Ilam Municipality
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Ilam ( ) is one of four urban municipalities of
Ilam District Ilam district () is one of Districts of Province No. 1, 14 districts of Koshi Province of eastern Nepal. It is a Geography of Nepal#The Hill Region, Hill districts of Nepal, district and covers . The 2011 Nepal census, 2011 census counted 290,25 ...
, which lies in the Mahabharata hilly range of
Koshi Province Koshi Province () is an autonomous Provinces of Nepal, province of Nepal adopted by the Constitution of Nepal on 20 September 2015. It covers an area of , about 17.5% of the country's total area. With the industrial city of Biratnagar as its cap ...
, eastern
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 ...
. Ilam also acts as the headquarters of Ilam District. Being the largest producer region for
Nepali tea Nepali tea is a beverage made from the leaves of tea plants ('' Camellia sinensis'') grown in Nepal. They are distinctive in appearance, aroma and taste, but are similar in many ways to Darjeeling tea, which is produced over the border in India ...
, its tea farms are a major tourist attraction in Koshi Province. Ilam is also famous for its natural scenery and landscapes as well as its diverse agricultural economy which specializes in horticultural crop production. The total area of the municipality is and the total population is 48,536 as per the
2011 Nepal census Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working in cooperation with the 58 municipalities and the 3,915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the m ...
. The municipality is divided into 12 wards. The 74 kilometer section of
Mechi highway Mechi Highway or NH02 (previously: H07) () is a two-lane freeway in Koshi Province, spanning about 268 kilometers in length. The highway connects all the districts of former Mechi zone, hence the name ''Mechi''. It runs from the Village Developm ...
connects Ilam with the east–west highway and subsequently, with the provincial capital of
Biratnagar Biratnagar () is a List of cities in Nepal, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Koshi Province. With a Metropolitan Urban Agglomeration population of 244,750 as per the 2021 Nepal census, 2021 census, it is the largest c ...
.


Background

Ilam (Ilam Bazar; the core area) was established as the headquarters of Ilam Gauda in 1818 (1875 BS) and was declared as "Ilam Municipality" in 1958 but gazetted to "Nepal Rajpatra" only in 1962. During the Panchayat System in Nepal (in 1960), the municipality used to be known as Ilam Nagar Panchayat. In 1990, following the end of the Panchayat System, Ilam regained its official name of Ilam Municipality. The total area of the municipality was with division into nine wards, and the total population of the municipality as of 2007 was 34,648. In 2015, with the amendment of the new
Constitution of Nepal The Constitution of Nepal () is the present governing Constitution of Nepal. Nepal is governed according to the Constitution which came into effect on 20 September 2015, replacing the Interim Constitution of 2007. The constitution of Nepal is di ...
,
Godak Godak is a town and Village Development Committee in Ilam District in the Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of St ...
, Soyak, Barbote, part of Maipokhari Sumbek, Puwamajhuwa, part of Sangrumba, part of
Siddhithumka Siddhithumka is a village and Village Development Committee in Ilam District in the Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bu ...
and Sakhejung Village Development Committee were incorporated to it.


Etymology

The word ‘Ilam’ comprises two words-‘I’ and ‘Lam’. In
Limbu language Limbu (Limbu: , ''yakthuṅ pan'') is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Limbu people of Nepal and Northeastern India (particularly West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland) as well as expatriate communities in Bhutan. The Limbu refer to the ...
, the word ‘I’ means ‘winding’ and ‘lam’ denotes the way. The topography of this Ilam aptly depicts several winding paths crisscrossing.


Demography

According to
2011 Nepal census Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working in cooperation with the 58 municipalities and the 3,915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the m ...
, the total population in Ilam was 48,563 and the main inhabitants of Ilam were
Limbu Limbu may refer to: * Limbu people, an indigenous tribe living in Nepal, Sikkim (India) and Bhutan ** Limbu language, their Sino-Tibetan language *** Limbu script **** Limbu (Unicode block) * Rambahadur Limbu Rambahadur Limbu, (; 8 July 1939 ...
,
Rai (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
, Yakkha, Lepcha,
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 ...
, Magar, Tamang, Chettri,
Bahun Bahun (), also known as Hill Brahmins, are a Brahmin varna among the Khas of Nepal. They are a sub-caste of the Kanyakubja Brahmin while their origins are from Kannauj and the Himalayan belt of South Asia. According to the 2011 Nepal censu ...
,
Sunuwar The Sunuwar or Koinch are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group. ( Nepali:सुनुवार जाति, ''Sunuwār Jāti'') a Kirati tribe native to Nepal, parts of India (West Bengal and Sikkim) and southern Bhutan. They speak the Sunuwar languag ...
and
Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung language, Gurung: ) are a Tibetan people, Tibetan ethnic group living in the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurungs speak Tamu kyi which is a Sino-Tibetan language derived from the ...
. The population of the municipality rose to 50,085 at the
2021 Nepal census The 2021 Nepal Census was the twelfth nationwide census of Nepal conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The census was originally scheduled from 8 June to 22 June 2021, but was postponed to November 2021 due to a surge in COVID-19 case ...
. 99.7% of the residents were Nepali citizens and 86.7% were
literate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...
in 2021.


Education

Ilam has many educational institutions. Ilam's major campus is Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus, a first QAA certified constituent campus of
Tribhuvan University Tribhuvan University (TU; ) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu Valley, Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest and the largest university in Nepal. It offers 1,000 undergraduate and 500 postgraduate programs a ...
. It has four faculties; Science, Humanities, Education, and Commerce. It provides education in undergraduate and post graduation subjects. From 2069 BS (2012 AD) under the affiliation from Tribhuvan University, the
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science The Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS, ) is one of the five technical institutes under Tribhuvan University, Nepal's largest academic institution. IAAS runs undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. programs in Agriculture and Livest ...
, MRM Campus has started offering bachelor's degrees in Science in Horticulture. In addition to students from Ilam district, students from
Jhapa Jhapa District (; ) is a district of Koshi Province in eastern Nepal named after a Rajbanshi Surjapuri language word "Jhapa", meaning "to cover" (verb). The 2021 Nepal Census, puts the total population of the district at 994,090. The total a ...
, Morang,
Sunsari Sunsari District is one of 14 districts in Koshi province of eastern Nepal. The district is located in the eastern part of the Outer Terai and covers an area of . According to the 2011 Nepal census, the population was 753,328. The district head ...
, Panchthar, Taplejung, Dhankuta,
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 ...
, Janakpur, Pokhara, Chitwan, Banke, Gorkha, Lamjung, Rupandehi are here to study horticulture. There are other institutes which provide higher education such as Adarhsa HSS, Modern Campus, Ilam Technical college, Heritage National Academy, Ilam Vidya Mandir. Green Valley Academy which provides secondary level education is regarded as one of the best schools in eastern Nepal due to its high-ranking SLC result.


Transportation

Ilam Bazaar is located about east of
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 ...
. Regular buses are available from New Buspark, Koteshwor and Kalanki of
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 ...
which takes to Ilam after a bus ride of about 16 hours. An airport is under construction at ''Sukilumba Danda''. Daily Bus/Bolero is available from Ilam to Taplejung, Phidim, Birtamod, Chandragadhi, Kakarbhitta, Siliguri (West Bengal), Pashupatinagar,
Damak Damak ( Nepali: दमक) is one of the oldest municipalities in Jhapa District of Koshi Province in eastern Nepal. It is situated between the Ratuwa River in the east and the Maawa River in the west. It has Sivalik Hills in its north and ends ...
,
Itahari Itahari () is a sub-metropolitan city in the Sunsari District of Koshi Province in Nepal. Itahari city has grown as an important business hub of eastern Nepal. It is the second most populous city in eastern Nepal after Biratnagar. Situated 25 ...
, Dharan and
Biratnagar Biratnagar () is a List of cities in Nepal, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Koshi Province. With a Metropolitan Urban Agglomeration population of 244,750 as per the 2021 Nepal census, 2021 census, it is the largest c ...
. A new buspark is being constructed at Sera. Besides these, Bus/Bolero also goes to all the VDCs of Ilam district.


Tea production

Tea production in Ilam (as Nepal tea) started as early as 1863, when the Chinese government offered then Prime Minister
Jung Bahadur Rana Jung Bahadur Rana, , was born Bir Narsingh Kunwar (1817-1877). His mother, Ganesh Kumari, was the daughter of Kaji Nain Singh Thapa, the brother of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa from the prominent Thapa dynasty. During his lifetime, Jung Bahadur eli ...
tea saplings that were then planted in Ilam. In 1868, the Ilam tea factory was established, and tea plantations covered over 135 acres of land. In 2010, the tea factory was privatized, and is currently not under operation. However, tea production continues in Ilam in other forms. Many local people gets employment from this. In 2010, the total tea production of Nepal is 16.23 million kilograms per annum; a majority of this amount is produced in Ilam.


Economy

New Hotels are being opened in Ilam for tourism. Ilam is known for its six "A"s: are ''Alu'' (
Potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
), ''Alan'' (
Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
), ''Alainchi'' (
Cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...
), ''Aduwa'' (
Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
), ''Amriso'' ( Broom Grass), and ''Akabare khursani'' ( Round Chillies). Alongside these tea, bamboo, flowers and silk are also produced in Ilam. Agricultural commodities helps to increase the Agricultural Gross Development Product. Beside these, the tourism sector also contributes in the economy of Ilam. Ilam bazaar has got
haat Haat Bazaar () is an open-air market that serves as a trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns mainly in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India. Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular basis, usually once, twice or thrice a week, a ...
on Sundays and Thursdays every week.


Climate

It is cold in Ilam during the winter, mild in summer and foggy in the monsoon season.


Environmentalism in Ilam

Ilam municipality is also known for its innovations in environmentalism. In 2010, the municipality became the first one in Nepal to ban plastic bags from the market, this is the great success all over the Nepal. The district also set aside 38 ropanis (>19,000 square metres) of land in the same year for processing degradable waste. In addition, Ilam's network of microhydropower produces more reliable electricity than is available in the rest of Nepal.


Media

Ilam has three FM radio station namely Ilam FM (93 Mz), Nepalbani FM (94.9 MHz), Chiyabari FM (88.2 MHz) which are
Community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
station and Fikkal FM (90.6 MHz). They aim to promote local culture by various programs of infotainment. ''Chiyabari Daily'', ''Ilam Express'', ''Ilam Post'' and ''Sandakpur'' are daily newspaper published from Ilam. In addition to these, several weekly newspaper like ''Pawanbhumi'' and ''Ilam Awaj'' are published in Ilam.and chulachuli darpan also


References

{{Authority control Populated places in Ilam District Municipalities in Koshi Province Hill stations in Nepal Nepal municipalities established in 1962 Municipalities in Ilam District