Beyond conserving and managing nature, Devithan Community Forest Group in Tsirang has also found a way to mint money using a natural spring within their community forest. The 28-member group has transformed the spring into a hot stone bath facility. It has attracted visitors seeking healing benefits while providing a new source of income for the group.
The hot stone bath facility is located just a few minutes’ drive from Sunkosh bridge, on the way to the Sunkosh Chiwog.
Kharka Singh Chhetri, the group’s chairman, oversees the daily operations. The water takes around four hours to heat.
Along with hot stones, he adds locally sourced medicinal herbs believed to enhance the bath’s therapeutic effects.
Since February last year, over 500 visitors from Tsirang and neighbouring districts have visited the facility.
Kharka Singh Chhetri said “The hot stone bath is believed to cure gastritis, body and joint pain, swelling, and ulcers. I also suffer from ulcer and after regularly soaking in the hot stone bath, I feel much better today.”
The group has earned nearly two hundred thousand so far.
Each year, Nu 10,000 is deposited into the community forest group’s account, while the rest is used to operate the facility and pay land lease charges.
Tsirang Forest Division with funding support from the Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation constructed the facility. It was aimed at uplifting the livelihoods of people in Sunkosh Chiwog.
The Devithan Community Forest Group was established in 2011. Since then, the group has been actively involved in conserving and planting three different species of trees across five acres of land.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
