Nepalgunj (; ), also spelled Nepalganj, is a Sub-Metropolitan City in Banke district District, Nepal. It lies on the Terai plains near the southern border with Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, India. Nepalgunj is 153 kilometers south-west of Ghorahi and 16 km south of Kohalpur. Former Village Development Committee: Udayapur, Bhawaniyapur, Piparhawa, Jaispur, Parsapur, Indrapur, Khaskarkado, Basudevpur, Manikapur and Puraina were added to territory in order to make it Sub metropolitan city on 2071 Paush 28 and later Puraini was also added in list on 2072 Paush 21. Further, while restructuring of local levels nationwide, ward no. 23 (former Indrapur VDC) was taken out to Janaki Rural Municipality and ward no. 7 of Hirminiya VDC was added to Nepalgunj.
Demographics
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City had a population of 141,241. Of these, 33.7% spoke
Nepali language, 30.7%
Awadhi language, 27.2%
Urdu, 2.1%
Hindi, 1.8%
Tharu languages, 1.4% Maithili, 1.0%
Newar language, 0.6%
Magar language, 0.3%
Doteli and 1.2% other languages as their first language.
In terms of ethnicity/caste, 28.2% were Nepalese Muslims, 10.7% Chhetri, 8.6% Bahun, 4.0% Thakuri, 3.7% Magars, 3.5% Yadav, 3.2% Tharu people, 3.0% Newar people, 3.0% Kathabaniyan and 32.1% others.
In terms of religion, 70.0% were Hindus, 27.8% Islam, 1.1% Buddhism, 0.8% Christianity, 0.1% Kirat Mundhum and 0.2% others.[ NepalMap Demographics [1]]
Culture
Nepalgunj has a diverse culture with people from different faiths living within mixed communities.
Hinduism and
Buddhism are two major religions in the city, with Hindus comprising the larger percentage of the population. The city also has followers of other religions like
Islam,
Sikhism and
Christianity. People of different ethnicity are known to have traditionally lived together, without any significant conflicts.
However, recent conflict occurred in December 2006 between the Pahari people and the Madhesi people, following immediately after the 2006 democracy movement in Nepal. The conflict resulted in the death of at least one person, while dozens of others were injured.
Transport
Nepalgunj Airport is located 6 km north of the city centre. The airport was officially named Mahendra Airport after the late King Mahendra, but it is commonly referred to as Ranjha Airport. It operated flights to Kathmandu and to airports in less-developed western districts such as
Humla District,
Dolpa Airport,
Jumla Airport,
Mugu District and
Rukumkot Airport. Nepalgunj airport is the gateway for pilgrims headed to
Mount Kailash in
Tibet via the
Simikot-Hilsa route in
Humla District, which, following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, has become the dominant route for Kailash pilgrimage through Nepal.
Nepalgunj airport is undergoing major redevelopment, and by 2025 its capacity will be increased and it will have world-class facilities inside the airport for customers. The Nepalgunj-Kohalpur highway has been widened to four lanes and is considered one of the best in the country. This has made the journey to Kolhapur easy. has bus and minibus services. The country's longest highway, the Mahendra Highway, runs through the town of Kohalpur, 10 kilometers from Nepalgunj city center.
An Indian Railways line reaches Rupaidiha across the border. It involves train changes at Gonda, Bahraich, and Nanpara. For travellers coming in from India it is also possible to take an express train to Lucknow and from there a direct bus to Rupaidiha. Indian and Nepalese nationals may cross the border without restrictions; however, there is a customs checkpoint for goods and third country nationals.
Infrastructure
Hospitals
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Bheri Zonal Hospital
-
Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital
-
Western Hospital Pvt. Ltd.
-
Fateh Bal Eye Hospital
-
Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital
-
Lions Dental Hospital
Education
Nepalgunj has several boarding and government-run schools. Mahendra Multiple Campus is the largest public higher-level institution in the district, and is affiliated to Tribhuvan University. The city recently inaugurated Lumbini Technological University in July 2022, which provides promising future regarding the education sector in the area.
Communications
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A Post Office is located at Charbahini Chok
-
Telephone networks (land lines) including telephone exchange systems
-
Mobile phone networks
-
Cable television physical networks including receiving stations and cable distribution networks
-
Internet services
Tourism
With the boost in the tourism industry after the change in political scenario of Nepal in the 1950s, the hotel and restaurant industries in Nepalgunj have experienced significant growth. Some hotels of the city feature in the atmospheric travel memoir
A Glimpse of Eternal Snows by Jane Wilson-Howarth.
Climate
Nepalgunj has a sub-tropical climate. Temperatures sometimes exceed from April to June. During the rainy season—arriving in June and lasting into September—it is less hot but sometimes very humid. Winter is usually pleasant while the sun is out. It sometimes is foggy and overcast; then it can be chilly with temperatures below but no frost. The highest temperature ever recorded in Nepalgunj was in June 2023,
while the lowest temperature ever recorded was on 9 January 2013.
[. Retrieved 27 February 2016.]
Places of interest
-
Bageshwori Temple
-
Banke National Park
-
Manpur Mainapokhar is half an hour drive to travel Badhiya Lake
-
Bardia National Park is an hour's drive west
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Karnali River is a 90 minutes drive west
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Tharu people villages in Deukhuri Valley to the west along the Mahendra Rajmarg
-
Surkhet, an Inner Terai Valley north of Nepalgunj
Sports
Cricket and association football are the two most popular sports in Nepalgunj. Most of the city's big sports tournaments are held in the city's football stadium and gymnasium. , an international cricket stadium is under construction in Kohalpur.
Media
Radio Bageshwori, 94.6 MHz, is the first commercial radio station established in western part of Nepal which is also a household name in Nepalgunj,Banke has been a pillar of the community for nearly two decades. Established in 2004, on October 12th, the radio station boasts a long and rich history of providing informative, educational, and entertaining programs to the people of Nepalgunj and surrounding areas.
The city also has several
community radio stations:
-
Radio Sadvab " Sabai ko Radio " 91.2 MHz
-
Radio Himal 92.6 MHz (close)
-
Nepalgunj Community FM 104.8 MHz
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Bheri FM 105.4 MHz
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Radio Krishnasar 94 MHz
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Bheri Awaj FM 95.6 MHz (close)
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Morning Star 90.0 MHz
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DAINIK Nepalgunj National newspaper
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www.nepalgunjnews.com
and also Two
Movie theater, Laxmi hall and
QFX Cinemas Bageshwori, can be found in Nepalgunj.
Notable people
See also
External links
