Butwal (), officially Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City (), previously known as Khasyauli (Nepali: खस्यौली), is a sub-metropolitan city and economic hub in

Lumbini Province Lumbini Province () is a Provinces of Nepal, province in western Nepal. The country's Provinces of Nepal, third largest province in terms of area as well as List of Nepalese provinces by population, population, Lumbini is home to the World Herita ...

in West Nepal. Butwal has a city population of 195,054 as per the 2021 AD Nepal census. The city is one of the tetra-cities of rapidly growing Butwal-

Tilottama Tilottama (), is an apsara (celestial nymph) described in Hindu mythology. "Tila" is a Sanskrit word for a small particle and "uttama" means the ultimate. Tilottama, therefore, means the being whose smallest particle is the finest or one who is ...

Bhairahawa Siddharthanagar (), formerly and colloquially still called Bhairahawa (), is a municipality and the administrative headquarter of Rupandehi District in Lumbini Province of Nepal, west of Nepal's capital Kathmandu. It is the closest city to Lumb ...

Devdaha Devdaha (Deva Daha, देवदह) is a municipality in Rupandehi District of Nepal, the ancient capital of Koliya Republic, located 7 km east of Lumbini and east of Butwal and shares a border with Nawalparasi district on the east si ...

urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

primarily based on the

Siddhartha Highway Siddhartha Highway (), or NH47 (previously: H10)is a major highway in Nepal that connects the Terai region in southern Nepal with the mountain region in northern Nepal. The highway starts at the Nepal–India border near Siddharthanagar and termi ...

in West

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

with a total urban agglomerated population of 4,74,541. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Nepal for health, education, construction, communication, trade, and banking sectors. It has highway connections to the Indian border at Sunauli and to the hilly towns in

Tansen Rāmtanu ( – 26 April 1589), popularly referred to as Mian Tānsen (), or Sangeet Samrāt (), was a Hindustani classical musician. Born into a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family in Gwalior, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest regio ...

and

Pokhara Pokhara ( ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city located in central Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. Named the country's "capital of tourism" it is the List of cities in Nepal, second largest city after Kathmandu, with 599,5 ...

valley, and holds the title of being "The Best City in Nepal" five times in a row. Geographically, Butwal is at the

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their ...

of Nepal's two different National Highways,

Mahendra Highway Mahendra Highway or NH01 (previously: H01) (), also called East-West Highway (), runs across the Terai geographical region of Nepal, from Mechinagar in the east to Bhim Datta in the west, cutting across the entire width of the country. It is th ...

and

. It connects western Nepal with the capital

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

through the highway and air links (via Gautam Buddha International Airport at

Siddharthanagar Siddharthanagar (), formerly and colloquially still called Bhairahawa (), is a municipality and the administrative headquarter of Rupandehi District in Lumbini Province of Nepal, west of Nepal's capital Kathmandu. It is the closest city to Lumb ...

). The city stands beside the bank of

Tinau The Tinau is a river originating from the Mahabharat Mountains and flowing through the Siwalik Hills and Terai Plain at Butwal, Nepal before joining the Ganges. River morphology The length of the Tinau is 95 km starting from Palpa to Indo-N ...

River, and at the northern edge of the

Terai The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by ...

plain below the

Siwalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...

. Its name, Butwal was derived from ''Batauli Bazaar'' , the town's oldest residential area which is located on the western bank of the Tinau River. Butwal was officially declared as a sub-metropolitan city on 2 December 2014 AD by combining two neighboring VDCs Motipur and Semlar. The sub-metropolitan city is currently headed by

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ; Abbreviation, abbr. NC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Nepal, political party in Nepal and the largest party in the country ...

leader Khel Raj Pandey.

History

Prehistory

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

s of ancient hominoids

Ramapithecus ''Sivapithecus'' () (syn: ''Ramapithecus)'' is a genus of extinct apes. Fossil remains of animals now assigned to this genus, dated from 12.2 million years old in the Miocene, have been found since the 19th century in the Sivalik Hills of the Ind ...

were found near the

(Tilottama) River, also known as paari Butwal, as early as 1932, including a 10.1-million-year-old tooth.

Medieval history

In medieval time Butwal was known as Khasauli as it was believed to be established by Khas king. Later after the collapse of the Khasa empire it was ruled by the Sen kings of Palpa when it developed as a trading point between hilly people and plain people. In the 17th century Palpa with Butwal was annexed by Gorkha Empire. Butwal was also a place where a major battle of the

Anglo-Nepalese war The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War or Nepal-Company War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the forces of the British East India Company ...

was fought i.e. Battle of

Jitgadi Fort The Jit Gadhi (; historically known as Butwal Gadhi) is a Fortification, fort in Butwal, Lumbini Province, Nepal. It was built by the Kirata Kingdom, Sen dynasty. The fort was used during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816) where Colonel Ujir S ...

where the Gorkha army led by

Ujir Singh Thapa Ujir Singh Thapa or Uzir Singh Thapa (), also known as Wazir Simha Thapa, anglicized as Wuzeer Singh, was a Nepalese administrator and military officer. He was the son of Kaji Nain Singh Thapa, a nephew of the Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa and elder ...

beat the British forces.

Modern history

The area was a loose settlement that acted as a trading post between the hilly districts of the

Lumbini zone Lumbini () was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal until the restructure of zones to provinces. Within the zone is the city of Lumbini, widely believed to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism and renowned as a major ...

and the Indian plains. Thus, historically Butwal connected Nepali Pahari people with their Indian neighbors. As the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

annexed

Awadh Awadh (), known in British Raj historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India and southern Nepal, now constituting the North-central portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala Regio ...

from its hereditary rulers while the

Shah Dynasty The Shah dynasty (), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty and the founder of the Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal from 1768 to 28 May ...

attempted to annex the

, Butwal became one of the bones of contention leading to the

Gurkha War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War or Nepal-Company War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the forces of the British East India Company ...

1814–16 AD. When King Tribhuvan fled to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1950 during the revolt against the Rana dynasty he traveled through Butwal. Then it was little more than a village on the western bank of Tilottama River (also known as

). Butwal is a relatively newly urbanized area, emerging and growing rapidly only since 1960 AD. With the completion of the

(

H10) in 1968 AD, starting from the border at Sunauli through Butwal to Pokhara and then in1990s

(

H01) across the full east–west expanse of Nepal's

. Butwal has made tremendous progress in the country.

Demographics

The population of Butwal is 91,733 (census 2015 AD), according to the present stage the population is rapidly increasing with around 150,000 and above and consists of people of mixed groups and castes; these include Pahari immigrants from nearby hill districts especially Palpa,

Arghakhanchi Arghakhanchi ( ) is one of the districts of Lumbini Province in Nepal. The district headquarter is Sandhikharka. The district covers an area of and has a population (2011) of 197,632. Its neighboring districts are Palpa District, Palpa in the ea ...

, Parbat,

Gulmi Gulmi District (), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Tamghas as its headquarters, covers an area of , had a population of 296,654 in 2001, 280,160 in 2011 and 268,597 in 2016. Introd ...

Syangja Syangja District (; ) is a part of Gandaki Province, and is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Its headquarter is Putalibazar with a diverse population including Brahmin, Magar, Chhetri, Dalit and Gurung communities. Syangja is home ...

and also local people from Terai origin.l The population distribution in different wards in 2011 was as follows:

Caste and Ethnic groups

The largest single caste and ethnic groups in butwal is Hill Brahman, who makes 30% of the population, Magar with 19% comes to second place, Other ethnic groups in pokhara includes the

Chhetri Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ; IAST: ''Kṣetrī'') historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali language, Nepali speaking people historically associated with the warrior class and administration, some of ...

(14%),

Newar Newar (; , endonym: Newa; , Pracalit script: ), or Nepami, are primarily inhabitants in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and its surrounding areas, and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. Page 15. Newars are a distinct linguisti ...

(8%), Tharu (7%), and others various ethnic groups makes(23%) of the population.

Languages

At the time of the 2011 Census of Nepal, 73% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 8% Magar, 5% Tharu,5% Newari, and 9% spoke other languages as their first language.

Economy

Butwal is mostly a commercial and trading city, an upcoming link city for the nearby tourist spots. The

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

of Butwal was about US$1 billion in 2018, making it one of the major cities in Nepal. The economy of Butwal centers around trade, services, and industries. The old trading spots are Traffic Chowk, BP Chowk, Amarpath, Raj Margh Chaurah, and Nepalgunj Road. Besides modern shopping, a traditional form of the market called ''Haat Bazar'' similar to greengrocer runs twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It has the second largest vegetable market in the country called ''Butwal Sabji Mandi'' in local terms. All kinds of traders, farmers, and entrepreneurs sell goods and vegetables directly to retail & wholesale customers in a busy market setup. Service aspects of the economy are mainly centered on banking, education, transportation, and health sectors. Thus, increasing numbers of people are involved in these sectors for their jobs. Butwal is also a connecting city between nearby tourist towns of

, Kapilvastu, and

Lumbini Lumbinī (, "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. The Buddhist commentaries state that Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini around 624 BCE. Gautama is bel ...

. It is the gateway to nearby cities of

Sunwal , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Lumbini , subdivision_type2 = District , subdivision_name2 = Nawalparasi (West of Bardaghat Susta) district , established_tit ...

, and Bharatpur. It is also a busy land route to enter Nepal from India for tourists and others. Thus, Butwal is witnessing huge investments in the hospitality sector as well. To boost up tourism and MICE opportunities, the government plans to set up an international conference center at Ramnagar in Butwal. All these developments hint towards a large economic potential for the development of the region. The private commerce and trade in Butwal are united under the umbrella of the Butwal Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BuCCI). Audhyogig Byapar Mela-Butwal is an industrial exhibition held in Butwal. This exhibition is organized annually in the month of

Poush Poush (; ) is the 9th month of both the Bengali calendar and the Nepali calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season. This month marks the start of Winter (, ''Sheat'') in the Be ...

(generally December–January) and is one of the largest of its kind in Nepal.

Health

Butwal is home to

Lumbini Provincial Hospital Lumbini Provincial Hospital () is a government hospital located in Butwal in Lumbini Province of Nepal. The hospital is considered a crucial resource for healthcare to poor citizens who cannot afford private hospitals.It has extended its services ...

, one of the oldest hospitals in this region, which is considered a crucial resource for healthcare to poor citizens who cannot afford private hospitals. Originally established by Chandra Sumsher, the present hospital came in operation in with 50 beds. Patients from far-western regions and hilly regions to the north including Palpa,

come to seek specialized care at different hospitals in the city.

Transport

This city dominates any other city in terms of the number of bus services in Nepal. Until 2003, most of the fleet was older large buses; since then operators have added newer

minibus A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...

es popularly called ''micro''. Older

jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

s are used to take people to nearby hilly regions.

Rickshaws Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tri ...

are used for short-distance urban transport.

Motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s are a common means of personal transportation around town. The number registered has increased from 1,200 in 1999 to 80,000 in 2008. Butwal Municipality1

Nearly 100 buses depart everyday to

from Butwal Bus Terminal. Besides the capital Kathmandu, the bus services are also frequently available to other major cities of

Dharan Dharan () is a sub-metropolitan city in Sunsari District of Koshi Province, in eastern Nepal, which was established as a fourth municipality in the Kingdom in 1958. It is the third most populous city in eastern Nepal after Biratnagar and I ...

, Kakarbhitta,

Janakpur Janakpurdham or Janakpur (), is the capital city of Madhesh Province. This sub-metropolitan city is a central hub for the Maithili language, as well as for religious and cultural tourism in Nepal. The city was founded in the early 18th centur ...

Birgunj Birgunj () is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhes Pradesh in southern Nepal. It lies south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul on the border of the Indian state of Bihar. As an entry point to Nepal from Patn ...

Hetauda Hetauda (, ) is a sub-metropolitan city in Makwanpur district of Bagmati Province in central Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of the Makwanpur district and the capital of Bagmati Province as declared by a majority (105 out of 110) ...

, Bharatpur,

, Dang,

Nepalgunj Nepalgunj (; ), also spelled Nepalganj, is a List of cities in Nepal#Alphabetical list, Sub-Metropolitan City in Banke district, Banke districts of Nepal, District, Nepal. It lies on the Terai plains near the southern border with Bahraich distr ...

, Dhangadi, and Mahendranagar.

Education

Butwal is set to be an educational hub in the Rupandehi district. The literacy rate in the city is considered to be high. It has held the record for Nepal Top students in SLC as well as the HSEB examination numerous time * Butwal Bahumukhi Campus, Golpark *

Eden English Boarding School Eden English Boarding High School () is a school located in Butwal city, Rupandehi District. Though the school is located on Butwal Sub-metro but focuses on the students to be collected from mid-urban communities of nearby areas. See also * ...

, Naharpur * Kanti Higher Secondary School, Haatbazar Line * Butwal Technical Institute, Golpark

Places of interest

- A municipality in Rupandehi District of Nepal, the ancient capital of Koliya Kingdom, located 7 km east of Lumbini and east of Butwal and shares a border with Nawalparasi district on the east side. It is identified as the maternal home of Queen Mayadevi, Prajapati Gautami and Princess Yasodhara. Shitalnagar Khairani, Bhawanipur, Bairimai, Kan yamai, Khayardanda are some sites for visitors. *

Gajedi Taal Gajedi Taal is a lake in Gajedi village of southern Nepal spreads over and is surrounded by forest. It lies just south of Mahendra Highway. Location Gajedi Taal is located in Kanchan Rural Municipality, previously Gajedi Gajedi is a village ...

- A lake located about 21 km west of Butwal.

Lausha Lausha (Nepali language, Nepali: लौसा) is a small village located in Gajedi VDC of Nepal, about one kilometer south of Mahendra Highway in the direction to Lumbini along Gautam Buddha Highway. Around 3000 inhabitants live in the village, th ...

village of

Gajedi Gajedi is a village development committee in Rupandehi District in Lumbini Province of southern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 7751 people living in 1310 individual households. This place is near Lumbini, birth ...

VDC. A few hillocks and landscapes make it more artistic and adventurous. It is well known as a spot for picnics, gatherings, and boating in the lake. * Jitgadi - A fortress during Angol Nepal war, Narayan temple built by (1864 B.S.) Hanuman temple and Shivalaya of Hanumagngadhi, Jalabinayak M9ehadev temple, Narayan Temple, Siddababa temple, Nuwakot, etc. are centers of attraction in Butwal. * Murgiya Jharbaira (Bolbom Dham) - is about 13 km west from Butwal city centre. The Temple of Lord Shiva (Parroha Parmeshower Bolbam Dham) is situated here and is a holy site for Hindu Followers. * Manimukunda Sen Park (Phulbari) - The winter palace of Palpali Sen clan. There are ruins and antiquities of the palace of Manimukunda Sen, an ancient Palpali king, containing 6 large rooms as well as a royal residence, administrative, and grandeur of Butwal. Siddharthanagar and other neighboring villages of Rupandehi district can be seen from here at night. His Majesty's Government, the archaeological department has attempted to maintain it since 1991. Now, Butwal municipality has formed a council for the conservation of Manimukunda Sen Park to conduct the Phulbari Development Programme and attempt to make it a tourist resort. *

Sainamaina Sainamaina Municipality is one of the new 72 municipalities formed in Nepal. It is located in Rupandehi District in Lumbini Province of southern Nepal which is known for its historical and cultural significance, especially as the birthplace of L ...

- Located about 12 km. west from Butwal and to North from Banakatti, Sainamaina is an open museum. Among the different Gramas villages of Shakya King, it was in the samgrama site. An Indian queen ( Begum Hazrat Mahal of

) came to this area with her soldiers and porters (‘Sena’ and Mena’) because of the British disturbance in her kingdom and finally, this area came to be known as Saina Maina. It is a treasure trove of ancient ruins and antiquities: statues of dancing saints, ruins of palace, well etc. Siddhartha Rajmarg0469

Siddha Baba Temple Siddha Baba Temple () is a Hindu temple of Shiva located near the city of Butwal, Dobhan-5, Palpa district of Nepal. The temple is visited by the people all over Nepal and mostly by the Hindus of Tansen, Nepal, Palpa and Rupandehi and neighborin ...

- Lies on the outskirts of Butwal Sub-Metro, in

Palpa District Palpa District (, a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Tansen as its headquarters, covers an area of and has a population (2021) of 245,027. Palpa ...

. The area near this temple is prone to landslides. The temple is overcrowed by devotees during the festival of Shiva Ratri, Nepali New Year (Bikram Sambat-B.S), and weekends. (See photo) * Banbatika Forest Resort - This is a kind of forest park opened for locals which lie in the

Tilottama Municipality Tilottama Municipality is a municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which i ...

adjacent to Butwal Sub-Metropolitan. Usually known for picnic spots and a small zoo for visitors and Research Centre. *

- The Birthplace of Gautama Buddha. The Mecca for Buddhist followers in Nepal & all over the world.

is situated 40 km south-west of Butwal and is known as the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha. * Padma Chaitya Bihar a century old Buddhist monastery in the right bank of Tinau River.

Climate

Notable people

Bishnu Prasad Paudel Bishnu Prasad Paudel () is a Nepalese politician, who is the vice-chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist). Paudel served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance (Nepal), Minis ...

Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal The deputy prime minister of Nepal () is the deputy head of government of Nepal. The deputy prime minister is second in seniority in the Council of Ministers of Nepal. The deputy prime minister is the senior-most member of cabinet after prime min ...

and Member of Parliament * Cool Pokhrel, Singer and musician * Surakshya Panta, Model and actress *

Birendra Agrahari Birendra Agrahari (also spells as Virendra) is a People of Nepal, Nepalese playback singer who primarily sings in Nepali language, Nepali, Oriya language, Oriya, Hindi and Bhojpuri language, Bhojpuri languages. He lent his voice for a debut Nep ...

, Singer *

Kushal Bhurtel Kushal Bhurtel (, born 22 January 1997) is a Nepalese cricketer. He made his T20I debut against the Netherlands on 17 April 2021 and his ODI debut against Papua New Guinea on 7 September 2021. In November 2019, he was named in Nepal's squad f ...

, National Cricket player *

Kushal Malla Kushal Malla ( ; born 5 March 2004) is a Nepalese cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman, and a left-arm off-spinner. Known for his aggressive batting, he scored the fastest century in Twenty20 Internationals, off just 34 balls, in the opening ma ...

, National Cricket player * Rahul Vishwakarma, National Cricket player

Events

* Tillotama Gold Cup is a national level football championship held annually in Butwal

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Rupandehi District Nepal municipalities established in 1959 Submetropolitan municipalities of Nepal