Culture and history · Sukhia Pokhari
Across the border to Pashupati market
A half-day from Sukhia Pokhari past the Simana viewpoint to the border at Pashupatinagar, where Indian visitors with ID walk across to shop in Pashupati market. Views of Nepal's Ilam hills on the way and cheap everyday goods at the end.
India and Nepal share an open border, and the ridge west of Sukhia Pokhari is one of the places where you can feel it. Drive out along the Mirik road to Simana, whose name is Nepali for border, and the land drops away into the Ilam hills of eastern Nepal, a district known for its tea. A little further on is the crossing to Pashupatinagar, a Nepali border town whose market draws shoppers from the Darjeeling hills for clothes, shoes, blankets, packaged food and household goods.
Indian citizens can usually walk across without a visa, carrying valid photo ID such as a passport or voter ID card; children may need a school ID or birth certificate. Foreign nationals generally cannot use this crossing and should not try. Security staff may check bags and ID on both sides. Rules, timings and checks change, sometimes at short notice around elections or holidays, so carry ID for everyone in your group and check current status before you travel.
Go by local car from Sukhia for ₹600–1,200 return with waiting, or fold it into a Darjeeling to Mirik day tour. Stop at Simana for tea and the view first, while the light is clear, then cross for an hour or two of shopping. Indian rupees are widely taken, but carry ₹100 and ₹200 notes, since larger Indian notes have at times been refused in Nepal. Respect customs limits on what you bring back, and do not photograph border posts.
Cost: ₹600–1,200 local car + shopping
Questions people ask
Good to know
Can foreigners visit Pashupati market?
Generally no. The Pashupatinagar crossing is used by Indian and Nepali citizens, and foreign nationals are not normally allowed to cross here; the usual crossing for other nationalities near Siliguri is Panitanki to Kakarbhitta. Foreigners can still enjoy the Simana viewpoint on the Indian side. Check current status before you travel.
What currency is used at Pashupati market?
Nepali rupees are the local currency, but Indian rupees are widely accepted at border markets, at the fixed rate of about 1.6 Nepali rupees to one Indian rupee. Carry ₹100 and ₹200 notes, since larger Indian notes have at times been refused in Nepal. Do not rely on cards.
What can we buy at Pashupati market?
Mostly everyday goods: clothes, jackets, shoes, blankets, bags, packaged snacks and household items, often a little cheaper than in Darjeeling. Some visitors buy Nepali tea from Ilam. Check quality carefully, keep receipts if given, and stay within customs limits on what you carry back into India.
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