Nepalgunj

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City had a population of 141,241. Of these, 33.7% spoke Nepali, 30.7% Awadhi, 27.2% Urdu, 2.1% Hindi, 1.8% Tharu, 1.4% Maithili, 1.0% Newar, 0.6% Magar, 0.3% Doteli and 1.2% other languages as their first language.

In terms of ethnicity/caste, 28.2% were Musalman, 10.7% Chhetri, 8.6% Hill Brahmin, 4.0% Thakuri, 3.7% Magar, 3.5% Yadav, 3.2% Tharu, 3.0% Newar, 3.0% Kathabaniyan and 32.1% others.

In terms of religion, 70.0% were Hindu, 27.8% Muslim, 1.1% Buddhist, 0.8% Christian, 0.1% Kirati and 0.2% others.[5]

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

Damaged statue of Tribhuvan at Tribhuvan Chowk Nepalgunj.

However, recent conflict occurred in December 2006 between the Pahari people and the Madhesi people, following immediately after the 2006 democracy movement in Nepal. The conflict resulted in the death of at least one person, while dozens of others were injured.

Nepalgunj Airport

Nepalgunj Airport is located 6 km north of the city centre. The airport was officially named Mahendra Airport after the late King Mahendra, but it is commonly referred to as Ranjha Airport. It operated flights to Kathmandu and to airports in less-developed western districts such as Humla, Dolpa, Jumla, Mugu and Rukum. Nepalgunj airport is the gateway for pilgrims headed to Mt Kailash in Tibet via the Simikot-Hilsa route in Humla district, which, following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, has become the dominant route for Kailash pilgrimage through Nepal.[6][7]

Nepalgunj airport is undergoing major redevelopment, and by 2025 its capacity will be increased and it will have world-class facilities inside the airport for customers. The Nepalgunj-Kohalpur highway has been widened to four lanes and is considered one of the best in the country. This has made the journey to Kolhapur easy.

Section of the newly widened Surkhet road at Pipari

Nepalgunj has bus and minibus services. The country's longest highway, the Mahendra Highway, runs through the town of Kohalpur, 10 kilometers from Nepalgunj city center.

An Indian Railways line reaches Rupaidiha across the border. It involves train changes at Gonda, Bahraich, and Nanpara. For travellers coming in from India it is also possible to take an express train to Lucknow and from there a direct bus to Rupaidiha. Indian and Nepalese nationals may cross the border without restrictions; however, there is a customs checkpoint for goods and third country nationals.

Nepalgunj has a sub-tropical climate. Temperatures sometimes exceed 40 °C (104 °F) from April to June. During the rainy season—arriving in June and lasting into September—it is less hot but sometimes very humid. Winter is usually pleasant while the sun is out. It sometimes is foggy and overcast; then it can be chilly with temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F) but no frost. The highest temperature ever recorded in Nepalgunj was 26.1 °C (79.0 °F) on 18 June 2023, while the lowest temperature ever recorded was −0.3 °C (31.5 °F) on 9 January 2013.[8]

With the boost in the tourism industry after the change in political scenario of Nepal in the 1950s, the hotel and restaurant industries in Nepalgunj have experienced significant growth. Some hotels of the city feature in the atmospheric travel memoir A Glimpse of Eternal Snows by Jane Wilson-Howarth.[10]

The statue of Junge Mahādeva

• Bageshwori Temple
• Banke National Park
• Manpur Mainapokhar is half an hour drive to travel Badhiya Lake
• Bardia National Park is an hour's drive west
• Karnali River is a 90 minutes drive west
• Tharu villages in Deukhuri Valley to the west along the Mahendra Rajmarg
• Surkhet, an Inner Terai Valley north of Nepalgunj

Cricket and association football are the two most popular sports in Nepalgunj. Most of the city's big sports tournaments are held in the city's football stadium and gymnasium. As of September 2011, an international cricket stadium is under construction in Kohalpur.[11]

Two cinema halls, Laxmi hall and QFX Bageshwori, can be found in Nepalgunj. The city also has several community radio stations:

• Radio Sadvab " Sabai ko Radio " 91.2 MHz
• Radio Himal 92.6 MHz (close)
• Nepalgunj Community FM 104.8 MHz
• Bheri FM 105.4 MHz
• Radio Krishnasar 94 MHz
• Radio Bageshwori 94.6 MHz
• Bheri Awaj FM 95.6 MHz (close)
• Morning Star 90.0 MHz
• DAINIK Nepalgunj National newspaper
• www.nepalgunjnews.com

Although Nepalgunj is mainly known for its trade links with India, nevertheless it is rich in art and cultural heritage. As a place transitions from being rural to urban in characteristics, there is a change in the cultural tastes. With the advent of new-age technology, traditional theatres of days-goneby have given way to modern multiplexes. Twentieth century has witnessed the advent of beauty pageants. And Nepal is no exception to the changes happening at the global level.

Miss Nepal Beauty Pageant, an annual beauty contest for women in Nepal has been organized in Nepal since 1994. Miss Ruby Rana from Birgunj was the first titleholder. Notable participants from Nepalgunj like Miss Nisha Mishra have been runner ups and been very close to winning the contest. As the economy of the city is growing, the people's aspirations are continuously growing and greater participation of people is expected in upcoming days.

• Ghorahi
• Kohalpur
• Surkhet

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nepalganj.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Nepalgunj.

• "Nepalgunj News".