Arghakhanchi ( ne,
अर्घाखाँची जिल्ला ) is one of the districts of
Lumbini Province
Lumbini Province ( ne, लुम्बिनी प्रदेश, Lumbinī pradēśa) is a province in western Nepal. It borders Gandaki Province and Karnali Province to the north, Sudurpashchim Province to the west, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar o ...
in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. The district headquarter is
Sandhikharka
Sandhikharka Municipality ( ne, सन्धिखर्क नगरपालिका) is the headquarter of Arghakhanchi District which lies in Lumbini Province of Nepal. The former village development committee (VDC) was converted into a munic ...
. The district covers an area of and has a population (2011) of 197,632.
Its neighboring districts are
Palpa in the east,
Gulmi
Gulmi District ( ne, :ne:गुल्मी जिल्ला, गुल्मी जिल्ला), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Tamghas as its headquarters, covers an area of ...
in the north,
Kapilvastu District
Kapilvastu district ( ne, कपिलवस्तु जिल्ला ), often Kapilbastu, is one of the districts of Lumbini Province, Nepal. The district, with Kapilbastu municipality as its district headquarters, covers an area of and in ...
in the south and
Pyuthan
Pyuthan (also known as Pyuthan Khalanga) is a municipality in the Pyuthan District in the Lumbini Province of Nepal. It is also the District Headquarter and the administrative center of district. The municipality was established on 18 May 2014 by m ...
in the west.
History
The district consists of two pre-unification principalities
Argha
Argha is a Market Center in Sandhikharka Municipality of Arghakhanchi District in Lumbini Province of southern Nepal. Its fort (''kot'') was the centre of a former Chaubisi kingdom, Argha rajya, which was annexed to Nepal in 1786. The former v ...
and
Khanchi
Before the unification of Nepal, Khanchi was one of the 24 principalities in the Gandaki River Basin.
Khanchi, established by Raja Hang Vir Singh in Saka era 1357 (AD 1435), was one of three Meghasi Kingdoms; the others were Argha, founded by Ra ...
.
Argha
Argha is a Market Center in Sandhikharka Municipality of Arghakhanchi District in Lumbini Province of southern Nepal. Its fort (''kot'') was the centre of a former Chaubisi kingdom, Argha rajya, which was annexed to Nepal in 1786. The former v ...
(Nepali:अर्घा) was the name given to ritual offerings made at the former principality's main Bhagwati Temple.
Khanchi
Before the unification of Nepal, Khanchi was one of the 24 principalities in the Gandaki River Basin.
Khanchi, established by Raja Hang Vir Singh in Saka era 1357 (AD 1435), was one of three Meghasi Kingdoms; the others were Argha, founded by Ra ...
may come from the word Khajanchi (Nepali:खजाञ्चि) or tax collector since the center of the latter principality was known for its tax office. Both were two of the
Chaubisi rajya (24 principalities) centred in the
Gandaki Basin. In 1786 A.D. (1843 BS) during the unification of Nepal the two were annexed by
Gorkha
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...
. Later the merger was renamed “Arghakhanchi” and added to
Gulmi District
Gulmi District ( ne, गुल्मी जिल्ला), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Tamghas as its headquarters, covers an area of , had a population of 296,654 in 2001, 2 ...
. Arghakhanchi became a separate district in 1961 A.D. (2018 BS).
[
]
Demographics
In 2001, the population was 208,391. In 1991, the population was 180,884.[
At the time of the ]2011 Nepal census
Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with the 58 municipalities and the 3915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the municipalities an ...
, Arghakhanchi District had a population of 197,632. Of these, 97.43% spoke Nepali and 1.35% Magar as their first language.[2011 Nepal Census, Social Characteristics Tables](_blank)
/ref>
According to the 2011 census the total population was 197,632. Of these 86,266 were male and 111,366 are female. The total number of households was 46,835 and the average household size 4.22 on the basis of usual place of residence. The sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) was 77.5 and population density was 166. Hinduism is the predominant religion (97.0%) while Buddhists (1.9%) and Muslims (0.9%) are the second and third-largest religions respectively.
Khas Arya is the largest group of ethnicities, with Bahun
Bahun ( ne, बाहुन) or Khas Brahmin ( ne, खस ब्राह्मण) is a caste ( ''Varna'') among Khas people of Nepal. Their origins are from the Indo-Aryan Khasa tribe of Nepal and South Asia. According to the 2011 Nepa ...
s being the most populous group at 32.8% of the population and Chhetri
Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ne, क्षेत्री ; IAST: ''Kṣetrī'') historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali speakers of Khas community, some of whom trace their origin to migration fro ...
s at 18.2%. Magars
The Magar, also spelled as Mangar, and Mongar, are the third largest ethnolinguistic groups of Nepal, indigenous to Western Nepal and representing 7.1% of Nepal's total population according to the 2011 Nepal census.
The original home of the Magar ...
are at 18.1%. Khas Dalit is the third-largest group with Kamis
Kamis S.A. is a Polish manufacturer of spices, Mustard (condiment), mustard, ketchup, breading, marinades, vinegar, salt, tea. Most of the products are sold under the brand names Kamis or Galeo, Tea - under the brand name Irving Tea.
The company w ...
at 11.3%, Sarki 6.1% and Damai
Damai ( ne, दमाइँ) is an occupational caste found among Khas people. They comprise 45 subgroups. Their surnames take after the subgroup they belong to. People belonging to this caste are traditionally tailors and musicians. They are ade ...
at 3.2%. Other non-Magar Janajatis are Kumal at 3.4% and Newar
Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...
at 2.8% of the population.
Geography and climate
Arghakhanchi lies between 27'45"N and 28'6"N latitude, and 80'45"E to 83'23"E longitude. It covers 1,193 km. The altitude of the district varies from 305 to 2515 meter above the sea level. 68% of the district is in the mountainous Mahabharat Range
The Lower Himalayan Range ( ne, पर्वत शृङ्खला parbat shrinkhalā) – also called the Middle Himalayas or Lesser Himalayas or Himachal – is a major east–west mountain range with elevations 3,700 to 4,500 m (12,000 to ...
and the rest is in the Siwalik Hills
The Sivalik Hills, also known as the Shivalik Hills and Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas that stretches over about from the Indus River eastwards close to the Brahmaputra River, spanning the northern parts of the India ...
. Elevations range from 305 to 2575 m above sea level and about 40% of the total area is forested.
The major rivers of the district are Bangi Khola, Bangsari Khola, Mathurabesi Khola, Banganga Khola, Durga Khola, Sita Khola, Khakabesi Khola, Rangsing Khola, Ratne Khola, Jhimruk Khola, Khankbesi Khola and Thada Khola. Thada lake and Sengleng lake are the major lakes of the district.
Administration
The district consists of six municipalities, out of which three are urban municipalities
* Sandhikharka Municipality
* Sitganga Municipality
* Bhumikasthan Municipality
* Chhatradev Rural Municipality
*Panini Rural Municipality
Panini is a Rural municipality located within the Arghakhanchi District of the Lumbini Province of Nepal.
The municipality spans of area, with a total population of 23,424 according to a 2011 Nepal census.
On March 10, 2017, the Government of N ...
*Malarani Rural Municipality
Malarani is a Rural municipality located within the Arghakhanchi District of the Lumbini Province of Nepal.
The rural municipality spans of area, with a total population of 28,044 according to a 2011 Nepal census.
On March 10, 2017, the Govern ...
Towns and villages
The major town in the district is Sandhikharka
Sandhikharka Municipality ( ne, सन्धिखर्क नगरपालिका) is the headquarter of Arghakhanchi District which lies in Lumbini Province of Nepal. The former village development committee (VDC) was converted into a munic ...
which is the headquarter of Arghakhanchi district. It is almost southwest of Nepal's capital of Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
.
There are many small villages in the district, including Mareng, Bhagawati, Asurkot
Asurkot is a village in Arghakhanchi District in Lumbini Province of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, the village had a population of 2500 living in 434 houses. At the time of the 2001 Nepal census The 2001 Nepal census ( ne, ...
, Chhatradev Arghakhanchi, Chhatragunj Arghakhanchi Lamchi, Balkot, Bangi Bangi may refer to:
*Bangi (surname), an Indian surname
* Bangi, Afghanistan
* Bangi, Iran (disambiguation)
*Bangi, Nepal
*Bangi, Malaysia
** Bangi Komuter station, Malaysia
* Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia
* Bangi (federal constituency)
Bangi is a fe ...
, Dharapani, Sandhikharka
Sandhikharka Municipality ( ne, सन्धिखर्क नगरपालिका) is the headquarter of Arghakhanchi District which lies in Lumbini Province of Nepal. The former village development committee (VDC) was converted into a munic ...
Dhikura, Dibharna
Dibharna is a market center in Sandhikharka Municipality of Arghakhanchi District in the Lumbini Zone of Western Nepal. The former village development committee (VDC) was converted into a municipality on 18 May 2014 by merging the existing Sandhi ...
, Khanchikot
Khanchikot is a market center in Sandhikharka Municipality of Arghakhanchi District. The district lies in the Lumbini Zone of Western Nepal. The former village development committee (VDC) was converted into municipality on 18 May 2014 by merging ...
, Kimadada, Kura, Phudbang, Bangla, Adguri, Khana Khana may refer to:
* Khana language
Places
* Khana, Arghakhanchi, a village in Arghakhanchi district, Nepal
*Khana, Nigeria, a Local Government Area in Rivers State
*Khana Junction in Bardhaman district, West Bengal, India
*Kingdom of Khana in Ba ...
, Khanadaha, Pali, and Dhatiwang.
Hatari Neta is a government school in Arghakhanchi. They are said to have good facilities in terms of roads, electric power, education, etc. Villages in the west and south part of the district have relatively little development as compared to the villages of the north and east side. Sano Gaun is the most popular place for visit. Lamchi is another popular village in Arghakhanchi.
Deurali temple is in the area and so are Supa Deurali, Argha Mandir and other temples.
References
External links
*
Arghakhanchi.com news portal
{{Authority control
Districts of Nepal established in 1962