Sunsari District Informations: December 2013

Friday, December 13, 2013

Gorakha Departmental Stores, Itahari :: Largest Departmental Store in Eastern Region of Nepal

Nowadays, shopping is not only a necessity but also a passion of collecting different products either for living or for decorating house. Also, shopping the premium brands are popular these days. If we are out for shopping we often miss some of our necessary items and some are intentionally not bought due to the extra mile travel for a piece of needle. We are using everything everyday and we consume a lot of different foods every hour. Sometimes we have nothing in our refrigerator to eat and sometimes our clothes are too old to wear and sometimes we even don't have time to buy different varieties of item in short time. This is an achievement and also it is our unfortunate to live our short life extracting for our busy schedule. So the problem overall seems to effect every people in our planet. Talking about Sunsari district, we are also a kind of same. So, what is the solution of this? Yes, your are right. Shopping is made easy for you by Seven Stored Grand Building of Itahari located Gorakha Departmental Store. It is one of the finest departmental stores of Nepal with around of 3 lakhs different varieties of daily household products. It is the largest Departmental Store in Eastern Region of Nepal. Thousands of people visit GDS (Gorakha Departmental Stores) every day and hundreds of them take part in fine Cuisine of Gorakha Kitchen on the sixth floor of the building.

There are total 6 overground floors and an Underground floor in GDS. The underground floors have vegetables and fruits. The ground floor has all the daily house hold stuffs like soap, biscuit, surf, cleaning materials, tissue papers, rice, pulse, masala for curry, etc. Also you will find liquor shop in ground floor with wide variety of Beers, vodka, wine, hard and soft drinks,etc.

The first floor has gift items. You can find flowers, gift products made from glass, etc. In the second floor there is electronic store with Refrigerator, Smart TV, normal TV, LCD, LED TV, microwave oven, electric jug, etc. Also you will find latest mobile phones from Nokia, Samsung, Karbonn, Micromax, Colors, etc.

The third and fourth floor has different kinds of shoes and clothing from premium brand. The fifth floor belongs to Kids. You will find every toys for your kids. There are electronic toys like remote control car and helicopter. Also there are kids cycle too. The sixth floor is Gorakha Kitchen. You will find 3 start food item with AC equipped dining hall.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Keep Itahari Clean ; A Clean Initiative

Keep Itahari Clean is a non-profitable and voluntary initiative started by some tidy lovers from Itahari and other parts of Sunsari District. On every Saturday they clean different parts of Itahari and they are calling for voluntary participation to extend their reach. They are already an ideal moral for every parts of Nepal to make a clean city and after all Nepal itself.

The meaning of KIC logo

They used brick red for the axis of the crossed broom and shovel because ‘ita’ (as in ITAhari) is the Nepali word for ‘brick’. The circle at the axis represents Itahari main chowk which is the main cross road for travellers along the east-west (Mahendra) highway and the Koshi highway – the main access highways connecting the whole of the Terai and some hill region. The crossed broom and shovel represent these 2 major routes, crossing at the Itahari chowk.

They commenced our KIC in the chowk to bring residents, visitors and traveller’s attention to our campaign and to educate them so they can realise how little effort is needed to bring about change to the condition of the Itahari environment.

The crossed broom and shovel don’t need any explanation – these symbolise the basic tools our volunteers are using to Keep Itahari Clean. In the near future, we are expecting that there will be more and more Itaharians using them to manage their local area environments and joining us in our continuing campaign.

Around the shovel and broom, the circle represents our earth and the change in colour represents the change from red (brick) to green environment.
The small ‘e’ shape it makes represents both ‘earth’ and the ‘environment’ – leading to a new, fresh and green plant which also benefits our environment and Itahari residents.

Bamboo lettering for KIC represents sustainable environmental protection for all.

Their logo says it all quite simply and beautifully!

They commenced our KIC in the chowk to bring residents, visitors and traveller’s attention to our campaign and to educate them so they can realise how little effort is needed to bring about change to the condition of the Itahari environment.

The crossed broom and shovel don’t need any explanation – these symbolise the basic tools our volunteers are using to Keep Itahari Clean. In the near future, we are expecting that there will be more and more Itaharians using them to manage their local area environments and joining us in our continuing campaign.Around the shovel and broom, the circle represents our earth and the change in colour represents the change from red (brick) to green environment.

The small ‘e’ shape it makes represents both ‘earth’ and the ‘environment’ – leading to a new, fresh and green plant which also benefits our environment and Itahari residents.

Bamboo lettering for KIC represents sustainable environmental protection for all.Their logo says it all quite simply and beautifully!

Best of Luck KIC !!

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.

Itahari (Nepali: इटहरी) is a city and municipality in Sunsari District in the Koshi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. It is located at the main transportation junction of eastern Nepal. It is the center of the west-east Mahendra Highway and south-north Koshi Highway and thus is a town of emerging importance. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 74,501 people living in 18,270 individual households.

Main Chowk of Itahari

History :

There are many arguments about the naming of Itahari. Some argue that the name was derived from the Itahar meaning bricks because the people had found ancient Multani coins and bricks at Itahari. Itahari is also mentioned in old government documents of Nepal. The current town of Itahari was the Mauja of old Rana family of Nepal and it once belonged to General Subarna Samser Rana.

The Tharu community is the oldest community of Itahari. There is no specific date but they have been living at Itahari for a long time. They are concentrated mainly around near the Tengra river bank, East Pole (purba bus stand), Manakamana chock,Gaisar(developed Tharu Community in nepal)etc.

Geography :

Located in the Eastern Region of Nepal, the town and municipality of Itahari is developing so rapidly that it is expected to reach the outskirts of Dharan in the not too distant future. One of the reasons for the rapid expansion of Itahari is the fact that it lies on both the south-north Koshi Highway and west-east Mahendra highway, making it an important transportation junction for Eastern Nepal. The bus terminus at Itahari sees thousands of passengers arriving and departing each day. This effective transportation system allows visitors to reach the Eastern Region of Nepal with ease.

In keeping with the global trend toward conservation of natural resources, the town of Itahari has adopted the motto of being a "Clean, Green and Commercial City". The efforts to attain this goal are evident by the municipal offices which are located next to a scenic lake and set in landscaped gardens. Entrepreneurial skills are encouraged in the residents of Itahari which has resulted in the commercial value of the city increasing. People from surrounding towns and cities are known to travel to Itahari to shop.

As one of the three municipalities of the Sunsari district of Nepal’s Eastern Region, Itahari is located in the fertile Terai region and has the Sunsari, Budhi and Tengra rivers running through it.

Media :

Itahari is the television hub of the Eastern Region. Makalu Television was the first television in the region, but others such as Arena Television are growing up. Some daily national magazines are Jana Bidhroha, Aauser, and Blast. Many FM stations are growing rapidly. There are more than four FM stations located in Itahari. Saptakoshi FM, Radio Pariwartan, and Namaste FM are popular.

Education and literature :

Pathibhara Higher Secondary School, Peace Zone Residential Secondary School,Future Star English School, Itahari Janta School and Janta Multiple campus,Secondary Boarding School, Kasturi Higher Secondary Boarding School, SOS HERMANN GMEINER Higher Secondary School, Vishwa Adarsha College, Chamunda Higher Secondary School, LIFE International College, Lotus International Foundation for Education, Sushma Engineering College, Koshi College were one of the oldest public schools and colleges. There were very few private schools until early 1990s. Many more private schools and colleges have opened since then offering degrees in science, commerce, arts, nursing and engineering. Itahari also houses a culture centre and library which was built with the help of Luxembourg Government and is currently being managed by Itahari municipality. There are many private boarding schools in Itahari. Among them Elite Homes (lower secondary boarding school), Hamro Boarding School, Secondary Boarding School, peace zone, modern school,Sacred Heart School, pathibhara, are some of the schools in eastern region. Other art and literature related activities are also performed by different organizations like Kalalaya, Sangeet Sadhana Prathisthan etc

I.T. Industry and Development

Many I.T institutes and industries are mushrooming in a very short period of time. Few years back people had to go out of Itahari but these days Itahari has become the junction for I.T. grapphica international pvt ltd is world renown it company of itahari.it focuses in software,web apps outsourcing.

Future Plans

In itahari nepal largest water kingdom and fun park is going to be established.it is already ready now.People of itahari is organizing a Campaign to keep itahari clean and green and pollution free city formally known as keep itahari clean(KIC).Most of the people are active member of this campaign .This campaign is organized weekly.Itahari is one of the developing city of nepal since 2063 BS.

Tourism:

Itahari has a beautiful place to tour or picnic which is known as Taltalia. This is located in Itahari Municipality ward no. 2. The many lakes, both artificial and natural, make Taltalia good for fishing. There is one club named Manokamana youth club which will help you to celebrate tour and picnic well. There are also local markets and a grand mall named Gorakha Departmental Store offering a large shopping range. There is one saraswati social forest community will helps you to get firewood. Nepal's first statute park namely Kabyabatika is also located in Pances==

Inaruwa

Inaruwa is the headquarters of Sunsari District in Nepal. It lies on the Mahendra Highway, near Koshi Bridge.

Inaruwa is a small town situated on the eastern bank of the holy Sunsari River and almost in the South-East part of Nepal

This town is a municipality. Some of the popular places are Mahendra Chok, Shakhuwagacchi Chok, Balaha, Purbatole or SriRamanuja Tole, Magar Tole, Tharu Tole, Main Market area etc. There are 10 sub divisions in Inaruwa.

The main market covers the south east part of the Mahendra Highway. The central point of the Inaruwa Bazar is known as Champalal Chowk from where four ways run towards east (Hospital Area), south (Bihibare side), west (Bus stand) and north (Sakhuwa Gachhi). In main market, we can see many modern stores, departments, banks, cinema hall, hotels, lodges, hospital, temples, Gudri etc.

Inaruwa is a growing and cheap market, almost of traditional type. But within these last 5–7 years it has seen rapid change, although the local investors are few in number. Market is quite safe here now. The effects of strikes and disturbances are lesser here. But, a few years ago it was totally the reverse. Now, we can say all are in expectation of economic reforms.

Agricultural land with Rice

Inaruwa is famous for its huge vegetables export. Other important local products can be mentioned as paddy, wheat, maize, mustard, potato, banana, sugarcane, etc. Means there is the large fertile land still available. Large irrigation canals of Koshi River can be seen here. Animal farmings like cow, buffalo, goat farming, poultry has also good market.

As everywhere in Nepal, education is a safe business here also. Although, higher boarding schools are still fewer in number and only two campuses here. This shows greatest opportunities for investors in education for higher level. So education is still a safe and less risky business here.

The Sunsari River has its own Great Glory with respect to some Hindu scriptures Every year Chhath is performed on the bank of it. The river is thought to be originated from Paduka of SriRamaduring his visit to Ramdhuni. There are some religiously important temples like Bhagawati Temple, Satyanarayan temple, SriRamanuja Satsangha Aashram, SriSitaRam Temple, SriRadhaKrishna Temple and Shiva Temple.

Large population follow Hinduism may be, due to the influence of the big pilgrimage places like - Aadi Varaha chhetra, Janakpurdham, Vishnupaduka, SriRam dhuni, Chatara dham of Jagadguru SriBalasantji, Panchali Mandir, Biratnagar etc. number of people following 3 Vaishnava Groups are found significantly here

i) Nimbarka vaishnavism which is being more propagated by Jagadguru SriBalasantji Maharaj. SriMaharajji has signified many times Inaruwa as the Pouranik Indraprastha in His Pravachanams

ii) Srivaishnavism which is also a large group. Most Srivaishnava of here regard SriRamanuja Tole as SriPerumbudur since there is an Aashram dedicated to Bhagavatpad Ramanuja.Programmes regarding bhagwat katha and other sri vaisanavas literature are done regularly. iii) Ramananda vaishnavism- we can see many people here greeting each other as "RAM! RAM!!" meaning that a huge number of Ramanandi sect Vaishnavas is present here.

Other important groups are of- Saivism, Kabir, Osho, Sai Baba, Om Shanti, Geetavadi, Kripaluji followers etc. Balaha is a well-developed and highly literate place in Inaruwa. Sharada Higher Secondary School is one of the good academic institute in Inaruwa. There are good and educated teachers, and over 1200 students.

Other Old and Main Schools and Campus are- i) SriBhagavati Ma Vi ii) Inaruwa English Boarding School iii) Janak Smriti Shishu Sadan iv) Bal Mandir v) Sunsari Multiple Campus etc. vi) St. Mary's Higher Secondary School vii) sarada higher secondary school viii) nawayug academy(previously BAL VIDHYA VIKASH ENGLISH SCHOOL) The main administrative offices of Sunsari District in Inaruwa are: i) Jilla Prashasan Karyalaya(District Administration Office) ii) Jilla Adalat(District Court) iii) Jilla Malpot Karyalaya(District Land Revenue Office) iv) Jilla Shiksha Karyalaya(District Education Office) v) Jilla Tathyanka Karyalaya(District Statistic Office) vi) Jilla Vikash Samiti( District Development Office) vii) Jilla Swasthya Karyalaya(District Health Office) viii) Jilla Van Karyalaya( District Forest Office) ix) Jilla Prahari Karyalaya(District Police Office) x) Sunsari Jilla Aspatal(Sunsari District Hospital) xi) Jilla Napi Karyalaya

xii) Jilla Hulak(District Postal Office) xiii) Jilla Sinchai Aayojana etc.( District Irrigation)

Other important offices include- Inaruwa Nagarpalika, Vidhut Pradhikaran, Doorsanchar Karyalaya, Khanepani Karyalaya, Rashtriya Vanijya Bank, Krishi Vikas Bank, Sanima Vikas Bank, Birgunj Finance Limited, International Development Bank Limited and several other Financial and Non-Financial Organisation

Climate Zone	Elevation Range	% of Area
Lower Tropical	below 300 meters (1,000ft)	86.6%
Upper Tropical	300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft.	7.8%
Subtropical	1,000 to 2,000 meters 3,300 to 6,600 ft.	2.0%

Introduction to Sunsari District

Sunsari District (Nepali: सुनसरी जिल्ला a part of Kosi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Inaruwa as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,257 km² and has a population (as of the 2011 census) of 763,487.^[1]

The area was originally part of Morang but became its own district in 1962 when Nepal was divided into 14 zones and 75 districts.

Major cities in Sunsari district are Dharan, Itahari and Inaruwa.

Map of Sunsari District