Meghauli मेघौली | |
|---|---|
Village ofBharatpur Metropolitan City (Ward No. 27 & 28) | |
  Meghauli Location in Nepal | |
| Coordinates:27°35′N84°13′E / 27.58°N 84.21°E /27.58; 84.21 | |
| Country |  Nepal |
| Province | Bagmati Province |
| District | Chitwan District |
| Population (1991) | |
• Total | 12,281 |
| • Ethnicities | BrahminChhetriTharuNewarGurungMagarsTamangKumalDaraiMusahar etc. |
| • Religions | HinduBuddhist is main religions |
| Languages | |
| • Local | Nepali,Tharu,Nepal Bhasa,Tamang,Gurung,Magar etc. |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (Nepal Time) |
Meghauli (Nepali :मेघौली) is a smallcity and formerVillage Development Committee that is now part ofBharatpur Metropolitan City inBagmati Province of centralNepal.
In December 2014, Meghauli among neighboring other Village Development Committees was merged to formNarayani Municipality. In 2016 Narayani Municipality was itself merged into Bharatpur creating the metropolitan city of Bharatpur.[1] The former Meghauli V.D.C. looks after civic affairs in the town. The municipal area is divided into two wards ofBharatpur Metropolitan City, Ward No. 27 & 28.[citation needed]
At the time of the1991 Nepal census it had a population of 12,281 people living in 2027 individual households.[citation needed]
Meghauli village touches over 25 km of the borders of the park and is situated on the banks of theRapti andNarayani River. Situated at 172 km fromKathmandu, Meghauli is in the western part ofChitwan district. Meghauli is one of the richest villages inChitwan in terms of wildlife, different cultures and sports is located in the adjacent ofChitwan National Park.[2]
| Chitwan National Park | |
|---|---|
 Elephant safari afterone horned rhinos | |
 |
Meghauli is the western entrance of theChitwan National Park that attracts thousands of visitors every year to explore its richflora andfauna. The huge 25 km long community forest is another eye catching object of Meghauli.
The new concept had been materialized for the tourism development in Meghauli. National park entrance gate, elephant stable, view tower, eco park. National crocodile dreediy pond and medicinal herbal farming in the buffer zone are the main attractions in the Meghauli.
It is also a very interesting place to learn about the local indigenousTharu people as the village is a very well preserve example of a traditional settlement and now is possible to stay at one of the 5 Tharu Homestays.
Apart from these, Meghauli has excellent potential for the establishment of resorts and hotels. Rhino Resort, Golaghat Wildlife Resort, Barahi Resort, Chital lodge, Chautari lodge, Ecopark Volunteering and restaurant etc. are serving to some extent who come to visit Megauli.
Rafters, after a trip end at the Golaghat, the confluence of Narayani and Rapti River, can see the sunset and a view of the Himalayas. Meghauli has a good balance between human settlement and wildlife.[3]
There is bird watching forBengal florican,giant horn bill,[specify]lesser florican,black stork andwhite stork. One can also seeone horned rhinos,royal Bengal tiger,chital,hog deer,[specify]barking deer,[specify]sloth bear,palm civet,[specify]langur monkey[specify] and thegharialcrocodile along with many other common species such asgaur,elephant,hyena,[specify]pangolin,[specify]Gangetic dolphin,monitor lizard,[specify] andstriped python.[specify] The village has a wide area for sporting activities. Every year sports like para jumping andelephant polo are held in Meghauli.[4] One can also see the localTharu stick dance,tiger dance andmask danceghost dance which are popular in this village.[5]
Narayani River flows north of Meghauli. Narayani river is the deepest and also one of the biggest rivers of Nepal. Eastern side of the Narayani river bank in Meghauli is regarded as the holy site for Hindu rituals.
Rapti River flows South of Meghauli and bank of the Chitwan National Park.confluence of Narayani and Rapti River at Golaghat
Narayangarh inBharatpur city, is the main shopping and commercial area for Meghauli residents. Is the main transit point for all the vehicles traveling via east-westMahendra Highway and also for the people traveling fromKathmandu,Gorkha, andPokhara throughMugling road.
Recently, Narayangarh has become aretail andcommercial capital of whole Chitwan district and Bharatpur Metropolitan City. It is also the center forhospitality industry which includes Hotels, Lodges, Restaurants etc. and transportation hub for Chitwan district.
Meghauli Airport, (IATA:MEY,ICAO:VNMG) is located in about 26 km west of the city center ofBharatpur in the Chitwan District. The airport resides at anelevation of 600 feet (183 m) abovemean sea level. It has onerunway which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) in length.[6] It is the gateway airport toChitwan National Park, and sees thousands of tourists annually. Permits for Foreign tourists intending to journey to Chitwan are issued at this airport.
Mahendra East West Highway connects from the Chaubiskothi Bharatpur, Bus, micro bus and other land transportation are available to go out of the Meghauli,.Parsadhap Bazaar,EcoPark,Telauli Bazaar,Meghauli Bazaar,Sajhapur,Jitpur Bazaar,Bhagaha andGolaghat are major centres at intersections of major roads.
The people inhabiting the Meghauli are predominantlypeasant farmers cultivating mainly food andcash crops such asrice,maize,wheat,beans,lentils,mustard andvegetables. Thepoultry industry in the village constitutes a significant proportion of the district's poultry industry.
| Meghauli religiosity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| religion | percent | |||
| Hinduism | 70.1% | |||
| Buddhism | 27.3% | |||
| Christianity | 2.4% | |||
| Other | 0.2% | |||
The overwhelming majority of the Meghauli population followsHinduism orBuddhism. There are also significant numbers ofChristians,Muslims.
A team from England have become the new world champions of elephant polo. Air Tuskers beat Scotland's Chivas, on Friday in Southern Nepal.
Headquarters:Bharatpur | ||
| Metropolitan city |  | |
| Municipalities | ||
| Rural municipality | ||
| Former VDCs | ||