A Ten-Year Vow: How Hat Tharp Gave Its Forest to Maa Bhagwati
Long before 'carbon-smart' entered the vocabulary, Hat Tharp dedicated its entire forest to Maa Bhagwati of Pankhu for ten years — banning the axe and allowing only fallen wood. This is our truest climate credential.
The most powerful environmental idea in Hat Tharp's history did not come from a ministry or an NGO. It came from the community itself.
The vow
The people of Hat Tharp dedicated their entire forest to Maa Bhagwati of Pankhu for ten years. For that decade, no one was allowed to take an axe to the forest — only the gathering of dry, fallen wood was permitted. Faith did what fences and fines often cannot: it protected the forest absolutely.
Why it matters now
This sacred contract kept biodiversity intact, recharged springs, and preserved one of the densest carbon sinks in the region. Today, nearly 90% of the village's land remains under forest cover — a direct inheritance of this tradition of eco-theology.
When we speak of becoming a Carbon-Smart Village, we are not importing a foreign idea. We are honouring a vow our own ancestors made to the Goddess.
As Hat Tharp begins its formal carbon-smart journey under Gram Pradhan Mr. Manoj Bhandari, this living tradition is both our foundation and our north star.
