BHRATANG - Manange Marpha

Bhratang is characterized by large apple orchards. Although nowhere near to Marpha's orchards in scale, Bhratang can be considered the wannabe Marpha of the Marshyangdi valley. According to the landowners, apples here are grown from seeds flown in from Italy and Serbia. But the apples on the other side of the Thorung Pass are definitely better tasting. Bhratang is historically significant because it used to be a Tibetan refugee village comprising mostly of Khampa rebels. Khampas or the Tibetan warriors who put up an armed resistance (secretly backed by the CIA) against the People's Liberation Army of Mao Tse Tung's China once settled down here controlling the traffic up and down the Manang valley. They did so by installing a gate on the bridge at the choke point here. Nowadays there are two bridges, a suspension bridge and a steel bridge for the motors. By the way, there are two Bhratangs as well. The old Bhratang is across the Marshyangdi river to the south where the refugee settlement used to be and the new or the current one is on the north side amongst apple orchards. But as of now, Bhratang is just a one tavern affair.

Bhratang holds special importance geographically as well as this is the last village of the Gyasumdo region. Just after Bhratang, there is a sharp turn made by the Marshyangdi river which stops the monsoon rains from reaching the Nyeshang region which is why the region is dry and barren.