Bhimdatta

Mahendranagar (महेन्द्रनगर), officially known as Bhimdattanagar (भिमदत्त), is a municipality in Kanchanpur District of Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal. The city and the municipality were named Mahendranagar in honour of the late King Mahendra of Nepal. After becoming a republic in 2008, the Mahendranagar municipality name was changed to Bhimdatta municipality in honour of the revolutionary farmer leader Bhimdatta Panta. It is surrounded by Bedkot Municipality in the east, Dadeldhura District in the north, Shuklaphanta National Park in the south and Uttarakhand, India in the west.

Mahendranagar is the 9th largest city in Nepal. It is 5 km east of the Indian border and 700 km west of Kathmandu. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, it had a population of 62,050. According to the census of 2001, the city's population was 80,839. Bhimdatta is a hub of activity for industries running between India and Nepal. It is also a gateway to Shuklaphanta National Park, formerly Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve.

Demographics
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Bhimdatta Municipality had a population of 106,666. Of these, 58.6% spoke Doteli, 13.3% Nepali, 9.7% Baitadeli, 8.0% Tharu, 4.1% Bajhangi, 1.6% Achhami, 1.3% Darchuleli, 1.2% Hindi, 0.7% Maithili, 0.4% Bajureli, 0.3% Magar, 0.1% Bengali, 0.1% Bhojpuri, 0.1% Dadeldhuri, 0.1% Newar, 0.1% Sonaha, 0.1% Tamang, 0.1% Uranw/Urau and 0.1% other languages as their first language.

In terms of ethnicity/caste, 32.4% were Chhetri, 25.3% Hill Brahmin, 9.6% Thakuri, 8.2% Tharu, 6.6% Kami, 6.2% other Dalit, 2.7% Damai/Dholi, 2.3% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 1.7% Sarki, 1.1% Magar, 0.7% Lohar, 0.4% Kathabaniyan, 0.4% Newar, 0.3% Gurung, 0.2% Badi, 0.2% Hajjam/Thakur, 0.2% Jhangad/Dhagar, 0.2% Musalman, 0.1% Bengali, 0.1% Terai Brahmin, 0.1% foreigners, 0.1% Halwai, 0.1% Limbu, 0.1% Rai, 0.1% Tamang, 0.1% Teli, 0.1% other Terai and 0.1% others.

In terms of religion, 98.6% were Hindu, 0.5% Christian, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.2% Muslim, 0.2% Prakriti and 0.1% others.

In terms of literacy, 77.3% could read and write, 1.7% could only read and 20.9% could neither read nor write.

Society
The indigenous people living here are the Rana-Tharus, but people from other parts mostly from the hill districts Baitadi, Darchula and Dadeldhura, find themselves at home. Bhimdatta has become a unique combination of ethnic groups with different ways of life within an already diverse country Nepal. The festivals celebrated by the ethnic Tharu people are Holi and Maghi. Tharu people celebrate Maghi as New Year, while Hill People primarily celebrate Gora (commonly called Gaura Parba). Deepawali or Diwali or Tihar is a major festival which is celebrated with Laxmi Puja, Gai Puja, and Bhai Tika on their respective days. Dashain is also a major festival here. A small population from western Nepal, mainly Arghakhachi, Gulmi, Pyuthan, etc., have settled here (mostly in Bhasi), even before local people of the same region settled from the hills of Far-west Nepal.

Services
Bhimdatta is the business and educational hub of the Mahakali Zone. Since it is in close proximity to the border with India, Bhimdattaa plays a major role in trade in the region. Students from neighbouring districts come for education. Far-western University, which teaches diversified disciplines ranging from economics to the humanities to the sciences, is the only university in the city. People here are mainly occupied by agriculture as Nepal is an agrarian society. Business is another source of empowering the local economy, which is concentrated in the bazaar area of Bhimdatta. Government services are a significant part of the economy. Being comparatively closer to the major industrial areas of India, Mahendranagar could serve as a portal for industrial exchange between India and Nepal.

Transport and communication
Nepal Telecom and Ncell provide 3G and 4G facilities in the area. Bhimdatta is connected to other parts of Nepal by East-West Highway, which is the only road that connects it to the rest of Nepal. There is a domestic airport in Bhimdatta which is out of service. Bus service connects Bhimdatta to all the other parts of the country. There is a customs post for goods and third-country nationals, while Indian and Nepalese nationals may cross the border freely. Banbasa, Uttarakhand state, India is the other side of the border. Bhimdatta is the nearest place in Nepal to Uttarakhand, which is part of India. Bhimdatta is also connected by sub-highways to hill towns Dipayal, Baitadi, Amargadhi, and Darchula.

Education
Mahendranagar is the home of the Far Western University; it has a number of colleges and educational institutes.
 * Baijnath Secondary School
 * Florida International Boarding Higher Secondary School

Shree Siddhanath Science Campus is the first Science Campus in Mahendranagar and was established in 2033 B.S. It is a constituent campus of Tribhuvan University.
 * Adarsh Vidya Niketan
 * Bal Jagreeti secondary school
 * Diamond Public Higher Secondary School
 * Everest Evergreen English school
 * Ghatal higher secondary school
 * Holi Family English Boarding School
 * International Public Higher Secondary School
 * Kanchan Vidya Mandir
 * Little Buddha Academy
 * Mahakali Modern Public School
 * Oxford National Academy
 * Radient Secondary School
 * Rastriya Bal Vidhyalaya
 * Rauleshwar Multiple Campus Beldandi
 * Shree Shishya English Boarding school
 * Shree Siddhanath Science Campus
 * Sunrise Public Higher Secondary School
 * United public higher secondary school
 * Morning Glory higher secondary school Janaki Tole
 * Shree Jaycees Secondary School Rajipur
 * Sikhar Academy Rajipur

Tourism
Mahendranagar is a beautiful city from a tourist point of view. There are natural, religious and historical areas here. Chure (चुरे) is connected to the east–west spread in the north. At the foot of the same Chure are the beautiful villages of Rautela (राउटेला) and Barakunda (बाराकुण्डा). Rautela temple (राउटेला मन्दिर) in Rautela and Bishnu temple (बिष्णु मन्दिर), Linga (लिंगा धाम), Shiva temple etc. are the major religious places here. Dodhara Chandani is one of the famous bridges. Jhilmila Lake (झिलिमिला ताल) and Bedkot Lake (बेदकोट ताल) are famous lakes. There are furthermore areas for tourists.
 * Kali Taal
 * Lingaa
 * Shuklaphanta National Park
 * Jhilmila Lake
 * Bedkot Lake
 * Vishnu Temple
 * Dodhara Chandani Suspension Bridge
 * Bhimdatta Memorial Park
 * Kalikich Lake
 * Banda Lake
 * Siddhanath Temple

Media
To promote local culture, Bhimdatta has many radio stations:
 * Radio Mahakali 96.2 MHz
 * Shuklaphanta FM 94.4 MHz
 * Radio Nagarik FM 104.3 MHz