Resunga Hill & Sacred Forest

Resunga Hill and Sacred Forest (रेसुङ्गा डाँडा तथा तपोभूमि / रेसुङ्गा संरक्षित वन), soaring to an elevation of 2,347 meters above the district headquarters of Tamghas in Resunga Municipality Wards 8 and 9, is the supreme spiritual sanctuary and crowning natural landmark of Gulmi District. According to profound Vedic and Puranic lore, this mist-shrouded mountain was the ancient hermitage of the venerated sage Rishyasringa (ऋष्यशृङ्ग मुनि), whose austere penance brought rain to the drought-stricken kingdom of Ayodhya and who later conducted the Putrakameshti Yagya for King Dasharatha in the Ramayana epic. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the sacred ascetic tradition was revived by the saintly hermit Yadukananda Swami (Shashidhar Swami), who established the perpetual Yagyashala sacrificial pavilion where the sacred Vedic fire has burned continuously for over a century. The complex encompasses a network of revered shrines including the Siddha Baba Temple, Shiva Mandir, Radha Krishna Temple, the holy Bishnu Pokhari pond, and ascetic meditation caves scattered among ancient oak, rhododendron, and deodar forests. Crowning the highest ridge is a grand multi-story view tower that commands breathtaking 360-degree panoramas across western and central Nepal, sweeping from the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna massifs to Machhapuchhre and the Mahabharat hills. Annually during the holy month of Shrawan and on Harisayani Ekadashi, thousands of Hindu pilgrims and nature enthusiasts ascend through scenic forest walking trails to offer worship, bathe in sacred waters, and experience the pristine mountain tranquility.