Written by Kamal SaiyedSurat | November 11, 2025 04:20 AM IST 3 min readJignesh Patel and his wife Jagruti were teachers who conducted tuition classes in Kadod, a village in Bardoli taluka of Surat in Gujarat. Their only child, 17-year-old Priyadarshini, was a Class 11 student. But what made this family special in the village was something else.In 2018, Jignesh and Priyadarshini started trekking, a hobby that soon became a passion — so much so that both father and daughter soon started challenging the heights of the Himalayas in Nepal. And the village looked on with pride.Until that phone call on Sunday afternoon.“It was a hotel receptionist from Manang (in Nepal) who informed us about the discovery of the bodies of a man and a girl by search teams. Then, we saw the photos and belongings they had left behind and confirmed to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu that they were Jignesh and Priyadarshini,” Jignesh’s cousin Amitbhai Mistry, who stays in the same village, told The Indian Express.“Jagruti is still in a state of shock,” he said.According to officials in Nepal, a search and rescue team discovered the bodies from the Disyang area in Manang district, adjoining Tibet, nearly three weeks after they went missing near the Milarepa cave area.The two had reportedly left their hotel on October 20, informing staff that they were going to the Milarepa monastery. Their bodies were found buried under snow, about 100 metres above the monastery. According to police, the two likely moved further uphill for a better view.At Kadod on Monday, Jignesh’s elder brother Kartik and wife Beena, who live in Vadodara, reached the village to be with Jagruti as the family waited for the mortal remains.Story continues below this ad“We have been informed that the bodies will reach India on Tuesday. They may be transported to Surat via Delhi. We have made all the preparations for conducting the final rites. Family members and people who knew Jignesh have arrived in the village… Jignesh’s parents were teachers at the Kadod high school, and the village had great regard for the family,” Mistry said, adding that Jignesh’s father “passed away a few years ago while his mother is bedridden.”According to Jignesh’s family members, the exploits of the father-daughter duo on the trekking circuit were well-known. Their treks were mostly focused on the daunting Annapurna circuit: Muktinath-Damodar Kunda, Thorong La, Idam Phra Peak and Tilicho Lake. “In the summer this year, Jignesh soloed on an expedition from North Face to Annapurna Base Camp,” said Mistry.This time, the family said, Jignesh and Priyadarshini left Surat on October 14 for Manang. Their focus was once again on the Annapurna range. “On October 21, Jignesh called Jagruti and informed her that they would return to the base camp on October 30 and be home by November 4. But the heavy snowfall changed everything,” Mistry said.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Gujarat