One of the most beautiful cities of Nepal located in Sunsari district of Province no. 1 is Dharan sub-metropolitan city. Dharan is the city full of cultural varieties. Most people residing here are followers of Buddhism or Kirat whereas numerous Hindu religious sites popularly rely here along with Stupas and Gumbas. Dharan was established as a fourth municipality in the Kingdom during the Kingship in 1958. Dharan sub- metropolitan is divided into 20 wards and has an area of 192.32 sq km (74.26 sq mi).
Location:
On the foothill of the Mahabharat Range in the North, there lies Dharan Bazaar with southern tip touching the edge of the Terai region. It has its highest elevation (near Bhedetar) of 1778m to lowest (at Tarahara) of 119m from the sea level.
Specialities:
Dharan has already flourished a lot in the field of caste, culture, art, literature, music, sports and now has smoothly been developed in education, health, tourism, and business fields as well. There are different colleges and Universities for higher education in different faculties. There are so many historical hearsays and historical importance of the city. There are numerous temples in Dharan. Budhasubba Temple (Manghim) is located at the top of Bijayapur hills and holds immense cultural significance for the people in Dharan. It’s surrounding too is full of scenic beauty.
Pindeshwar Temple is a Hindu temple however people following any religion can visit here. It lies at the central region of Dharan at the base of Bijayapur. Similarly, Dantakali, Bishnupaduka, Panchakanya and Shiva Jatta are other popular temples here. Pachakanya is built at the highest point of Bijayapur Hills in remote forested zone. Whereas, Shiva Jatta is a pilgrimage site as well as a perfect hike destination. ISKON Temple is considered to be the biggest temple in Dharan whose deities are lord Radha and Krishna. It rests at the bank of Sardu River. There are other numerous small and big temples, shrines, Stupas, Gumbas and Churches in Dharan. Beside these there is Osho meditation centre also in Dharan.
The river near and inside Dharan are Khahare Khola, the most popular in city, Kali Khola, very beautiful one, Sardu, a seasonal river and Seuti Khola.
Moreover multiple parks are built in the city like Gurkha Memorial Park, BP Park/ Osho Park, Hariyali Park, Yalambar Park, Sakela Park, Saptarangi Park and so on. Gurkha Memorial has been established with the purpose of preserving the legacy of Brigade of Gurkhas for future generations without letting them to be lost or forgotten.
There’s also a 23.3m high Clock Tower known as Ghantaghar at Bhanuchowk of Dharan opened in 1991. The tower is designed after the clock tower in Hong Kong, in memory of earthquake victims of 1988-1989. There’s also a memorial park in the periphery of the tower.
BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan is a Tertiary educational institution and a Nepalese autonomous health sciences university situated in Dharan. Purwanchal Engineering Campus, Mahendra Multiple Campus are some other universities in Dharan.
How to Reach?
It lies just at 25 minute of distance from its neighbouring city Itahari. From Dhankuta it takes around 1.5 hrs to reach Dharan via roadways. From Kathmandu one can take a 40min of flight to Biratnagar and take a bus to cover 41.2km highway to reach Dharan.
Accommodation:
There are a number of hotels, also star hotels, home stay & resorts for accommodation at best rates.
-Article written by: Anu Wasti for Land Nepal
