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Dharan

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Dharan
धरान
Sub-Metropolitan City
Clockwise from top left:
view of Dharan from Chinde Dada, Ara Dharan(Shram Sanskriti Park), Bhanu Chowk,Dantakali Temple,Gurkha Memorial Park,Budha Subba Temple,B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences,Pindeshwor Temple, skywalk of Bhedetar view point,Dharan Clock Tower
Nicknames: 
लाहुरेहरुको शहर (City of the British/Indian Gurkha soldiers), Fashion Capital of Nepal
Motto: 
"To build an environmentally sound city, functioning as the centre of education, health, tourism and business with fully developed infrastructure"
Dharan is located in Koshi Province
Dharan
Dharan
Location within Koshi Province
Dharan is located in Nepal
Dharan
Dharan
Location within Nepal
Coordinates: 26°49′0″N 87°17′0″E / 26.81667°N 87.28333°E / 26.81667; 87.28333
Country   Nepal
Province Koshi
DistrictSunsari
First Settled1902
Established1958
Upgraded to Sub-metropolitan city2017
FounderSete Kaji Shrestha
No. of Wards20
Government
 • MayorVacant
 • Deputy MayorAindra Begha Limbu (Maiost)
Area
 • Total
74.37 sq mi (192.61 km2)
 • Water1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2)
 • 108,600 sq mi (281,000 km2)
Highest elevation
(Near Bhedetar)
5,833 ft (1,778 m)
Lowest elevation
(at Tarahara)
390 ft (119 m)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
166,531
 • Rank15th (Nepal)
3rd (Koshi Province)
 • Density2,239.3/sq mi (864.60/km2)
Languages
 • OfficialNepali
 • AdditionalEnglish, Limbu
Time zoneUTC+5:45 (NST)
Postal Code
56700 (Sunsari), 56702 (Mangalbare)
Telephone code025
ClimateCwa
Websitewww.dharan.gov.np

Dharan (Nepali: धरान) is a sub-metropolitan city in Sunsari District of Koshi Province, in eastern Nepal. It was established as the fourth municipality in the Kingdom of Nepal in 1958. It is the third most populous city in eastern Nepal after Biratnagar and Itahari. The Nepali word "dharan" means a saw pit.[1]

In 1960, a British Gurkha camp was also established near the city.[2] The use of the camp by British Gurkhas ended in the mid-1990s. Dharan has an estimated city population of 173,096 living in 34,834 households as per the 2021 Nepal census. It is one of the cities of the Greater Birat Development Area which incorporates the cities of Biratnagar-Itahari-Gothgau-Biratchowk-Dharan[3] primarily located on Koshi Highway in eastern Nepal, with an estimated total urban agglomerated population of 804,300 people living in 159,332 households.[4] It is the largest city in the Koshi Province by area, at 192.61 square kilometres; Biratnagar and Itahari are the second- and third-largest cities by area respectively.[5][6]

Geography

[edit]
Dharan from above

Dharan is situated on the foothills of the Mahabharat Range in the north with its southern tip touching the edge of the Terai plains. The city sits at an altitude of 1148 ft (349 m). Dharan Bazaar grew near Phusre, where the old walking route to Dhankuta and a large part of the Eastern hills left the plains with the ascent of Sanghuri Danra. Historically, hill villagers made annual treks to the plains for trade, making this a natural location for a marketplace at the junction of the hills and the Terai. In 1952, the construction of the Kosi barrage began and a narrow gauge railway was built to take stone from Phusre, loaded at a locality now known as "Railway", to the site of the barrage near the Indian border.[7]

Koshi Highway runs through the city, connecting Dharan to Biratnagar and Itahari, where it links to the east–west Mahendra Highway. The highway also extends north to Kimathanka at the Nepal-China border. The road from Dharan to Dhankuta was funded by the United Kingdom under the Overseas Development Administration aid scheme. The construction began in 1976 and was substantially completed by mid-1982. The road, which measures 51 km in length, was largely built by hand using local labor, with as many as 15,000 workers employed at the height of the project.[8]

History

[edit]
Bijayapur gate old city of modern Dharan

Dharan got its name from the Nepali word for a platform on which wood is sawed, because these first settlers used the platforms to work the trees they chopped in the forest. Dharan’s history linked to Vijayapur, an important political centre of the Morang/Vijayapur state associated with the Kirat chiefs and rulers of eastern Nepal. The area is also renowned for its religious heritage, including Dantakali, Pindeshwar and Budhasubba.[9]

map of 1817 showing Chayanpoor in the North, Sikkim in the East and Vijaypur/Dharan area probably important city of Morang state.

Modern Dharan developed after the forest was cleared in the early 20th century. In 1902/03, Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana established Chandranagar (present Purano Bazar). Later, Juddanagar (New Bazar) and the British British Gurkha recruitment centre accelerated urban growth. Dharan subsequently developed into a major multicultural, commercial and tourism centre of eastern Nepal[10]

Demographics

[edit]
Religion in Dharan (2021)
Religion Percent
Hindusim
 
 45%
kirat
 
 35%
Buddhism
 
 9.5%
Christianity
 
 8.6%
Others
 
 1.9%

Languages

[edit]
Language in Dharan census (2021)
  1. Nepali (42.5%)
  2. Limbu (10.1%)
  3. Maithili (8.00%)
  4. Newar (7.40%)
  5. Rai (5.90%)
  6. Tamang (5.90%)
  7. Bantawa (5.80%)
  8. Others (14.4%)

At the time of the 2021 Census of Nepal, 42.5% of the population in the city spoke Nepali, 10.1% Limbu, 8.0% Maithili, 7.4% Newar, 5.9% Rai, 5.9% Tamang, 5.8% Bantawa, and 14.4% spoke other smaller languages as their first language.

Caste and ethnic groups

[edit]
Broad caste and ethnicity category (2021 Census)
Broad ethnic categorySub-category[11]Linguistic familyPopulation percentage
Janajati (Hill ethnic groups)Magar, Tamang, Gurung, Sherpa, Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, SunuwarTibeto-Burman37.74
Khas (Hill/Pahari caste groups)Khas Brahmin, Chhetri, Kami, Damai Sarki, Sanyasi/DasnamiIndo-Aryan24.8
Newar (Kathmandu Valley caste groups)Newari Brahmin, Shrestha, Tamrakar, Newar Buddhist, Maharjan, RajkarnikarTibeto-Burman11.1%
Madeshi (Terai caste groups)Yadav, Maithil Brahmins, Chamar, Kushwaha, Musahar, Kurmi, DhanukIndo-Aryan11.0%
Marwadi, Bengalis-Indo-Aryan3.4%
Adibasi (Terai Indigenous groups)Tharu, RajbanshiIndo-Aryan and Indigenous people of Nepal2.3%
Muslim-Indo-Aryan1.3%
Others--3.1%

Environment

[edit]

A study conducted in 2016 to analyze the bacteriological quality of bottled drinking water and that of municipal tap water in Dharan found that one hundred percent of the tap water samples and 87.5% of the bottled water samples were contaminated with heterotrophic bacteria. Of the tap water samples, 55.3% were positive for total coliforms, compared with 25% of the bottled water, but no bottled water samples were positive for fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci, in contrast to 21.1% and 14.5% of the tap water samples being contaminated with fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci, respectively. One hundred percent of the tap water samples and 54.2% of the bottled water samples had pH in the acceptable range.[12]

Media and communication

[edit]
  • Newspapers: The people of Dharan are served by several daily local newspapers and national newspapers. There are 11 local newspapers in total. These include The Blast Times and The Morning Times. National newspapers are also provided to the people of Dharan on a daily basis. National newspapers include The Kathmandu Post, Kantipur, Annapurna Post, and Himalayan Times. Several monthly neighborhood papers serve the town.
  • Radio: The state-owned Radio Nepal is broadcast on the medium wave on 648 kHz in the city. Five private local FM stations are available. They are Star FM - 95.6 MHz, Vijayapur FM - 98.8 MHz, Dantakali FM - 88.5 MHz, and Radio Dharan FM - 88.8 MHz. Radio Ganatantra FM 95.1 MHz is a community radio station. Likewise, Dharan has a BFBS Radio Relay station. It broadcasts on FM frequencies.
  • Television: Nepal's state-owned television broadcaster, Nepal Television's relay station is present near its border, which provides two free-to-air terrestrial channels. A mix of Nepali, Hindi, English, and other international channels are accessible via cable subscription and direct-broadcast satellite services. Dharan Cable Network broadcasts Kriti Television Channel as a local television channel that covers events in the city.

Climate

[edit]
Climate data for Dharan, elevation 310 m (1,020 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1998–2017)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.5
(85.1)		 32.7
(90.9)		 36.7
(98.1)		 38.8
(101.8)		 37.5
(99.5)		 37.9
(100.2)		 38.7
(101.7)		 37.4
(99.3)		 35.9
(96.6)		 35.8
(96.4)		 33.0
(91.4)		 29.9
(85.8)		 38.8
(101.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 22.8
(73.0)		 26.0
(78.8)		 30.4
(86.7)		 32.8
(91.0)		 32.7
(90.9)		 32.4
(90.3)		 31.9
(89.4)		 32.3
(90.1)		 31.9
(89.4)		 31.0
(87.8)		 28.4
(83.1)		 25.0
(77.0)		 29.8
(85.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6)		 20.2
(68.4)		 24.2
(75.6)		 27.1
(80.8)		 27.7
(81.9)		 28.3
(82.9)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.5
(83.3)		 27.8
(82.0)		 26.0
(78.8)		 22.7
(72.9)		 19.2
(66.6)		 24.7
(76.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.2
(52.2)		 14.3
(57.7)		 17.9
(64.2)		 21.3
(70.3)		 22.7
(72.9)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.6
(76.3)		 23.7
(74.7)		 20.9
(69.6)		 16.9
(62.4)		 13.3
(55.9)		 19.6
(67.3)
Record low °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3)		 6.6
(43.9)		 7.6
(45.7)		 11.6
(52.9)		 15.2
(59.4)		 18.3
(64.9)		 19.5
(67.1)		 20.2
(68.4)		 19.6
(67.3)		 15.0
(59.0)		 11.2
(52.2)		 5.2
(41.4)		 3.5
(38.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 10.4
(0.41)		 14.2
(0.56)		 29.9
(1.18)		 71.5
(2.81)		 162.3
(6.39)		 317.8
(12.51)		 547.6
(21.56)		 461.0
(18.15)		 344.5
(13.56)		 121.2
(4.77)		 12.7
(0.50)		 3.9
(0.15)		 2,097
(82.6)
Source: Department of Hydrology and Meteorology[13][14]

Notable people

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Nepali Brihat Shabdakosh (in Nepali). Pragya Pratisthan. 2018. p. 644.
  2. ↑ Nepal and the Gurkhas, (1965) Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, UK. p 135.
  3. ↑ "Capital of Province 1 to be scattered in various districts". Archived from the original on 13 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Census Nepal 2021". censusnepal.cbs.gov.np. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "धरान उप-महानगरपालिकाको वस्तुगत विवरण | धरान उपमहानगरपालिका, नगर कार्यपालिकाको कार्यालय". www.dharan.gov.np (in Nepali). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dharan (Sub-Metropolis, Nepal) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  7. ↑ Benson. J. (1975) The Kosi Project Railway, Industrial Railway Society Record no 6, August, pp 65-71. Industrial Railway Society, Greenford, Middlesex, UK.
  8. ↑ "Dharan Dhankuta Road Project". www.ddrp.co.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Historical Bijayapur Durbar awaits restoration".
  10. ↑ "Dharan at-100 nepalitimes".
  11. ↑ "NepalMap profile: Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City".
  12. ↑ Pant, Narayan Dutt; Poudyal, Nimesh; Bhattacharya, Shyamal Kumar (7 June 2016). "Bacteriological quality of bottled drinking water versus municipal tap water in Dharan municipality, Nepal". Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition. 35 (1): 17. doi:10.1186/s41043-016-0054-0. ISSN 2072-1315. PMC 5025974. PMID 27267213.
  13. ↑ "PRECIPITATION NORMAL (MM) (1991–2020)" (PDF). Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Annual Extreme Temperatures" (PDF). Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
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