Devghat

Devghat is where the Kali Gandaki, coming down from Mustang, joins the Trishuli to form the Narayani, and the confluence is held sacred: bathing here, particularly at Makar Sankranti in January, is believed to bring merit, and tens of thousands come for the festival. The settlement around it is unusual in that many of its residents are elderly people who have come to spend their last years near the confluence, living in ashrams and small houses, and there are cremation ghats on the bank. Temples and shrines are scattered through the village, which has no vehicle access at its core. It sits close to Chitwan and Bharatpur and makes a quiet half-day quite unlike a wildlife park visit.

What to look for

• The confluence - the Kali Gandaki meeting the Trishuli.
• Ashram village - elderly residents living out their years by the rivers.
• Cremation ghats - the riverside sites in use.
• Makar Sankranti - the January bathing festival that fills the banks.

When to go

November to February for the weather; Makar Sankranti in mid-January is the great gathering. The monsoon raises the rivers and floods the ghats. Mornings are when the bathing happens.

What to expect

This is a place where people come to die and where cremations happen daily; visitors should behave accordingly and keep cameras down around the ghats. Facilities are minimal. The core village is reached on foot. It is busy and difficult during the January festival.

Nearby

Chitwan lies south; Bharatpur is southeast.

Key facts