khotang's Cliff Honey Hunting Festival Attracts Tourists, Promotes Conservation

Khotang. Internal and external tourists have increased at the cliff honey hunting festival organized by Khaptilasgadi Rural Municipality. The Rural Municipality organized the honey hunting festival in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment of the Koshi Province Government to conserve cliff honeybees, which are on the verge of extinction, and promote tourism.

Chief Administrative Officer of the Rural Municipality, Saudhan Rai, informed that the traditional cliff honey hunting by locals in the Terawa honey cliff in Fedi has become an attraction at the festival.

The organizers stated that local levels from within the district and neighboring Bhojpur, Okhaldhunga, Jhapa, Biratnagar, and other local areas participated in the festival to witness the cliff honey hunting, which is done using local resources and materials.

The organizers informed that arrangements have been made for the participating internal and external tourists to observe the adventurous cliff honey hunting and to study and research the culture and traditions of the local Sampang Rai people.

The festival, organized for the first time by the Rural Municipality in collaboration with the Provincial Government, connecting it with eco-tourism, was attended by people's representatives from all local levels of the district and tourism entrepreneurs including Ramesh Rai, Chairman of the Maiyung-Temke-Salpa-Silichung Tourism Promotion Center. Local people have arranged food and accommodation by pitching tents for the internal and external tourists participating in the festival organized in Terawa, located in the mountainous region of Fedi.

Rural Municipality Chief Samir Rai informed that the festival organized in Fedi, which is connected to 'Mundum Trail', one of the 100 tourist destinations determined by the Government of Nepal, is expected to greatly help in conserving cliff honeybees and promoting tourism.

"Cliff honeybees are found in many cliffs in our rural municipality. This year, the festival has been organized in coordination with the provincial government to conserve cliff honeybees, which are on the verge of extinction, and connect them with tourism," he said.

Cliff honeybees have been living in cliffs such as Ripdaula's Kuhire Chhaga cliff in Funggalung Community Forest, Makhamla's Mahabhir waterfall in Chilimlahure Community Forest, and Terawa cliff in Terawa, located in the northern part of the district, for many years.

Local residents of Fedi have been hunting cliff honey twice a year, in Jestha-Ashadh during Ubhauli and in Kartik-Mangsir during Udhauli. Local honey hunters said that at least Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh worth of honey is hunted from a single cliff in one season.

Honey hunter Hastaram Rai said that cliff honey hunting has been happening in Fedi as a Kirat tradition for generations. "I started this profession in 2035 BS, and now the younger generation is also attracted to this traditional honey hunting profession," he said, "We taught them to hunt cliff honey. We are happy that the younger generation is becoming professional."

Cliff honey hunting is traditionally done with the help of materials such as a ladder made from ropes made of Maliga, a safety net (gadda), ropes, a sieve, a basket, and a Malingo pole. Climbing is done using the ladder, and honey is extracted using ropes, baskets, poles, and other necessary equipment.

In the language of local honey hunters, the person who goes to the cliff and extracts honey is called 'Paryange', while the person who transports necessary materials like ladders, poles, and baskets to the Paryange using ropes is called 'Sutare'. The Paryange is responsible for filtering the honey extracted from the cliff, pouring it into containers, applying smoke, and other tasks, while others are called helpers.

On the day of cliff honey hunting, local residents from all over the village living in areas such as Terawa, Makhamla, and Pipi in Fedi gather to have fun as a festival, bringing local liquor, snacks, etc., from their homes. Cliff honey produced in Fedi is exported to major trading centers of the district like Diktel market, Dharan, Biratnagar, Kathmandu, as well as to countries like the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The Kirat Rai (Sampang) community of Fedi also connects the tradition of cliff honey hunting with their traditional customs and culture. After bringing the hunted honey from the cliff home, they offer it to their three hearths, i.e., the ancestors (deceased persons), and only then consume it as prasad.

Cliff honey is considered to have medicinal properties because cliff bees make honey from medicinal flowers. Experts say that cliff honey, which has the characteristic of causing intoxication if consumed in large quantities, is a suitable medicine for people with chronic diseases such as joint problems, nerve-related problems, uric acid, and blood pressure.