Gorkha District

Gorkha District (Nepali: गोरखा जिल्ला Listen ), a part of Gandaki Pradesh, is one of the seventy-Seven districts of Nepal and connected historically with the creation of the modern Nepal and the name of the legendary Gurkha soldiers. The district, with Gorkha Municipality (previously known as Prithivi Narayan Nagarpalika) as its district headquarters, covers an area of 3,610 km2 (1,390 sq mi) and has a population of 271,061 according to the 2011 Census of Nepal.[1] It is the location of the Manakamana Temple.[2] Also, the temples of great sage Gorakh Nath and goddess Gorakh Kali temple is located in district, after which the district got its name. Four major rivers run within and along it - the Chepe, Daraudi, Marsyangdi, and Budhi Gandaki.

For other uses, see Gurkha (disambiguation).
For special article on Ancient Nepalese kingdom, see Gorkha Kingdom.
Gorkha District

गोरखा
District
Location of Gorkha (dark yellow) in Gandaki Pradesh
Country   Nepal
ProvinceGandaki Pradesh
Established12th century
Government
 • TypeCoordination committee
 • BodyDCC, Gorkha
Area
 • Total3,610 km2 (1,390 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total272,169
 • Density75/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:45 (NPT)
Telephone Code064
Main Language(s)Nepali, Ghale, Gurung, Magar, Newari

Origin

There are three major legends associated with naming of "Gorkha".

  • In Nepali,‘ Kharka’ means ‘Grass Land’. This land was believed to be like meadow in Ancient period. Thus it was named Kharka and later the term Kharka got modified to Garkha and Garkha changed to Gorkha.
  • In Sanskrit Scripture, ‘Gorakshaa’ means the protection of cow. Since Nepal is a country where killing a Cow is considered unholy and a very serious crime, the land was named Goraksha and later it became Gorkha.
  • Myth holds that a Saint named Gorakhnath appeared for the first in Nepal in Gorkha. There is still a cave with his paduka (feet) and idol of him in this place which supports the myth. Thus since the city was established in the place where Sage Gorakhnath appeared, it was named ‘Gorkha’.

Places to visit
  • River Daraundi Club masel.
  • Manakamana Temple: The Manakamana Temple situated in the Gorkha district of Nepal is the sacred place of the Hindu Goddess Bhagwati, an incarnation of Parvati. The name Manakamana originates from two words, "mana" meaning heart and "kamana" meaning wish. Venerated since the 17th century, it is believed that Goddess Bhagawati grants the wishes of all those who make the pilgrimage to her shrine to worship her.
    Cable Car connecting Kurintaar to Manakamana temple
  • Gorakhnath: It lies ten meters down the southern side of Gorkha Palace which is visited with great devotion by Brahmans and Chhetris considering it to be the holy pilgrimage Site. Great fare is organized each year on the day of Baisakh Purnima(the full moon Day of Baisakh) in Gorakhnath Cave.
  • Gorakhkali Temple: This Temple is located at the west side of the Gorkha Palace.
  • Chepe, Daraudi, Marsyangdi and Budhi Gandaki.
  • Gorkha Kingdom:
    Prithvi Narayan Shah, last King of Gorkha Kingdom and first one of Kingdom of Nepal
    About 1700 steps leads you to the top of the hill at an altitude of 3281 ft. where Newar fashioned Gorkha Palace stands firm along with forts and temple boasting on its rich History. It is at 40–50 minutes of Walking Distance far from Gorkha Bazaar. One can view Manaslu(the 8th Highest Mountain of the World), Dhaulagiri and Ganesh Mountains from the Palace Complex.
  • Manaslu:
    Manaslu at sunrise
    Eighth highest mountain in the world
  • Ligligkot and Lakhan Thapa Gaon are popular places in Gorkha for Hiking, Liglig has an interesting history.
  • Dhike Dada is a new attraction for public from Gorkha,Tanahun and Lamjung.

Geography and climate
Climate Zone[3] Elevation Range % of Area
Lower Tropical below 300 meters (1,000 ft) 0.1%
Upper Tropical 300 to 1,000 meters
1,000 to 3,300 ft.		 19.8%
Subtropical 1,000 to 2,000 meters
3,300 to 6,600 ft.		 14.6%
Temperate 2,000 to 3,000 meters
6,400 to 9,800 ft.		 13.3%
Subalpine 3,000 to 4,000 meters
9,800 to 13,100 ft.		 14.9%
Alpine 4,000 to 5,000 meters
13,100 to 16,400 ft.		 10.6%
Nival above 5,000 meters 11.5%
Trans-Himalayan[4]

[5]

 3,000 to 6,400 meters
9,800 to 21,000 ft.		 14.8%

Transport

Gorkha town has daily bus services to and from Kathmandu (six hours) and Pokhara (three hours).[6]

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Gorkha District had a population of 271,061. Of these, 72.9% spoke Nepali, 13.3% Gurung, 4.7% Magar, 3.9% Tamang, 1.1% Ghale, 0.9% Urdu, 0.7% Newari, 0.6% Kumal, 0.6% Chepang, and 0.5% Bajjika as their first language. Chhetri are largest indigenous group in this region.

24.7% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 0.8% Gurung and 0.5% Magar as their second language.[7]

Health care
Surgeons in Amppipal

Following is the data obtained from the PHASE Nepal website:

  • Central/regional/zonal hospitals: 0
  • District hospitals: 2
  • Primary healthcare centres: 3
  • Health posts: 10
  • Sub-health post: 55
  • Number of doctors: 8

A district hospital is in Gorkha, the municipal hospital in Amppipal is supported by a German NGO.

The small health centers in many village development committees (VDCs) are without Auxiliary Health Workers (AHWs), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Community Health Workers (CHWs). So, people seeking emergency health assistance have to travel a long distance to the district headquarters or Kathmandu or end up dying because of lack of treatment. Many people still believe in Dhami and Jhakri and are against taking medicine or going to the hospital for the treatment. An NGO, PHASE Nepal provides many health care facilities and training programs to three VDCs: Sirdibas, Bihi/Prok and Chumchet. Many people residing in these VDCs have benefited from the program.[8]

Educational status
Gorkha students after earthquake

As per the National Population and Housing Census of Nepal 2011, the literacy rate of Gorkha is 66.34%. The female literacy rate is 59.44% and the male literacy rate is 75.09%.

  • Drabya Saha Multiple Campus, Gorkha Muniplicity-8, Laxmi Bazar
  • Gorkha Campus, Gorkha Muniplicity, Gorkha
  • Bhawani Multiple Campus, Palungtar, Gorkha
  • Dullav Campus, Masel, Ghyampesal, Gorkha
  • Paropakar Adarsha Multiple Campus, Jaubari, Gorkha
  • Bheemodaya Multiple Campus, Aarughat, Gorkha

Administration

The district consists of 11 Municipalities, out of which two are urban municipalities and nine are rural municipalities. These are as follows:[9]

Former Village Development Committees

Prior to the restructuring of the district, Gorkha District consisted of the following municipalities and Village development committees:

Gorkha district with VDCs

Mountains
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References
  1. "National Population and Housing Census 2011(National Report)" (PDF). Central Bureau of Statistics. Government of Nepal. November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-18. Retrieved November 2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. "Dakshinkali and Manakamana temple". enepalholidays.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  3. The Map of Potential Vegetation of Nepal - a forestry/agroecological/biodiversity classification system (PDF), Forest & Landscape Development and Environment Series 2-2005 and CFC-TIS Document Series No.110., 2005, ISBN 87-7903-210-9, retrieved Nov 22, 2013
  4. Shrestha, Mani R.; Rokaya, Maan B.; Ghimire, Suresh K. (2005). "Vegetation pattern of Trans-Himalayan zone in the North-West Nepal". Nepal Journal of Plant Sciences. 1: 129–135. Retrieved Feb 7, 2014.
  5. Banerji, Gargi; Basu, Sejuti. "Climate Change and Himalayan Cold Deserts: Mapping vulnerability and threat to ecology and indigenous livelihoods" (PDF). Pragya. Gurgaon, Haryana, India. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  6. http://www.tourismkathmandu.com/things_to_do/kathmandu_and_surrounds/details/gorkha
  7. 2011 Nepal Census, Social Characteristics Tables
  8. "Project Area: Gorkha". PHASE Nepal.
  9. "स्थानिय तह" (in Nepali). Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

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