Dharan : Beautiful city of Sunsari District

Dharan (Nepali: धरान) is a major city in eastern Nepal, in the Sunsari District, and is situated on the foothills of the Mahabharat Range in the north with southern tip touching the edge of the Terai region at an altitude of 1148 ft (349m). It serves as a trading post between the hilly region and the plains of Terai region. It was once the location of a recruitment center for the Brigade of Gurkhas, opened in 1953. The recruitment center is closed and the campus is now the home of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences since 1993. Dharan Municipality organised a Golden Jubilee celebration of Dharan from January 28 to 31 January 2011 marking the 50th year of establishment of the municipality.

Dharan is a tourist destination in its own right. Communication is mainly in Nepali and English. People who are English speakers should have no problem comprehending many signs and road maps in Nepal.

Beyond Bhedetar lies the eastern hilly district such as Dhankuta, Bhojpur, Phidim, Terathum. Dharan serves as a gateway to some of the remote tourist attractions like Kumbhakarna Himal,Kanchenjunga, Makalu Barun National Park, Arun Valley, Tinjure-Milke (Rhododendron Protection Area), Gupha Lake, Hyatrung Fall, and Sabha Pokhari. They are quite further and therefore require extended day trips.

To the south of Dharan is the city of Biratnagar and connecting towns, all within an hour's drive. The towns of Tararah and Itahari are popular with the local population of Dharan.

Dharan, with its diverse population has numerous centers of worship i.e. temples, churches and a mosque. Bijaypur hill is of a particular significance, as it has several temples of importance, such as Dantakali temple, Pindeshwar temple, Budha Subba Temple and Panch Kanya. These temples are of historical and archaeological importance in as much as religious. These temples are centers for rituals, fairs and events.

Other potential tourism prospects include:

• White water rafting in Tamur River, starting from Tamur Tamur to Chatara Ghat.
• Paragliding from surrounding hills and Bhedetar for the dare-devils.
• Development of Panchakanya, a Natural Park into a mini zoo.
• Protection and development of flora and fauna of Chaarkose forest.
• Cable car at Dharan-Bishnupaduka-Baraha Kshetra.
• Better advertisement of Babadham fair.
• Construction of an airport in Dharan.

Some measures taken by the Municipality of Dharan to promote tourism:

• Emphasis on the development infrastructures of the city.
• Support development and management of Pindeshwar Babadham fair, Baraha Kshetra fair and Bishnupaduka fair to promote religious tourism.

• Budha Subba Gold Cup Football Tournaments coordinated by the municipality every year.
• Annual publication of a brochure and city information of Dharan.
• Publication and distribution of postcards and photographs of Dharan and Bhedetar.
• Promote Dharan festivals. E.g. Dharan Mahotsav.
• Dharan Clock Tower.
• Development of the Saptarangi Park (Park of Seven Colours) and Panchakanya Natural Park.
• Financial and other assistance to the development of a privately run Yalambar Park.

Geography and climate

• Surrounded by hills at three directions, Charkose jhadi (Forest) at the south, flanked by two rivers to the east and west which is Seuti river and Shardhu river respectively.
• Temperate climate.
• Great change of altitude at a short distance (305 m to 700 m at a short distance of 4 km.)
• Sloped terrain.
• Midpoint between Hills and the Terai plains (Bhawar region), and a gateway to the hills.

Newspapers: 

The people of Dharan are served by several Daily local newspapers and National Newspapers. There are 11 local newspapers in total. Among all of these, the most popular is The Blast and The Morning Times. National Newspapers are also provide to the people of Dharan on daily basis. 

Media and communication

• Some of the National newspapers are The Kathmandu Post, Kantipur, Annapurna Post,^[3][4]Himalayan Times e.t.c. And 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. Similarly three private local FM stations is available. They are Star FM - 95.6 MHz, Bijayapur FM - 98.8 MHz, Dantakali FM - 88.5 MHz. But Radio Ganatantra FM 95.1 MHz is a Community radio Station.
• Television: The state-owned television broadcaster Nepal Television provides free terrestrial channels, while two multi system operators—Dharan Cable Network and Space Time Network—provide a mix of Nepali, Hindi and English channels via cable, Kriti Television(KTV).
• Internet: Internet facilities are provided by several suppliers, Nepal Telecom is leading internet facilities provider.

Transport

One of the major highways, Koshi highwayas, passes through Dharan. Regular bus services and hired vehicles connect Dharan with Biratnagar and other neighbouring towns. Biratnagar Airport (40 km) is the nearest airport. Dharan is about 40 km from Biratnagar. It takes around 1 hour to reach Dharan from Biratnagar by road. Else, a road trip by bus or hired vehicle from Kathmandu,the capital of Nepal, will take around 10-12 hrs to reach Dharan.

The local transport consists of cars, auto-rickshaws and rickshaws. Sharing a ride with other passengers (bus ride) is the most economical mode of transport.

Banking

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Dharan has seen a spurt in financial activities, with almost all public sector and private banks have opened up branches including the Nepal Bank Limited, Rastriya Banijya Bank, Agriculture Development Bank, Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Himalayan Bank Limited, Nabil Bank, Nepal SBI Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Prime Bank,kist bankLaxmi Bank Limitedetc. Also local development Bank viz. Miteri Development Bank Limited has its head office in Dharan.