Nepalgunj

Nepalgunj also spelled Nepalganj, is a Sub-Metropolitan Municipality in Banke District, Nepal on the Terai plains near the southern border with Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is 85 kilometers south-west of Ghorahi and 16 km south of Kohalpur and 35 kilometers east of Gulariya.It is one of the developed city in Nepal.

The heart of the city- Dhamboji, where lies the center and perhaps the most important traffic junction of the town, referred to Birendra chowk, is the main business hub with several banks, book shops, lodges, motor-parts and hardware dealers, and other general home appliance distributors. The 24 km long Surkhet Road starts from Mahendra Chok in Kohalpur and terminates at the Nepal-India Border; it runs through the middle of the city passing through Dhambojhi Chok and two other important junctions- Pushpalal Chok and BP Chok, creating a network of roads that cover the major portion of city’s industrial and residential areas.

The 2011 census  counted 73,779 inhabitants, with 20% growth since 2001. Nepali is spoken natively by Paharis as well as by people of other ethnicity as the national language and lingua franca. The mother tongue for the native inhabitants is still Awadhi, which is understood and normally spoken by the entire population of the district.

Temperature highly affects the lifestyle of Nepalgunj. Due to extreme heat in summer season, people wear light cotton clothes and rarely come out during the day time. While in the winter season, the temperature may drop to 4 °C during which people wear thick woollen clothes.

Restaurants in Nepalgunj are famous for its samosas, chaat, golgappas, dahibada, momos (Nepalese-style Dumplings), sekuwa (roasted spiced-meat), biryani and chilled beer. Samosas, chaat,katti roll, golgappas and sekuwa from Nepalgunj are considered to be the most delicious in all of Nepal. It is also famous for ravadi (milk item) all over the country.

The city also has religious significance. Bageshwori Temple is a renowned temple for Hindu devotees in the country as well as those from nearest border cities of India.

Nepalgunj has a diverse culture with people from different faiths living within mixed communities. Hinduism and Islam are two major religions in the city with Hindus comprising larger percentage of the population. Other religions like Buddhism, Sikhism and Christianity are among in the minorities. People of different ethnicity are known to have traditionally lived together, without any significant conflicts.