Narayani नारायणी अञ्चल | |
|---|---|
 Nunthardham | |
 | |
| Country |  Nepal |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (Nepal Time) |
Narayani (Nepali:नारायणी अञ्चलListenⓘ) was one of the fourteenzones ofNepal until the restructuring of zones toProvinces, located in the central south of the country. The headquarter of Narayani zone wasHetauda. Narayani Zone is named after theNarayani River which is on the western border of the zone, separating it from theGandaki andLumbini zones. Narayani means beloved of Narayan which isParvati his sister, and Narayan refers toLord Vishnu (the preserver) in theHindu religion.
Narayani contained parts of theTerai,Inner Terai, and Hill regions of Nepal, but it did not contain any of the Mountain or Himalayan region. Narayani is rich in flora and fauna. Considering the plain Terai, bordering India (to the south), where arnas (wild bulls) run to the hills from in fall, landscape structure of Narayani can be considered unique. Narayani River andEast Rapti River are the main rivers of Narayani zone.Bishajari and Garuda are some of the few lakes in Narayani.[citation needed]
Narayani was divided into five districts; since 2015 the two northern districts have been redesignated as part ofBagmati Province, while the three southern districts have been redesignated as part ofMadhesh Province.
| District | Type | Headquarters | Since 2015 part of Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bara | Outer Terai | Kalaiya | Madhesh Province |
| Parsa | Outer Terai | Birgunj | |
| Rautahat | Outer Terai | Gaur | |
| Chitwan | Inner Terai | Bharatpur | Bagmati Province |
| Makwanpur | Inner Terai | Hetauda |
Narayani used to be all forest. Settlement started after theAnglo-Nepal War.Devghat, where people go for meditation, is in this area. It is one of the most religious places of Nepal.
Birgunj-Pathlaiya 25 km industrial corridor having major industries of Nepal is in Narayani zone. It is the third largest industrial area of the country.Hetauda is the industrial area where the Hetauda cement factory (government owned organization) is. The main transit point of business transaction is in Birgunj joining toRaxaul,India, a dry port of Nepal and India.
Nepal Oil Corporation inAmlekhganj, Dabur Nepal inBara District,Unilever inHetauda, Bottlers Nepal (Terai) inChitwan and other several industries are in Narayani Zone and play leading role in national economy.
Some important cities and towns areBirganj,Parwanipur,Jitpur,Alau,Hetauda,Bharatpur,Narayangarh,Kalaiya, andGaur.
Narayani hosts Nepal's oldest and most famous national park:Chitwan National Park (932 km2), considered to be one of Asia's richest nature reserves, renowned for itsBengal tigers and theIndian rhinoceros. To the southeast the park is complemented by theParsa National Park with another 499 km2.
As of 2014 the Zone now hosts the beauty contest of Miss Glam Narayani, wherein winners are given direct entry to Miss Glam Nepal.
Narayani is one of the few zones that was left relatively untouched by theMaoist insurgency. It is a relatively prosperous zones of Nepal with a trading market with India whose effect can be easily seen in the border town ofBirgunj, the capital of this zone.
