Rajbiraj

Coordinates: 26°32′26″N 86°44′55″E / 26.54056°N 86.74861°E / 26.54056; 86.74861
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Rajbiraj
राजविराज
City
Rajbiraj Municipality
Clockwise from top
Gajendra Chowk formerly Tribhuwan Chowk, Krishna Temple,
Literacy rate
79.71%
Websitewww.rajbirajmun.gov.np

Rajbiraj (

Madhesh Province of Nepal. The city is also called the "Pink City of Nepal" because the township was designed in 1938 based on influence from the "Indian Pink City" Jaipur - thus making it the first township in Nepal to receive urban planning.[3] Rajbiraj is the district headquarters of Saptari which is transferred from old district headquarter Hanumannagar in 1944 and is the eighth largest city in the province.[4][5] It was declared a municipality in 1959.[6] According to the 2011 census, the city had a population of 37,738[7] but the latest population is estimated to be 69,803[8] making it the 33rd largest municipality in Nepal
. The city area is spread over 55.64 km2 (21.48 sq mi) and comprises 16 wards.

The city is named after the ancient temple of

Provincial Assembly of Madhesh Province once every five years and it is a part of the Saptari 2 constituency which elects its MP
once in five years.

Roadways are the major mode of transportation to the town but it also has air connectivity. The major trade routes to the town are offered by the Nepalese metropolis of

Indo-Nepal border of Kunauli situated 10 km (6.2 mi) south to the city.[12]

History

Ancient Era

The city is part of the

Kushadhwaja. Within the periphery of Rajbiraj there were small shrines dedicated to Mandavi, Urmila and Shrutakirti but have lost with time.[15]

Modern Era

After the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816 the region become part of Kingdom of Nepal. Rajbiraj is one of the few cities given the status of municipality when Nepal's monarchy was restored in the 1950s. The first city of Nepal to be urban planned is rajbiraj.[3] The Nepal government plans to develop it as a model city.[21] Chief Engineer and Architect Dilli Jang Thapa designed Rajbiraj based on Indian city Jaipur.[22][23] The city is now recognized as an educational capital of Eastern Nepal with various schools and colleges opening.

Toponymy

The city of Rajbiraj is named after Rajdevi Temple. The Meaning of Raj comes from the name of the Rajdevi temple which means "state" and biraj means "to reside" or "to live".[24]

Demography

According to the National Population Census of 2011, Rajbiraj's population was 37,738, of which male and female are 19,684 and 18,054 respectively.

Badhai, Lohar, Sonar, Teli, Bania, Damai, Newar and Bahun.[26]

Others include
Buddhists
& Other religions (0.19%)
Religion in Rajbiraj[25]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 87.01%
Islam
 
 10.89%
Jain
 
 1.26%
Sikh
 
 0.64%
Others
 
 0.20%

Transport

Road

Rajbiraj is one of the cities in Nepal that is connected by the East West Highway about 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the north and 17 kilometres (11 mi) to the east also known as Hulaki Rajmarg. It is well connected to other Nepalese cities by National Highway and Sub Highway. Buses are an important mode of intercity passenger travel. Besides that, electric rickshaws and microvans are another important means of traveling in local areas.

Air

Main article: Rajbiraj Airport

Rajbiraj has one of the oldest airfields of Nepal, named as the

ICAO: VNRB) which was inaugurated by the then transportation minister Ganesh Man Singh in 1959. After witnessing almost three decades of halt, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal carried out a series of vigorous renovation (worth Rs. 303 million) of the airport in the 1990s but the flights again had to be stopped in 2007. Shree Airlines 50-seater CRJ-200 was tested on 23 May 2018 with Captain DR Niroula of Shree's safety department along with other instructor pilots — Captain Prajwol Adhikari, Rajesh Shrestha.[27] The halted flights of the airport were subsequently resumed from first 24 June 2018.[28][29] As of February 2020, Buddha air aims to run daily flights in between Rajbiraj and Kathmandu.[30]

Intracity

The best way of getting around the city is by using cycle rickshaws and electric rickshaws. There are also auto rickshaw running short distances but they don't operate in the main market area.

Climate

Rajbiraj Municipal has particularly a tropical climate. The three main seasons, summer, monsoon and winter respectively. Being located in the Plain (Terai) lands of Nepal, the climate and weather of Rajbiraj is usually hot.[31] The summer season runs from Early April to August and touches temperature ranging from 23 °C (73 °F) to 44 °C (111 °F). Monsoons arrive in the month of July heralded by dust and thunderstorms. The winter season prevails from the month of October till the month of March. Humidity, which prevails during monsoons, diminishes at the arrival of winters. The city observes pleasant sunny days and enjoyable cool nights with the temperature ranging from 6 °C (41 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F).

Rajbiraj winter season is the most appealing time to pay here a visit. Tourists arrive in large numbers, anytime between mid-September to late March or early April. Overall the January is the coldest month and June is the most hottest month in the year.

Climate data for Rajbiraj Raaj Rangashaalaa (1981-2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 21.5
(70.7) 		25.4
(77.7) 		29.9
(85.8) 		33.1
(91.6) 		33.7
(92.7) 		31.8
(89.2) 		31.7
(89.1) 		31.4
(88.5) 		31.0
(87.8) 		30.2
(86.4) 		26.2
(79.2) 		24.1
(75.4) 		29.2
(84.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 8.0
(46.4) 		10.1
(50.2) 		12.6
(54.7) 		18.4
(65.1) 		22.3
(72.1) 		24.2
(75.6) 		24.6
(76.3) 		24.4
(75.9) 		23.6
(74.5) 		20.8
(69.4) 		12.4
(54.3) 		9.2
(48.6) 		17.6
(63.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 12.7
(0.50) 		14.2
(0.56) 		17.2
(0.68) 		56.1
(2.21) 		189.0
(7.44) 		320.4
(12.61) 		545.8
(21.49) 		384.3
(15.13) 		299.8
(11.80) 		92.8
(3.65) 		6.8
(0.27) 		5.4
(0.21) 		1,944.5
(76.55)
Source: Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (Nepal)[32]

Tourism

Rajbiraj is famous for agricultural products, spices and handicrafts. Mithila Paintings and Maithili culture is the main part of tourism to be explored.[33] There are many religious Hindu temples to visit. Some of them are more than 2000 years old. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve famous for its wildlife is just 40-minute drive from the city. The

Dharan (75 km) and Gaighat
(60 km) far.

Culture

Attire

The females are usually seen in the

T-shirts, rather than the traditional dhoti and kurtas, although males often wear traditional dress during Puja and festivals.[34][35][36] Females are also gradually taking up more and more Western wear, with variety of jeans in the streets. There are fewer girls seen wearing T-skirts and Miniskirts predominating in the private schools, colleges and campuses. Younger females also seen wearing Lehenga in special occasion like wedding
ceremony and festivals.

Religious Sites

Main article: List of Hindu temples in Nepal

Hindus and the present structure was built between 1990.[37]
There are other Hindu temples in the city like Bhagwati Temple, Bageshwari Temple, Shree Radha Krishna Temple, Baishnavi Kali Mandir, Thangachi Mandir, Chitragupta Mandir where devotees come to offer prayer every day.[38]

There is a Noori Jaama Masjid in the eastern central part of the town where Muslims congregate to perform Salat al-Jumu'ah.[39]

  • Rajdevi Temple
    Rajdevi Temple
  • Shree Radha Krishna Temple
    Shree Radha Krishna Temple
  • Baishnawi Kali Mandir
    Baishnawi Kali Mandir

Architecture

Aerial view of Rajbiraj in 1990
Portrait of chief engineer Dilli Jang Thapa
Aerial view of Rajbiraj in 1990 (left) and Portrait of chief engineer Dilli Jang Thapa (right)

The city was planned after the then headquarter of Saptari district

Saptari district.[41][42] Rajbiraj city was systematically designed based on the Indian city Jaipur by then chief architect and engineer Dilli Jung Thapa in 60 Bigha of land.[43]
There was dense jungle where fox roared before the proper inhabited took place. In 1941, the city gained the status of the headquarter of Saptari district and fully operational for inhabitant. Initially, the city was planned in 60 bigha of land but later 10 bigha of land was added to northern side for government office (Kachahari line) and 8 bigha of land in southern side was added to the city for the officials resident area (Swarna tol) making it in total 78 bigha of land.[41] A small alley behind each of the four houses, Chauk square at the junction of main road and auxiliary road, grocery stores, vegetable market lines and government office buildings have been arranged in proper manner making it first planned city of Nepal.[44][45]

Festivals

Major religious celebrations include the major Hindu festivals

Vishwakarma Puja. The Chhath and Holi is heavily celebrated with a carnival-like atmosphere. The locals people take pride in the way these festivals are celebrated.[46][47]

Cuisines

The staple diet of the region is

Gulab Jamun
.

The commons dishes of the city is influenced with Maithil cuisine, Nepalese cuisine and Indian cuisine. Bagiya, Murhee ke laai (English: Puffed rice sweet balls), litti are also popular among people.[50][51] Street foods such as Samosa, Chaat, Panipuri, Chow mein, Momo, Omelette and Sekuwa are favourite among Rajbirajians.[52]

  • Kadhi bari
    Kadhi bari
  • Varieties of Tarua
    Varieties of Tarua
  • Varieties of Tarua and papad
    Varieties of Tarua and papad

Languages

Main article: Maithili language

The most commonly and widely speaking language of the city is Maithili.[53][54][55][56][57] After Maithili, Nepali is also well understood and widely used for business and administrative purposes.[25]

Hindi is widely used by people from madhesh as a link language along with Marwari people and migrant workers from India.[58]
Historically, Rajbiraj was considered one of the great center of Mithila culture.[59][60][61]

Media

Print media include the National daily Annapurna Post, Gorkhapatra, Kantipur Patrika and Nepal Samacharpatra. There are numerous local newspaper which covers the news of the city like Nai Ummid, Rajbiraj Dainik, Krishna Dainik, News Today Patrika and Green Madhesh Patrika. while English news daily like The Himalayan Times and The Kathmandu Post are also available.

Telecommunications services include Nepal Telecom, Ncell, Smart Cell and UTL Nepal. WorldLink, Broadlink and Subisu are providing broadband services in this region. To promote local culture, Rajbiraj has number of FM radio stations[62] which are:

  • Bhorukuwa FM
  • Chhinnamasta/Apan FM
  • C FM
  • Radio Chandrama FM
  • Jai Madhesh FM
  • Appan FM

Educational institutions

Main article: List of educational institutions in Rajbiraj

Rajbiraj has a well-established education infrastructure. There are a number of colleges and schools meeting the requirements of not only the city but the region and country as well. It is home to several

High-Secondary
, senior-secondary, graduate and post-graduate studies. Rajbiraj is an educational hub of Eastern Region of Nepal.

Hospitals

Following health services are available at Rajbiraj.

Sports

Kabaddi and Cricket are the most popular sports among the younger generation in the city. The city has 3 local stadiums. The sporting activities are mainly centered in the multipurpose stadium Raj Rangasala in the main city. The popular sports are cricket, football, volleyball, basketball, kabaddi, badminton etc. Freedom cricket club and Rajdevi cricket academy are the most active cricket club in the city.[69] Mahendra Club is one of the most active organizations promoting football in the city and organizes a regional club-level football tournament: the Saptari Gold Cup.[70][71]

Notable persons

See also

References

  1. ^ Rajbiraj Municipality official website
  2. ^ "National Population and Housing Census 2011" (PDF). National Planning Commission Secretariat, Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Government of Nepal. November 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Rajbiraj revisited". Nepal Times. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2002.
  4. ^ "Terms of Reference for the preparation of IUDP of municipality" (PDF). Government of Nepal. MOFALD. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  5. ^ Jha, Ajay Kumar. "हनुमाननगरका मूर्तिहरू घर फर्किन्छन् !". Onlinekhabar (in Nepali). Retrieved 5 February 2018.
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  8. ^ "स्थानिय तह". 103.69.124.141. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
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  11. ^ a b Das, Basudevlal (2014). "The Sena Dyansty:From Bengal to Nepal". Academic Voices: 6. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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  15. ^ a b BALAKANDA. Balmiki Ramayana. IIT Kanpur. pp. SARGA 71. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
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External links

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