Nepalgunj

Overview

Nepalgunj is a sub-metropolitan city situated in Banke District, Nepal. It lies on the Terai plains near the southern border with the Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Positioned in Lumbini Province at latitude 28.05 and longitude 81.61667, the city operates within the Asia/Kathmandu time zone and uses the NPR currency. Nepalgunj is located 153 kilometers south-west of Ghorahi and 16 kilometers south of Kohalpur. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, the city recorded a population of 141,241, featuring diverse linguistic and cultural communities. The first languages spoken included Nepali at 33.7%, Awadhi at 30.7%, Urdu at 27.2%, Hindi at 2.1%, Tharu at 1.8%, Maithili at 1.4%, Newar at 1.0%, Magar at 0.6%, and Doteli at 0.3%, alongside 1.2% speaking other languages.

The cultural landscape of Nepalgunj is defined by mixed communities of different faiths and ethnicities living together. The 2011 census recorded the ethnic and caste composition as 28.2% 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% in other categories. In terms of religious adherence, the city is 70.0% Hindu, 27.8% Muslim, 1.1% Buddhist, 0.8% Christian, 0.1% Kirati, and 0.2% belonging to other religions. While the population has traditionally co-existed without significant conflict, a notable civil disturbance occurred in December 2006 between the Pahari and Madhesi communities immediately following the democracy movement.

Cross-border connectivity facilitates regular interaction between Nepal and India. An Indian Railways line reaches Rupaidiha across the border, and citizens of both nations may cross without restrictions subject to customs checkpoints. Furthermore, Nepalgunj Airport, located 6 kilometers north of the city centre, connects residents and pilgrims traveling toward Tibet.

Additional documentation and records are available via the Wikipedia entry on Nepalgunj and the GeoNames record.