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Chitwan चितवन | |
|---|---|
District | |
 Narayangarh city view fromMaula Kalika temple Gaindakot | |
| Motto(s): हाम्रो चितवन, राम्रो चितवन | |
 Location in Bagmati Province | |
| Coordinates:27°35′N84°30′E / 27.583°N 84.500°E /27.583; 84.500 | |
| Country | Nepal |
| Province | Bagmati Province |
| Headquarters | Bharatpur |
| HDI |  0.520 (Medium)[1] |
| HPI |  31.9 (Low) |
| Literacy Rate | 77.3% (Medium) |
| Established | 14th century[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,238.39 km2 (864.25 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 415 m (1,362 ft) |
| Population (2014)[3] | |
• Total | 579,984 |
| • Density | 260/km2 (670/sq mi) |
| • Ethnicities | TharuBrahminChhetriNewarDaraiMuslimGurungMagarsTamangChepang Pariyar |
| • Religions | HinduMuslimBuddhist Christian |
| Languages | |
| • Local | Nepali,Tharu,Newari,Tamang,Gurung,Darai,Bhojpuri,Magar,Chepang |
| • Official | Nepali |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (Nepal Time) |
| Area code | 056 |
| Website | www.ddcchitwan.gov.np |
Chitwan District (/ˈtʃɪtəˌwʌn/,Nepali:चितवन,[ˈtsit̪ʌwʌn]ⓘ) is one of 77districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner ofBagmati Province.Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers 2,238.39 km2 (864.25 sq mi), and in 2011 had a population of 579,984 (279,087 male and 300,897 female) people.[3] Bharatpur is the commercial and service centre of South Central Nepal and a major destination for higher education, health care and transportation in the region. Chitwan lies in theTerai region of Nepal. It is in thedrainage basin of theGandaki River and is roughly triangular, taking that river as its meandering northwestern border, and a modest watershed border, withIndia, as the basis of its southern limit.Local government: Bharatpur Metropolitan, Rapti Municipality, Ratnanagar Municipality, Kalika Municipality, Khairahani Municipality, Madi Municipality, Ikshyakamana Gaupalika
The district takes its name from theChitwan Valley, one of Nepal'sInner Terai valleys between theMahabharat andSiwalik ranges, both considered foothills of theHimalayas.
Chitwan is one of the few remaining undisturbed vestiges of theTerai region, which formerly extended over the foothills of Nepal.[clarification needed] It was originally a dense forest with wild animals like leopards and Bengal tigers. It was ruled by Chitrsen Baba andrishis meditated in the forest.[citation needed][4]
There are several theories on the origin of the name Chitwan:
The people inhabiting the Chitwan District are predominantlypeasant farmers cultivating mainly food andcash crops such as rice, maize, wheat,beans,lentils,mustard and Vegetables. The district is the major maize-producing area in Nepal, with an area under maize cultivation of 27,170 ha (104.9 sq mi) in the year 2003–04. Maize is cultivated on irrigated /seasonalirrigated land in winter and spring, and on rain fed land in summer. Because it is easily accessible by good roads, maize produced in the district can be easily distributed to other parts of the country. Poultry is also a significant industry in Chitwan.[7]
Chitwan is famous in Nepal for mustard growing and production ofmustard oil. This popularity of the mustard in Chitwan is attributed to the predominant soil typesilt, resulting from the flooding of theNarayani River and its tributaries. The land of Chitwan is also spotted withclay, which is very good for growing rice, wheat and vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, radish, potatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and carrot. Chitwan is also famous forfloriculture,mushroom cultivation andbee keeping.[citation needed]
Chitwan has adopting the South KoreanNew Community Movement model of development. One of the biggest rice mills in Nepal, Agam Food Industry, is situated in Bharatpur and is a big source of local employment.[citation needed]
Chitwan is known forTaas (Nepali:तास), a spicy fried goat meat dish served withbhuja or chiura.Momo, Bhuteko Bhat (fried rice), andsukuti are other popular dishes.Dal bhat (steamed rice and lentils), is the staple food of the area, though meat and dairy products are also consumed. Other popular cuisines includeNewari andTharu andThakali andMadheshi. For centuries, traditional fermented foods and beverages have constituted about 20% of the local diet. Depending on altitudinal variation, finger millet, wheat, buckwheat, barley, vegetable, rice, potato, and soybeans etc. are grown.[citation needed]
The Rapti River flows east to the southwest in the south of Bharatpur and forms the northern border of the Chitwan National Park. TheNarayani River flows north to south to the west of Bharatpur. It is the deepest and one of the biggest rivers in Nepal. TheNarayani Bridge over the river connects Chitwan District withNawalparasi District of Nepal.
Chitwan is particularly rich inflora andfauna. Nepal's first national park, theChitwan National Park together with the adjacentParsa National Park support a diversity of species that is much higher than elsewhere on theIndian subcontinent. Rare species includeBengal tiger,gharial,rhino,leopards,mugger crocodile,Indian rock python and several species ofdeer. The protected areas are guarded by a battalion of theNepal Army and patrolled byanti-poaching units.[8]Bishazari Tal ("20 Thousand") Lake is near Chitwan National Park, about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Bharatpur. The lake is an important bird-watching center.
Krishna Mandir is One of the nice temples of the Hindu religion of Nepal. This is the temple of the god Krishna. There is no statue of the god in this temple. Its interior is made of mirrors all over the wall. The historical event of the god Krishna is shown on the wall. There is one place inside where there is a statue of the god Krishna and his wife.
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Bharatpur Airport is the only airport in the region and has flights to and fromKathmandu.Mahendra Highway, the main east–west highway in Nepal, runs through the region and,Prithvi Highway a north–south highway from the border with India toKathmandu runs through the district. Narayangarh is the main transit point for vehicles travelling via the east–westMahendra Highway and also for people travelling from Kathmandu, Gorkha, and Pokhara throughMugling.
There are numerous localFM radio stations broadcasting from Bharatpur: Synergy FM,[9] Hamro FM, Radio Triveni, Radio Madi, Radio Chitwan,[10] Radio Kotagiri, Chitwan Online FM, Kalika Music FM, Kalika FM.[11] and Narayani FM. Television channels include Beso Channel, Aviyan Channel, Unique Television and Avass Television. There are multiple private Internet service providers. Fibre connectivity and 4G internet is available in the larger cities.
| Climate Zone[12] | Elevation Range | % of Area |
|---|---|---|
| Lowertropical | below 300 m (980 ft) | 58.2% |
| Upper tropical | 301 to 1,000 m (988 to 3,281 ft) | 32.6% |
| Subtropical | 1,001 to 2,000 m (3,284 to 6,562 ft) | 6.7% |
At the time of the2011 Nepal census, Chitwan District had a population of 579,984. Of these, 70.1% spokeNepali, 10.2%Tharu, 4.9%Tamang, 3.7%Chepang, 2.8%Gurung, 1.7%Bhojpuri, 1.6%Magar, 1.6%Newari, 1.1%Darai, 0.6%Maithili and 0.5%Hindi as theirfirst language.
Of the population, 27.3% in the district spokeNepali as theirsecond language.[13]
| Census year | Pop. | ±% p.a. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 259,571 | — | ||
| 1991 | 354,488 | +3.17% | ||
| 2001 | 472,048 | +2.91% | ||
| 2011 | 579,984 | +2.08% | ||
| 2021 | 722,168 | +2.22% | ||
| ||||
| Source: Citypopulation[14] | ||||
The district consists of sevenmunicipalities, out of which one is a metropolitan city, five are urban municipalities and one is arural municipality.[15]
Prior to the restructuring of the district[when?], Chitwan had following gaunpalikas and municipalities.[16]
Chitwan district is known for its hospitals and has many top rated medical institutions, mostly in and around Bharatpur Municipality.Bharatpur is colloquially known as medical city of Nepal. The district is especially known for theB. P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital at Krishnapur and two of the reputed medical colleges of the nation;College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur andChitwan Medical College. Chitwan ranks only behind the capitalKathmandu, in terms of hospital facilities in Nepal. Medical facilities in the district also includeBharatpur Hospital, a part of the Bharatpur medical college;Chitwan Eye Hospital; Sairam Dental Hospital and Research Center; Maula Kalika Hospital; and Narayani Community Hospital.
Most of the educational institutions in this region provide quality education to the students fromChitwan and neighboring districts too. These schools and colleges focus on the development of skills and knowledge of their students. Among them:
Source:Center for Education and Human Resource Development
Headquarters:Bharatpur | ||
| Metropolitan city | | |
| Municipalities | ||
| Rural municipality | ||
| Former VDCs | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
