Birgunj, Nepal

 Introduction to Birgunj

Birgunj is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Province No. 2 of southern Nepal. It lies 135 km (84 mi) south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul in the border of the Indian state of Bihar. As an entry point to Nepal from Patna and Kolkata, Birgunj is known as the "Gateway to Nepal". It is also called "Commercial capital of Nepal". The town has significant economic importance for Nepal as most of the trade with India is via Birgunj and the Indian town of Raxaul. Tribhuvan Highway links Birgunj to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. Birgunj was one of the first three municipalities formed during the rule of Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana. It was declared a Metropolitan City on 8 Jestha 2074 (22 May 2017) along with Biratnagar and Pokhara. Birgunj is one of the largest city in Nepal and largest in Province no. 2. Birgunj is the sixth most populated metropolis of the nation. Its co-ordinate is Coordinates: 27°0′N 84°52′E.

Diyalo Lords Plaza

Naming

The name of Birgunj was Gahwa at previous time. But later on, it was renamed to Birgunj after the name of Rana Prime Minister Bir Shamsher. Birgunj was founded in 1897 by 11th Rana Prime Minister Bir Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana. 

Ancient History

Before Birgunj, Alau was the main center of Parsa district. Before the establishment of Birgunj Bazar, the nearer villages such as Baghi, Alau, Barewa, Kalaiya, Prasauni, Inaruwa, Chhapkaiya existed.To establish Birgunj Bazar in a forest covered area, Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana appointed his trusted duo Siddhvir Mathema and Dhadjavir Mathema (two brothers) respectively in Birgunj as the ruler of Mal Ada and Kath Mal Ada. In this connection, Siddhvir Mathema distributed free land and timber and provided cash assistance to the homeowners in Birgunj. The act had subsequently required Siddhvir Mathema to pay the death penalty.

After the death of Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Dev Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Prime Minister, but within three months Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana had driven Dev Shamsher and made himself Prime Minister. The people of Late Bir Shamsher Rana and Dev Shamsher Rana did not tolerate Chandra Shamsher Rana. Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana'special man Siddhivir Mathema, was accused of conducting an inspection of a reservoir treaty and carrying out three lakh irregularities on his forehead. When Siddhivir showed the calculations he had spent on setting up Birganj Bazar, he was declared invalid and an order was issued to pay the money immediately. After answering that he could not pay for what he did, As a punishment, the signboard was stick on his chest and move it around the market. The verbal verdict of the death sentence was decided to cut off and kill. After hearing about verbal of death sentence to Mathema who worked day and night without eating to establish Birgunj Bazar, Late Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana's wife has paid 3 lakh and rescued Mathema from the death penalty.

Chandra Shamsher also wanted to displace Birgunj Bazar, which his brother had established. He wanted to remove the Birgunj bazaar from there and set it in Rautahat. According to the move to displace the market, In 1959, it raided the main market from Raxaul to Birgunj and extended the rail line service to Amalekhganj. From the link, the train used to run around the houses, exploding and terrorizing the residents. Later, the rail link was moved to the east of the market (outside the market). The Raxaul city in India, which is currently connected to Birgunj as the main gateway to Nepal, was not established. At that time Indian trains operated only till Sugauli Treaty.

Modern History

On 18 May 2006, the parliament of Nepal declared that the country would become a secular state. This led to unrest by Hindu fundamentalist groups across Nepal; the town of Birgunj was forced to close for nearly two years and was disturbed for more than 10 years.

Ghadiarwa Pokhari

Other Information

The area of Birgunj is 75 km square. It is also the headquarter of Parsa district. According to the 2011 Census, Birgunj had a population of 133,238. It is the second biggest city in Terai and the fifth biggest city in Nepal after Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lalitpur, and Biratnagar. Bhojpuri is spoken more with other languages such as Nepali, Maithali and English in Birgunj. This city also has many factories and contributes a lot in economic development of the country Nepal.

 To know more about Birgunj and Parsa District

                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y06wcGMEDtI 

Source: (Wikipedia)