Nepalgunj
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| Nepalgunj | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Nepal |
| Regional Authority | Nepalgunj Municipality |
| Government | |
| - Mayor of Nepalgunj | N.A. |
| Elevation | 150 m (492 ft) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - Total | 64.400 |
| Time zone | GMT+5:45 (UTC) |
Nepalgunj (नेपालगञ्ज or नेपालगन्ज) (pronounced as /nepãlgənj/ ), also spelled Nepalganj, is a town in Nepal, located in the Banke district of the Bheri zone (Terai), near Nepal's southern border with India. It is 16 km south of Kohalpur. It is the transport hub for western , mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal. The nearest Indian border is about 8 KM south of Nepalgunj.
Nepalgunj is important business centre for more than 5 regions (Bheri, Rapti, Mahakali, Karnali, Seti). In the middle of town lies Birendra Chok, an intersection named after the late king, of whom it has a statue. The airport is 6km north from Birendra Chok. The airport is called Mahendra Airport (which was initially constructed at khajura and was later shifted to ranjha), named after the name of Late King Mahendra. The major places in Nepalgunj are Dhambojhi, Gharbaritole, Tribhuwan Chok, Ganeshpur, Sadar Line, Koreanpur, Belaspur, B.P. Chok and Khajura. It connects the under-developed parts of Nepal like Dolpa, Jumla, Mugu, Rukum via airways.
Bageshowri temple in Nepalgunj is one of the most important temples for Hindus. At the temple can be found a statue of Shiva, which possesses a moustache.It is often referred to as 'जुंगे महादेव' (Junge Mahādeva), and is the only one of its kind.
[edit] Culture
Nepalgunj has a very diverse culture. People believing in different religions like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity etc and atheists too live here. Similarly people of different ethnicity also abode here.
Until few months back, it was believed that people of different ethnicity and cultures lived in harmony and peace here, but only until then. In last week of December 2006 a riot broke out in Nepalgunj causing violence between Madheshi (people of Terai origin) and Pahades (people of Hilly origin). At least one person was killed and dozens others injured in the clashes and the local administration had to impose curfew extended to several hours to pacify the riot.
During that violence, the agitated mob destroyed the statue of Late King Tribhuvan, as you see in the picture at the right, and named the chowk(crossing) as 'Kamal Madheshi chowk', after the name of the person killed in that violence.
A commission was formed later to find out the cause of the violence.
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