# Rupandehi District

Rupandehi District (Nepali: रुपन्देही जिल्ला; pronounced ), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal and covers an area of 1,360 km$^2$ (530 sq mi). The district headquarter is Bhairahawa. As per the national census 2011, the population of Rupandehi was 880,196.

## Etymology

Rupandehi is named after Rupandevi temple which is situated in garden of Lumbini, where, the queen of King Suddhodana visited and give birth to Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

## History

Lumbini, birthplace of Buddha, lies in Rupandehi district. Devdaha, the birthplace of Mayadevi (mother of Buddha), also lies in Rupandehi district.

## Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Rupandehi District had a population of 880,196 (432,193 male, 448,003 female) in 163,916 households.
Ethnicity/caste: 15.9% were Hill Brahmin, 10.7% Magar, 9.7% Tharu, 8.3% Musalman, 7.4% Yadav, 6.8% Chhetri, 3.7% Chamar/Harijan/Ram, 3.1% Kami, 2.9% Lodh, 2.5% Kewat, 2.3% Kahar, 2.1% Newar, 2.0% Dhobi, 2.0% Gurung, 2.0% Kurmi, 2.0% Mallaha, 1.6% Kathabaniyan, 1.5% Dusadh/Pasawan/Pasi, 1.4% Teli, 1.1% Damai/Dholi, 0.9% Koiri/Kushwaha, 0.8% Baraee, 0.8% Hajam/Thakur, 0.7% other Terai, 0.7% Thakuri, 0.6% Terai Brahmin, 0.5% Kalwar, 0.5% Lohar, 0.5% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0.5% Sarki, 0.4% Gaderi/Bhedidar, 0.4% Halwai, 0.4% Kumal, 0.2% Badhaee, 0.2% Bengali, 0.2% other Dalit, 0.2% Kayastha, 0.2% Marwadi, 0.2% Musahar, 0.2% Tamang, 0.1% Badi, 0.1% Chhantyal, 0.1% Dhandi, 0.1% Dhankar/Darikar, 0.1% Dhunia, 0.1% foreigners, 0.1% Gharti/Bhujel, 0.1% Majhi, 0.1% Mali, 0.1% Rai, 0.1% Rajbhar, 0.1% Rajput, 0.1% Thakali and 0.1% others.
Religion: 86.2% were Hindu, 8.2% Muslim, 4.6% Buddhist, 0.7% Christian, 0.1% Bon and 0.1% others.
Literacy: 69.6% could read and write, 2.3% could only read and 28.0% could neither read nor write.

### Languages

As their first language, 36.8% spoke Bhojpuri, 36.6% Nepali, 6.4% Awadhi, 6.3% Tharu, 4.2% Magar, 3.6% Maithili, 2.6% Urdu, 1.3% Newari, 1.2% Gurung, 0.5% Hindi, 0.1% Doteli, 0.1% Tamang and 0.1% other languages. 46.7 % of the district population speaks one of the Bihari Languages.
* Bhojpuri 36.8 (36.8%)
* Nepali 36.6 (36.6%)
* Awadhi 6.4 (6.40%)
* Tharu 6.3 (6.30%)
* Magar 4.2 (4.20%)
* Others 9.7 (9.70%)

## Administrative divisions

Rupandehi is divided into 16 local level units, in which 6 are urban municipality and 10 are Rural Municipality. Butwal is considered as a Sub-Metropolitan municipality.
Urban and rural municipalities of Rupandehi :
| Sr. No. | Name | Division | Area (KM$^2$) | Population (2011) | Website |
| 1 | Butwal | Sub-Metropolitan Municipality | 101.61 | 138,742 | butwalmun.gov.np |
| 2 | Devdaha | Municipality | 136.95 | 53,523 | devdahamun.gov.np |
| 3 | Lumbini Sanskritik | Municipality | 112.21 | 72,497 | lumbinisanskritikmun.gov.np |
| 4 | Sainamaina | Municipality | 162.18 | 55,822 | sainamainamun.gov.np |
| 5 | Siddharthanagar | Municipality | 36.03 | 63,483 | siddharthanagarmun.gov.np |
| 6 | Tilottama | Municipality | 126.19 | 100,149 | tilottamamun.gov.np |
| 7 | Gaidahawa | Rural Municipality | 96.79 | 47,565 | gaidahawamun.gov.np |
| 8 | Kanchan | Rural Municipality | 58.51 | 33,072 | kanchanmun.gov.np |
| 9 | Kotahimai | Rural Municipality | 58.26 | 41,006 | kotahimaimun.gov.np |
| 10 | Marchawari | Rural Municipality | 48.55 | 38,776 | marchawarimun.gov.np |
| 11 | Mayadevi | Rural Municipality | 72.44 | 47,196 | mayadevimunrupandehi.gov.np |
| 12 | Omsatiya | Rural Municipality | 48.58 | 34,191 | omsatiyamun.gov.np |
| 13 | Rohini | Rural Municipality | 64.62 | 37,175 | rohinimun.gov.np |
| 14 | Sammarimai | Rural Municipality | 50.78 | 38,305 | sammarimaimun.gov.np |
| 15 | Siyari | Rural Municipality | 66.17 | 38,466 | siyarimun.gov.np |
| 16 | Suddodhan | Rural Municipality | 57.66 | 34,638 | suddhodhanmunrupandehi.gov.np |

## Constituencies

Rupandehi is divided into 5 Parliamentary constituencies and 10 Provincial constituencies.
| Constituency | Type | MP/MLA | Party |
| Rupandehi 1 | Parliamentary | Chhabilal Bishwakarma | CPN(UML) |
| Rupandehi 2 | Parliamentary | Bishnu Prasad Paudel | CPN(UML) |
| Rupandehi 3 | Parliamentary | Deepak Bohara | RPP |
| Rupandehi 4 | Parliamentary | Sarbendra Nath Shukla | Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal |
| Rupandehi 5 | Parliamentary | Basudev Ghimire | CPN(UML) |
| Rupandehi 1(A) | Provincial | Krishna Prasad Neupane | CPN(UML) |
| Rupandehi 2(A) | Provincial | Lila Giri | NC |
| Rupandehi 3(A) | Provincial | Santosh Kumar Pandey | NC |
| Rupandehi 4(A) | Provincial | Kanhaiya Baniya | Lo.Sa.Pa |
| Rupandehi 5(A) | Provincial | Bhumishwor Dhakal | NC |
| Rupandehi 1(B) | Provincial | Dadhi Ram Neupane | NC |
| Rupandehi 2(B) | Provincial | Bhoj Prasad Shrestha | NC |
| Rupandehi 3(B) | Provincial | Tulshi Prasad Chaudhary | NC |
| Rupandehi 4(B) | Provincial | Wasiuddin Khan | NC |
| Rupandehi 5(B) | Provincial | Fakharuddin Khan | NC |
NGOs in Rupandehi Rupandehi is divided into 5 Parliamentary constituencies and 10 Provincial constituencies.
| Constituency | Type | MP/MLA | Party |
| Rupandehi 1 | Parliamentary | Rajeev Bista | NC |
| Rupandehi 2 | Parliamentary | Bishnu Poudel | NC |
| Rupandehi 3 | Parliamentary | Ghanashyam Bhusal | NC |
| Rupandehi 4 | Parliamentary | Pramod Kumar Yadav | NC |
| Rupandehi 5 | Parliamentary | Bharat Kumar Shah | NC |
| Rupandehi 1(A) | Provincial | Krishna Prasad Neupane | NC |
| Rupandehi 2(A) | Provincial | Lila Giri | NC |
| Rupandehi 3(A) | Provincial | Santosh Kumar Pandey | NC |
| Rupandehi 4(A) | Provincial | Ashtha Bhuja Pathak | NC |
| Rupandehi 5(A) | Provincial | Bhumishwor Dhakal | NC |
| Rupandehi 1(B) | Provincial | Dadhi Ram Neupane | NC |
| Rupandehi 2(B) | Provincial | Bhoj Prasad Shrestha | NC |
| Rupandehi 3(B) | Provincial | Tulshi Prasad Chaudhary | NC |
| Rupandehi 4(B) | Provincial | Wasiuddin Khan | NC |
| Rupandehi 5(B) | Provincial | Fakharuddin Khan | NC |

## Constituencies

Rupandehi is divided into 5 Parliamentary constituencies and 10 Provincial constituencies.
| Constituency | Type | MP/MLA | Party |
| Rupandehi 1 | Parliamentary | Rajeev Bista | NC |
| Rupandehi 2 | Parliamentary | Bishnu Poudel | NC |
| Rupandehi 3 | Parliamentary | Ghanashyam Bhusal | NC |
| Rupandehi 4 | Parliamentary | Pramod Kumar Yadav | NC |
| Rupandehi 5 | Parliamentary | Bharat Kumar Shah | NC |
| Rupandehi 1(A) | Provincial | Krishna Prasad Neupane | NC |
| Rupandehi 2(A) | Provincial | Lila Giri | NC |

## Geography

The district lies on the southern and western part of Nepal. On the East it shares border with Nawalparasi District, on West with Kapilvastu District, on North with Palpa District and on South with India. The elevation of the district lies between 100m to 1229m from sea level. The total area of the district is 1,360 km$^2$ with 16.1% in Churia Range and rest in the Terai region.

### Major rivers

Rupandehi has many rivers all of which flow from Northern mountains towards south into India.
* Tinau River
* Kothi River
* Sukhaira River
* Bagela River
* Rohini River
* Kanchan River
* Kacharar River
* Koili River
* Danav River
* Danda River
* Ghodaha
* Khadawa

### Major lakes

* Gaidahawa lake (Gaidahawa)
* Gajedi lake (Gajedi)
* Nanda vauju lake (Chilhiya)
* Sukaiiya lake

## Climate

| Climate Zone | Elevation Range | % of Area |
| Lower Tropical | below 300 meters (1,000 ft) | 89.3% |
| Upper Tropical | 300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft. | 10.5% |
| Subtropical | 1,000 to 2,000 meters 3,300 to 6,600 ft. | 0.2% |

### Praketeshwar Mahadev

Praketeshwar Mandir is near of Lumbini Road. In months of Shrawan (late July and early August), there is a big crowded fair, quite popular among locals and people around the regions.

### Nawa Durga Bhawani Mandir

It lies in Sainamaina-3, Murgiya. Many peoples visit there to worship Goddess Durga throughout the year. Many poojas are conducted timely. It is regularly repaired by the members involved in its development.

### Lumbini

Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. It is granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997. Thousands of Buddhist monks, pilgrims and tourists visit Lumbini annually. The ongoing up-gradation of Gautam Buddha Airport into international airport is expected to increase the number of visitors. Mahinda Rajapakshe, President of Sri Lanka is one of the high-profile visitor of Lumbini.

### Siddha Baba Mandir

This is a temple dedicated to Shiva situated in border between Palpa and Rupandehi. There is a belief that Shiva grants the wishes of the devotees who visit the temple. There are two Siddha Baba Mandir adjacent to each other. One lies within Rupandehi and another in Palpa. Nonetheless, both Mandir are regarded as pilgrimages of equal importance.

### Satiya Devi Temple and Satiya Mai Mandir

This is a temple dedicated to Devi Satiya situated in Patkhauli VDC, near Rohini Khola In Rupandehi. There is a belief that Real Lady grants the wishes of the devotees who visit the temple. There are a real Maya Devi Mandir and other is modified temple adjacent to each other. One lies within Rupandehi and another in Palpa. Nonetheless, both Mandir are regarded as a pilgrimage of equal importance. Due to the Godes beloved to visitors in Satiya Ban area. Actually, this temple is situated in the middle of Rohini Khola but now River is flowing west of Satiya Devi Temple and Satiya Bagaicha.

### Manimukunda Sen Park

Once a winter palace of King Manimukunda Sen, Manimukunda Sen Park is another major attraction in Rupandehi. The palace is not in shape but the ruins and antiquities of the majestic palace can still be found. It is situated in Butwal City and is popular for the picnic spots, zoo and the gardens inside the park. The greenery and the view of Rupandehi, Palpa and Kapilvastu districts is also another attraction in the park.

### Parroha Bol Bam Dham

It is the oldest Bol Bam Dham (pilgrimage and festival) in Nepal. The pilgrimage is dedicated to Shiva located in Sainamaina Municipality. Thousands of Shiva's devotees from various parts of the country and from neighboring States of India visit to worship the Shivalinga inside the Bol Bam Dham. The major inflow of pilgrims occurs during the Bol Bam. Bol Bam is an annual pilgrimage glorifying Shiva made in Shraavana in which devotees travel barefooted wearing saffron robes in routes to the dham.

### Shankar Nagar Ban Bihar and Research Center

Shankar Nagar Ban Bihar and Research Centre, simply referred as Ban Batika by locals is an attraction in Tilottama Municipality. The centre is maintained inside Shankarnagar Community Forest. It is visited for its picnic spots, zoo and garden.
* Chanchala Mai Mandir
* Jit Gadhi
Marchwari Devi Temple lies in Bogadi VDC of Rupandehi. It is a historical temple among the 24 previous VDC. The area surrounding this temple (now 18 VDCs) are named after this temple as Marchwar. The local people and peoples from INDIA, Uttar Pradesh visit there on specific occasions to celebrate childbirth, engagement and marriage ceremonies.

### Chappiya Fish village

Chappiya fish village resort has become an attraction in siyari municipality and has peoples visiting from many neighbouring municipalities. It provides various species of fish and mouth watering cuisines, and have the option of boating and fishing. It is located in Siyari Gaupalika which is about 12 kilometer west of Bhairahawa.

### Pardasani mela

It is one of the most popular mela held annually in butwal. It is related to business.

## Major economic centers

* Butwal
* Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa)
* Dhakdhai (industrial area)
* Lumbini (world Heritage Area, as tourism)
* Devdaha (miroduct area)
* Sainamaina (Murgiya for sports and tourism)
* Murgiya
* Manigram
* Chho.gen Never (grain products area)
* Kothihawa
* Lumbini
* Saljhandi
* Sauraha Pharsatikar
* Bhalwari
* Manglapur
* Bashgadi
* Jogada
* Divertole
* Sankarnagar
* Jogikuti
* Thutipipal
* semlar
* marchawar
* Chhapiya
* SEMARI (industrial area)

## Health

Rupandehi is home to Lumbini Provincial Hospital, one of the oldest hospitals in this region, which is considered a crucial resource for healthcare to poor citizens who cannot afford private hospitals. Originally established by Chandra Sumsher, the present hospital came in operation in 2020 BS (1963-1964) with 50 beds.
In 2020, the Tinau International Hospital was inaugurated in the heart of Butwal in Sukkhanagar, Rupandehi. The hospital is led by orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Rajendra Sanjel Chhetri, Chairman of Nepal Orthopedic Association Lumbini, and is known for its high quality care and services. Patients from far-western regions and hilly regions to the north including Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi come to seek specialized care at different hospitals in the Butwal, which is known as a health hub in Rupandehi.

## Education

Rupandehi is renowned at national level on education sector for its infrastructure and achievements. Jilla Shikshya Karyalaya, Rupandehi (District Education Office, Rupandehi) under Ministry of Education manages and govern the education in the district. Currently, it manages 745 educational institutions in the district. As per National Census 2011, the literacy rate of the district is 72%, where male literacy rate is 89% and female literacy rate is 62%. The literacy rate is above the national average.

## Transportation

Siddhartha Highway and Mahendra Highway connects Rupandehi with rest of the country. Gautam Buddha Airport connects Rupandehi with the rest of the country. It is the only airport in Lumbini. Currently it is being upgraded to make it an international airport. The late Prime Minister Sushil Koirala laid a foundations stone of the airport on January 15. It is expected to be completed by 2018 with an estimated budget of Rs 6.22 billion. North-West Civil Aviation Airport Construction Company of China is responsible for the construction of the airport.
West Nepal Bus Entrepreneurs' Association established in 2026 with the approval of District Administration Office is the major provider of transportation services for Rupandehi and the whole country.

## Sports

Cricket and football are the most popular sports in Rupandehi. Players in Rupandehi compete in domestic cricket tournaments as Region No. 4 Bhairahawa. Shakti Gauchan and Basanta Regmi are leading cricketers from Rupandehi who regularly play for the national team. Rupandehi XI represents Rupandehi in domestic football tournaments. Dipak Chhetri, Pukar Gahatraj, and Pradip Karki are notable footballer from Rupandehi.

## Non-profit organisations

* Center for Development and Disaster management (CDM-Nepal)
* NAMUNA Integrated Development Council (NAMUNA)
* Tarai Dalit Concern centre Nepal TDCC Nepal
* FSC Rupandehi
* Samriddhi Foundation
* Ma Bhagawiti Anurag Jagarn Samooh
* Astha Samuha
* Brahmakumaris organization
* Biodiversity Conservancy Nepal
* Lilaram Kuntidevi Neupane Foundation
* Namaste Kids Nepal
* Seto Gurans Child Development Service Rupandehi
* Nepal Bikash Kendra Butwal -11,Rupandehi (Nepal Development Center)