Banepa ( ne, बनेपा) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
and historical town in a valley situated at about above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
in central
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
which is at about east from
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
. At the time of the 2011 Nepal
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
, it has a
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 55,528. The main attraction of Banepa is the temple of
Chandeshwori, located approximately northeast of the town along the
Rudramati River. The
Dhaneshwor Temple
Dhaneshwor Temple ( ne, धनेश्वर मन्दिर) is 1 km south of the town Banepa. This is a temple of Shiva.
References
External links
KMC plan goes up in smoke
Hindu temples in Bagmati Province
Buildings and st ...
is 1km south of the town. Banepa is also known for its eight different temples of Lord
Ganesh
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
, Narayanthan (the temple of Lord
Narayan), Bhimshenthan (the temple of Lord Bhimshen) and eight different ponds.
History
Some of the ancient names of Banepa were Banepur, Baniyapur, Banipur. As it had trade relationship with Tibet from ancient period, Banepa is also known as "Bhont", "Bhonta", "Bhon dey (भोंदेय्)". Banepa is the combination of two words i.e. "Bane" means '
Business' and "Pa" means 'Place'. Therefore, "Banepa" means 'Place of Business'.
It is believed that when entire Kathmandu Valley was covered with lake, there was a settlement in ''Banepa''.
By early Lichchavi period (5th-8th century), settlements existed at Sanga (Sangagrama), Banepa (Ninaapa), Nala, Panauti, Khopasi, Palanchowk, Dumja and probably Dolakha, Lele (Lembatidrangga), Chitlang valley and even up to Gorkha. (Slusser, 1982).
Thakuri period (879 – 1200 A.D.) : Bhaktapur and Banepa was the core political area.
Malla Period (1200–1769 A.D.) : King Anandedeva Malla united the scattered villages and made modern Banepa surrounded by eight gates with a Ganesh (the elephant-headed god of good omen) at each of the gates in eight different directions in Kaligat Year 4197 (around 1153 B.S.). He also built a temple of
Chandeshwori and arranged a trust fund for the goddess.
After having had the favours and directions of goddess
Chandeshwori, King Anandadeva
Malla
Malla may refer to: Places
;Bolivia
*Malla, Bolivia, a locality
* Malla Jawira, a river
* Malla Jaqhi, a mountain
* Malla Municipality
* Malla Qullu, a mountain
;India
* Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu
*Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the s ...
founded seven villages (सात गाँउ), viz,
* Banepa near
Chandeshwori Pitha
*
Shreekhandapur near
Dhaneshwor
*
Panauti
Panauti ( ne, पनौती) is a municipality in Kavrepalanchok District in Bagmati Province of Nepal located 32 km Southeast of the capital Kathmandu. The town is currently listed as a UNESCO tentative site since 1996.
Origin
Panauti i ...
near Prayaga Tirtha of Nepal
*
Nala near Nala
Bhagawati
Bhagavatī (Devanagari: भगवती, IAST: Bhagavatī), is a Hindu epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for female deities in Hinduism. It is primarily used to address one of the Tridevi: Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. ...
*
Dhulikhel
Dhulikhel is a municipality in Kavrepalanchok District of Nepal. Two major highway B.P. Highway and Arniko Highway passes through Dhulikhel. Araniko Highway connects Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city with Tibet's border town of Kodari. Dhulikhel ...
near
Narayana
Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...
* Chaukot near the resident of Chaukora Rishi
*
Sanga, near Nasika Pitha.
Old town
The old
Newa: town is located at the central part of the city. It is surrounded by 8 ganesh temples with 8 adjacent ponds and Phalchaa (फल्चा).
The name of the Ganesh temples are:
*Tukampwo (तुकम्प्वो) Ganesh at South (Temple of Tukampwo Ganesh was established first of all other Ganesh Temple by King Anandadeva Malla after forming new Kingdom of Banepa. It is also the major temple of Banepa.)
*Kobha (कोभः) Ganesh at Southeast
*Waku (वकु) Ganesh at East
*Thachhu (थाछु) Ganesh at North
*Kanthu (कांथु) Ganesh at Northeast
*Kwonla (क्वोंला) Ganesh at Southwest
*Talapukhu (तलाःपुखु) Ganesh at West
*Jyasanani (ज्यासःननी) Ganesh at Northwest
These Ganesh temples are said to be the boundaries of old Banepa. The main temple of Banepa city was Chandeswori Temple along the Rudramati River.
Along with this, King Ananda Dev Malla also built wells and taps for providing the people of Banepa with the good source of water. But many of those ponds have been used for public uses and some 'Phalchaa' do not have any existence today.
Festivals
A lot of festivals are celebrated in Banepa as follows:
#
Chandeshwori Jatra from
Baisakh Purnima
Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival ...
to next two days.
#
Kanya Pooja (worshipping of the young girls) during
Gunla
Gunlā (Nepal Bhasa: गुंला) (also spelt Gumlā) is the tenth month in the Nepal Sambat lunar calendar, the national lunar calendar of Nepal. It corresponds to August of the Gregorian Calendar.
Gunla is a holy month for Newar Buddhists ...
,
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
Janmasthami
#
Nawadurga Jatra
#
Ganesh
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
Jatra during
Vijaya Dashami
Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...
#
भीमसेन जात्रा Bhimsen Jatra
# Jaaludyo Jatra (जालुद्याे जात्रा) on the day of Ashwin Krishna Pratipada, the next day of
Indra Jatra
Indra Jātrā, also known as Yenyā (Nepal Bhasa: येँयाः), is the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. The celebrations consist of two events, Indra Jātrā and Kumāri Jātrā. Indra Jātrā is marked by masked danc ...
.
# Naradevi Shvetkali Naach (नरदेवी श्वेतकाली नाच, once in twelve years. It was re-continued after about after 38 years.
#Krishna Janmasthami
Forgotten Festivals of Banepa
Above mentioned festivals are still in practice. But there were many other besides these which had been discontinued due to various reasons. Some of those festivals are listed as follows:
* Kumari Nritya (कुमारी नृत्य) had been discontinued about 108 years ago.
* Jatras of Tukwampo Ganesh
*Narayan and Bhimsen; Bokakhah Jatra(बाेकखः जात्रा) on Axaya Tritiya (अक्षयतृतीया), Karunamaya Jatra were also had been discontinued about 103 years ago. Many other festivals were also discontinued which were forgotten.
Present situation
Punyamata River, which was the major source of drinking water, irrigation and many other activities, is being polluted day by day. The bank of Punyamata River has been a place where solid wastage has been disposed. The sewage has been connected directly to the river without any treatment and in an unmanaged way has adversely affected the river water. Waste materials produced from local industry have turned the river water black. The surrounding countryside is also being polluted.
Although Banepa is a small place of an area of , it has got the population density of . Due to the connection of Banepa with other places through roadways, about 300 buses, minibuses, cars, trucks, motorcycles altogether are helping in the transportation in a day. Along with this, the gases emitted from those vehicles have polluted the environment of Banepa.
In the boundary of three municipalities of
Kavrepalanchowk District
Kavrepalanchok District ( ne, काभ्रेपलाञ्चोक जिल्ला; ) is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhulikhel as its district headquarters, covers an area of . It is a part of Bagmati Provinc ...
, namely; Banepa,
Dhulikhel
Dhulikhel is a municipality in Kavrepalanchok District of Nepal. Two major highway B.P. Highway and Arniko Highway passes through Dhulikhel. Araniko Highway connects Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city with Tibet's border town of Kodari. Dhulikhel ...
and
Panauti
Panauti ( ne, पनौती) is a municipality in Kavrepalanchok District in Bagmati Province of Nepal located 32 km Southeast of the capital Kathmandu. The town is currently listed as a UNESCO tentative site since 1996.
Origin
Panauti i ...
, the country's only IT Park is being constructed. All the three cities have been declared as the 'Cyber City'.
Healthcare
Banepa has a
Seventh-day Adventist
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
hospital called Scheer Memorial Hospital, which was established in 1957.
This hospital has been expanded as a medical college associated with Vanderbilt University in the US and
Kathmandu University
Kathmandu University (KU) ( ne, काठमाण्डौ विश्वविद्यालय) is a public autonomous university in Nepal. It is the third oldest university in Nepal, located in Dhulikhel of Kavrepalanchok District, about ...
. Many students enroll in the B.Sc. Nursing programs at this hospital. Banepa is also the location of the
Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children and
Reiyukai Eiko Masunaga Eye Hospital.
Transportation
Banepa is a major trade route to Tibet, with the
Arniko Rajmarg
The Araniko Highway () connects Kathmandu with Kodari, northeast of the Kathmandu Valley, on the Nepal-China border. It is among the most dangerous of highways in Nepal due to extremely steep slopes on each side of the road from Barabise onwa ...
, the only highway that connects Nepal and China (Tibet), running through this town. Furthermore,
B.P. Koirala Highway also passes through Banepa. Though it is a small town, but it is well devolved and Banepa is the major economic center east of Kathmandu.
Media
To promote local culture, Banepa has two
FM radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
stations:
Radio ABC, which is a
Community Radio Station
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...
and
Prime Fm. This area also has a
Television Channel
A television channel is a terrestrial frequency or virtual number over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the terrestrial or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with ...
named as
Araniko Television.
Education
Schools in Banepa include
Spring Hill English Boarding School,
Himalaya Secondary School, Banepa Valley School (currently known as
Baylor International Academy),
Vidhya Sagar Secondary School, Bagmati English Boarding School,
Rambhakta Memorial School and
Kshitij English Boarding School,
Bal Batika Vidya Mandir Secondary School.And most famous school in Sanga, Banepa i
Nepal Police School.
Gallery
Image:Pond banepa karuna marga.jpg, Pond of Talapukhu Ganesh Temple
Image:Pond banepa chandani chowk.JPG, Pond of Kobha Ganesh Temple
Image:Bhairab painting of Chandeswori temple.jpg, Bhairab painting of Chandeswori temple, one of the major attraction of Banepa
Image:Narayan than banepa bhot marga.JPG, Narayanthan of Banepa, believed to be established during the reign of King Ranajit Malla
Ranajita Malla (Nepal bhasa: ) (Devanagari: रणजीत मल्ल) was a Malla Dynasty King of Bhaktapur, Nepal from 1722 to 1769. He was the last Malla king of Bhaktapur and of Nepal who left for Kashi after his defeat by the Gorkhal ...
Image:Chandeshwori Temple, Banepa, Nepal.jpg, Entrance Gate of Chandeshwori Temple
Image:Wood carved roof decoration on the Chandeshwari Temple..jpg, Wood carved roof decoration on the Chandeshwari Temple.
Image:Malla king and queen doing Namaste (the ritual greeting) in front of the Chandeshwari Temple..jpg, Malla king and queen doing Namaste
''Namaste'' (, Devanagari: नमस्ते), sometimes called ''namaskar'' and ''namaskaram'', is a customary Hindu non-contact manner of respectfully greeting and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day. It is found on the In ...
(the ritual greeting) in front of the Chandeshwari Temple.
Image:Dhaneshwor Temple.jpg, Dhaneshwor Temple
References
External links
{{Kavrepalanchok District
Populated places in Kavrepalanchok District
Newar
Municipalities in Bagmati Province
Nepal municipalities established in 1982