The Araniko Highway () connects
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
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with Kodari, northeast of the
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...
, on the
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 ma ...
-
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
border. It is among the most dangerous of highways in Nepal due to extremely steep slopes on each side of the road from
Barabise onwards; massive
landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environmen ...
s and bus plunges are not uncommon, especially after rains. At the
Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge, it connects with
China National Highway 318 to
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhasa ...
, and eventually to
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
.
History
The road was built in the 1960s with help from the Chinese on an older yak track.
They also planned to expand the road in 2012, but keeping the route open was made more difficult by landslides from monsoons.
The road became a conduit for a large amount of trade between China and Nepal, and also for some trade between India and China when it is open.
Etymology
The highway is named after
Arniko
Aniko, Anige or Araniko ( ne, अरनिको, zh, 阿尼哥; 1245–1306) was one of the key figures in the arts of Nepal and Yuan dynasty of China, and the artistic exchanges in these areas. He was born in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, durin ...
, a 13th-century Nepalese architect who introduced Nepalese architectural styles to
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. It is said that he walked all the way from Tibet to China by the route which is now named after him.
Route
Dhulikhel, about from Kathmandu and at an altitude of , is the last major town in the Kathmandu Valley through which the Araniko Highway passes.
[ After Dhulikhel the road descends into the beautiful Panchkhal Valley. A road junction at Lamidanda, around 12 km from Dhulikhel, leads to Palanchowk where ]Palanchok Bhagawati Temple
Palanchowk Bhagwati Temple is 7 km north of the mountain of Panchkhal, 15 km of Dhulikhel on the Arniko Highway and, 42 km from Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdi ...
is situated. About five minutes' drive beyond the town of Panchkhal a dirt road takes off to the left, giving access to the Helambu
Helambu is a region of highland villages in Nepal, about 80 km from Kathmandu. It is the home of the Hyolmo people. The word Hyolmo derives from the word Helambu. The Helambu region begins at the Lauribina La pass and descends to the Me ...
region. About 8 km later the highway touches Dolaghat
Dolalghat is a village development committee in Kabhrepalanchok District in Bagmati Province of central Nepal.
Demographics
At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 1,714 and had 323 houses in it.
Transport
It is linked by A ...
, a thriving town at the confluence of the Indravati and the Sun Kosi rivers and the departure point for many rafting trips. The turn-off to Jiri
Jiri ( ne, जिरी) is a municipality in Dolakha District in the Bagmati Province of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 13,638 people..
Jiri, which lies about 190 kilometers from Kathmandu, is the ma ...
is another 14 km away, on the right. Lamosangu is a few kilometres after the Jiri turn-off, on the Arniko Highway. Next comes Barabise, the final destination for many buses from Kathmandu. Just before Barabise is the confluence of the Bhote Kosi and Sun Kosi rivers. The remaining part to the Nepal border village of Kodari the road runs alongside the Sun Kosi[ with extremely steep Himalayan mountainsides that are very prone to landslides during and immediately after rains (including the ]monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
). Beyond Kodari is the border town of Zhangmu in Tibet.
File:Zangmu frontiere.JPG, Friendship bridge between Zhangmu and Kodari
File:NEPAL Route 2.JPG, Arniko Highway in Kodari after border with China
File:NEPAL Phulping Bridge 02.JPG, Araniko Highway: pulping bridge, just after border with China
File:Kodari highway.JPG, Araniko Highway in Kodari (Népal) just after border with Chin
File:NEPAL Last-Resort 001.JPG, Koadri (Népal), last resort bridge on la Bothe-Kosi river
Araniko Highway-42-Mittagsrast in Tatopani-2014-gje.jpg, Tatopani spa
Araniko Highway-38-Kontrollpunkt-LKW-2014-gje.jpg, Checkpoint
File:Dolaighat bridge.JPG, Dolaghbat on Bothé-Kosi river
File:6 Lane Araniko Highway as seen from Madhyapur, Thimi.jpg, Araniko Highway as seen from Madhyapur, Thimi
Significance
The Aarniko Rajmarg provides Nepal's overland link with China. However, it is of limited use as an alternative route for transport of goods, as it is cheaper to ship Chinese goods via Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
than to truck them through China's Tibet region.[ This situation is subject to change with major investment in road and rail on the Tibetan side.
]
Closures
The route was closed by the April 2015 earthquakes, but was re-opened in early August 2015.[ ] The route sustained heavy damage because of landslides triggered by the earthquake.
In 2014 the highway was closed after landslides, but re-opened in September 2014. The landslide shut the route to Kathmandu for 46 days until a new alternate route could be built for Rs. 15.5 million. The landslides that closed it the summer of 2014 were called the Sunkoshi landslides, and the section of the highway near the Tibet border is especially prone to landslides.
See also
* Friendship Highway (Tibet) There are several highways sometimes known as Friendship highways. Note that the "friendship" name may not in all cases necessarily be the current official name or common name.
* China-Laos Friendship Highway, 1963 (Chinese 中老友谊公路)
* Chi ...
References
External links
Nepal Highways
Department of Roads
{{Kosi basin
Roads in Nepal
Sites along the Silk Road
1960s establishments in Nepal