# Parsa District

Parsa District (Nepali: पर्सा जिल्लाListen), a part of Madhesh Province in Terai plain, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Birgunj as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,353 km$^2$ (522 sq mi) and has a population (2001) of 497,219. According to the locals, Parsa is named after the Parashnath temple situated in Mahuwan.

## Etymology

According to locals, the name of the district is derived from the Parsagadhi fort, where the Nepali Gorkhali Soldiers defeated British Soldiers.

## Geography and Climate

| Climate Zone | Elevation Range | % of Area |
| Lower Tropical | below 300 meters (1,000 ft) | 74.7% |
| Upper Tropical | 300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft. | 25.3n% |

## Demographics

Religion in Parsa District (2011) :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 83% | 83% |
| Islam | Islam | 14% | 14% |
| Buddhism | Buddhism | 2% | 2% |
| Others | Others | 1% | 1% |
Historical population :
| Census year | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
| Pop. | 284,338 | 372,524 | 497,219 | 601,017 | 649,397 |
| ±% p.a. | — | +2.74% | +2.93% | +1.91% | +0.78% |
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| Source: Citypopulation ||||||
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Parsa District had a population of 601,017.
As their first language, 78.4% spoke Bhojpuri, 6.1% Nepali, 5.1% Maithili, 3.8% Tharu, 2.2% Urdu, 1.3% Tamang, 0.8% Rajasthani, 0.7% Newari, 0.3% Uranw/Urau, 0.2% Hindi, 0.2% Rai, 0.1% Bengali, 0.1% Doteli, 0.1% Magar and 0.1% other languages.
Ethnicity/caste: 14.5% were Musalman, 8.4% Kurmi, 7.6% Tharu, 6.6% Yadav, 5.8% Kanu, 4.7% Chamar/Harijan/Ram, 4.2% Teli, 3.2% Koiri/Kushwaha, 2.8% Chhetri, 2.7% Dusadh/Paswan/Pasi, 2.6% Hill Brahmin, 2.6% Mallaha, 2.0% Baraee, 1.9% Kalwar, 1.8% Dhanuk, 1.7% Nuniya, 1.7% Tamang, 1.6% Musahar, 1.6% Newar, 1.6% Sonar, 1.5% Bin, 1.4% Dhobi, 1.4% Hajam/Thakur, 1.4% Kathabaniyan, 1.3% Lohar, 1.3% Tatma/Tatwa, 1.2% other Terai, 1.0% Terai Brahmin, 1.0% Kayastha, 0.9% Marwadi, 0.8% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0.7% Rajput, 0.6% Kewat, 0.6% Kumal, 0.6% Kumhar, 0.6% Magar, 0.4% Yakkha, 0.3% Dhunia, 0.3% Jhangad/Dhagar, 0.3% Kami, 0.2% Bengali, 0.2% Damai/Dholi, 0.2% Dom, 0.2% Halkhor, 0.2% Kahar, 0.2% Mali, 0.2% Rai, 0.1% Badhaee, 0.1% Gaderi/Bhedihar, 0.1% Gurung, 0.1% Halwai, 0.1% Majhi, 0.1% Natuwa, 0.1% Rajbhar, 0.1% Sarki, 0.1% Thakuri and 0.1% others.
Religion: 83.1% were Hindu, 14.5% Muslim, 1.7% Buddhist, 0.4% Kirati, 0.1% Christian and 0.1% others.
Literacy: 55.7% could read and write, 2.9% could only read and 41.3% could neither read nor write.

## Notable people

* Ajay Chaurasiya - Nepali Congress leader, former minister and former Member of House of Representatives/Constituent Assembly
* Ajay Kumar Dwivedi]] - Nepali Congress leader and Member of Constituent Assembly
* Bina Jaiswal - Bina Jaiswal is a Nepalese politician, belonging to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party. She is a member of Parliament currently serving as the member of the 2nd Federal Parliament of Nepal.
* Mohammad Lalbabu Raut Gaddhi - First Chief Minister of Madhesh Province
* Pradeep Yadav - leader of PSP-N and member of House of Representatives

## Administration

VDC/s and Municipalities (blue) in Parsa District The district consists of one metropolitan city, three urban municipalities and ten rural municipalities. These are as follows:
* Birgunj Metropolitan City
* Bahudarmai Municipality
* Parsagadhi Municipality
* Pokhariya Municipality
* Bindabasini Rural Municipality
* Dhobini Rural Municipality
* Chhipaharmai Rural Municipality
* Jagarnathpur Rural Municipality
* Jirabhawani Rural Municipality
* Kalikamai Rural Municipality
* Pakaha Mainpur Rural Municipality
* Paterwa Sugauli Rural Municipality
* Sakhuwa Prasauni Rural Municipality
* Thori Rural Municipality