Dharan
Dharan
धरान उपमहानगरपालिका | |
|---|---|
From Top: View of Dharan city, Dharan Clock tower | |
| Motto(s): "To build an environmentally sound city, functioning as the centre of education, health, tourism and business with fully developed infrastructure" | |
| Coordinates: 26°49′0″N 87°17′0″E / 26.81667°N 87.28333°E | |
| Country | Nepal |
| Province | Koshi |
| District | Sunsari |
| First Settled | 1902 |
| Established | 1958 |
| Upgraded to Sub-metropolitan city | 2017 |
| Founded by | Ratna Prasad Shrestha |
| No. of Wards | 20 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor |
Harka Raj Rai (Independent) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Aindra Bikram Begha (Maiost) |
| Area | |
• Total | 74.37 sq mi (192.61 km2) |
| • Water | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) |
| • | 108,600 sq mi (281,000 km2) |
| Highest elevation (Near Bhedetar) | 5,833 ft (1,778 m) |
| Lowest elevation (at Tarahara) | 390 ft (119 m) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 166,531 |
| • Rank | 15th (Nepal) 3rd (Koshi Province) |
| • Density | 2,200/sq mi (860/km2) |
| • Ethnicities | Rai(19.4%) Limbu(13.01%) Newar(11.1%) Chhetri(10.7%) Tamang(7.3%) Bahun(7.1%) Kami(6.2%) Marwadi(3.1%) kushwaha(1.1%) yadav(0.96) Tharu(0.55%) Others (20.69%) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Nepali |
| • Additional | English, Maithili, Limbu, Bantawa, Sampang |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (NST) |
| Postal Code | 56700 (Sunsari), 56702 (Mangalbare) |
| Telephone code | 025 |
| Climate | Cwa |
| Website | www |
Dharan (Nepali: धरान) 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 Itahari. The Nepali word "dharan" means a saw pit. In 1960, a British Gurkha camp was also established near the city. The use of the camp by British Gurkhas finished in the mid-1990s. Dharan has an estimated city population of 173,096 living in 34,834 households as per the 2021 Nepal census. It is one of the cities of the Greater Birat Development Area which incorporates the cities of Biratnagar-Itahari-Gothgau-Biratchowk-Dharan primarily located on the Koshi Highway in Eastern Nepal, with an estimated total urban agglomerated population of 804,300 people living in 159,332 households. It is the largest city in the Koshi Province by Area. It covers 192.61 square kilometers while Biratnagar and Itahari are the second- and third-largest cities by area, respectively.