The Tribhuvan Highway or NH 02() connects the outskirts 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 ...

, the capital of

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 Birganj/

Raxaul Raxaul is a sub-divisional town in the East Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated at the India-Nepal border with Birgunj city (Nepal). Raxaul is a major railway junction. The other part of Raxaul is Mehsi where litchi ...

on the

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 ...

border. NH 28 and NH 28A links Raxaul with

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

/ Barauni and other locations in India.

History

Known informally as Byroad, the Tribhuvan Highway is the oldest and the first highway of Nepal and links Naubise, west of Kathmandu with the Indian border at Birgunj/Raxaul. It was named in memory of King Tribhuvan (1906–1955). Its construction was completed with Indian assistance in 1956, and became the first serviceable road connection with India. The first regular daily bus service on the highway was operated by Nepal Transport Service in 1959. The bus route ended at the railway station at Amlekhganj, from where travellers took the Nepal Government Railway (NGR) the rest of the way to

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 ...

and

. Before Tribhuvan Highway was built, travelers used the historic trade route passing through Kulekhani,

Chitlang Chitlang (Nepali language, Nepali: चित्लाङ, Nepal Bhasa: चिलं/चिलिम]) is a village located in Thaha Municipality of Makwanpur District, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Geography Chitlang sits southwest of Kathmandu valle ...

, Chandragiri Pass and Thankot.

Route

The best stretch of the highway is through 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 ...

region. Thereafter, it is an unending series of climbs and descents through the

Sivalik 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 ...

north of Hetauda. Its total length extends to some from north to south. It is as the crow flies from Hetauda to Naubise, but Tribhuvan Highway makes it an astonishing . At Naubise, the Tribhuwan Highway intersects the Prithvi Highway. Daman on Tribhuvan Highway has probably the finest view of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

extending on a good day from

Dhaulagiri Dhaulagiri, located in Nepal, is the seventh highest mountain in the world at above sea level, and the highest mountain within the borders of a single country. It was first climbed on 13 May 1960 by a Swiss-Austrian-Nepali expedition. Annapur ...

in the west to

Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...

in the east. Pathlaiya is the junction point of the

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 the Tribhuvan Highway.

Kathmandu-Terai Expressway alternative

There are at least half a dozen routes to the Terai region via Makawanpur from the capital city, including Tribhuvan Highway, Kanti Highway, Ganesh Man Road, and Madan Bhandari Road. The four-lane fast track extending from the outer ring road in Kathmandu to Nijgadh in the Terai region will be the shortest and will only be . The track will have a tunnel of 1.3 km at Thingana of Makawanpur. It has been under construction since 2008.

References

{{AHN Highways in Nepal History of transport in Nepal 1956 establishments in Nepal Roads in Bagmati Province Roads in Madhesh Province