IME Group is preparing to build a cable car connecting Devghat in Chitwan district with the Maulakalika temple in neighbouring Nawalpur district, a route of roughly two kilometres that the company says will be constructed within two years. The plan, reported by Nepal Press, Ratopati and Nagarik News, represents a significant expansion of the group's existing ropeway operation, which currently carries passengers from a bottom station at Gaindakot to the Ila Hotel near the Maulakalika temple. According to IME Group chairman Chandra Prasad Dhakal, the new project will link Devghat and Maulakalika, giving pilgrims and visitors a second point of access to the popular temple.
A Two-Kilometre Link Between Two Districts
Under the proposed plan, the ropeway will run from Devghat, a revered pilgrimage site in Chitwan, to the Maulakalika temple, which stands in Nawalpur district on the other side of the district border. The two sites are separated by a distance of approximately two kilometres, and the group has indicated that the cable car will be built along this corridor. Devghat and Maulakalika already draw large numbers of devotees individually, and the planned service is intended to tie the two destinations together in a single journey.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Project: Cable car from Devghat in Chitwan to the Maulakalika temple in Nawalpur
- Route length: Approximately two kilometres
- Timeline: Construction to be completed within two years, according to the company
- Operator: IME Group, which already runs a cable car to the temple from Gaindakot
Chandra Prasad Dhakal, the chairman of IME Group, confirmed that the project will link Devghat and Maulakalika. His statement, carried in the Nepali media reports, is the clearest indication so far of the company's intent, and it positions the new line as a natural extension of the group's presence in the ropeway sector rather than an entirely new venture.
Building on the Gaindakot Cable Car
IME Group currently operates a cable car service from its bottom station at Gaindakot to the Ila Hotel, which is located near the Maulakalika temple. That service has become a key means of reaching the temple, sparing devotees the effort of climbing to the shrine on foot. The existing operation also gave the company firsthand experience of the route's popularity and the practical challenges of running a ropeway in the area.
The new project aims to extend access from Devghat as well, creating a second gateway to the temple. Once completed, the Devghat line would work alongside the Gaindakot service rather than replace it, offering visitors two arrival points on the route. For pilgrims and travellers moving through Chitwan, the extended access is expected to make the temple considerably easier to include in a day's itinerary, while for those already familiar with the Gaindakot side, Devghat would open an alternative approach to the same destination.
Pilgrimage and Tourism Potential
Devghat is one of Nepal's best-known pilgrimage sites. Situated at the confluence of the Trishuli and Kaligandaki rivers, it is regarded as a place of deep religious significance and attracts large gatherings of Hindu devotees, particularly during festivals such as Maghe Sankranti, when ritual bathing at the confluence is considered especially auspicious. The site's location within Chitwan district also places it close to one of the country's busiest travel corridors, with steady footfall from both devotees and general visitors throughout the year.
The Maulakalika temple, for its part, is a popular religious destination for people in Nawalpur and adjoining Chitwan, and the existing cable car from Gaindakot has already made the ascent far easier for elderly and less mobile devotees. A direct connection from Devghat is expected to widen access further, and the combination of the two sites along a single ropeway route could strengthen religious tourism across the area, allowing visitors to experience a pilgrimage circuit rather than a single destination.
For Chitwan, which draws substantial domestic and international tourism, improved connectivity between Devghat and Maulakalika adds another layer to the district's appeal. A ropeway link of this kind gives visitors the option of pairing a visit to one of the region's holiest sites with a trip to one of its most visited temples, without the need for lengthy road travel between the two.
Timeline and Details Still Awaited
According to the group, the cable car will be built within two years, making this one of the more concrete timelines attached to a ropeway proposal in the region in recent times. Beyond that schedule, the reports did not disclose the project's estimated cost, the technology to be used, or the precise alignment of the route, and those details are likely to become clearer as the company moves ahead with preparation and construction.
What is already clear is the shape of the project. IME Group, which operates the Gaindakot to Ila Hotel cable car today, will add a second line running from Devghat to the Maulakalika temple across a route of about two kilometres, with completion targeted within two years. As chairman Chandra Prasad Dhakal put it, the purpose of the project is straightforward: to link Devghat and Maulakalika.
