Banbasa ( Kumaoni: बनबसा) is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

Champawat district Champawat district is a district of Uttarakhand state in northern India. The town of Champawat is the administrative headquarters. The district of Champawat constituted in the year 1997. The district is divided into five tehsils: Barakot, Lohag ...

in the state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

most famous for its border crossing into Nepal from India. The major occupation is Retail Stores.

Demographics

India

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 inc ...

, Banbasa had a population of 7,990, up from 7,138 in 2001. The

human sex ratio In anthropology and demography, the human sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. Like most sexual species, the sex ratio in humans is close to 1:1. In humans, the natural ratio at birth between males and females is sligh ...

of Banbasa is 887, with 52% of the population being Male and other 48% female. Children constitute 12.22% of total population of Banbasa. The

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of Banbasa is 77.19%. The Buksas and Tharus are the native inhabititants of the region. It is located 10 km away from

Tanakpur Tanakpur (Kumaoni: टनकपुर) is a city and a municipal board in Champawat district of Uttarakhand state of India. Located in the plains area in the northern part of India. The town is the gateway for Purnagiri Temple (around 24 ...

. Banbasa is known for the Banbasa Barrage and Dam across the

Sharda river The Sharda River, also called Kali River and Mahakali River, originates at Kalapani in the Himalayas at an elevation of in the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, India. It flows along Nepal's western border with India and has a basin area ...

, its canal and what many consider the launching point for the trip up into the mountains on the Holy Purnagiri Pilgrimage. The place abounds in sugarcane, paddy, wheat, mango orchards etc. and has a hot and humid climate, typical of the Terais, during summers, with heavy rains in late summers and hard winters. To enter into Banbassa from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

one must pass through a lush 6 km stretch of jungle in which elephants, leopards, tigers, monkeys, bears, snakes, deer and many other species of wild animal are regularly seen. Much of Banbasa's outer population lives in the jungles that surround the town.

The town and tourism

Banbasa, District Champawat, Uttarakhand, India

While Banbassa has several small hotels, it is not generally considered a 'tourist destination'. The majority of tourists and visitors that arrive in Banbasa are either crossing into

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 ...

(via Mahendranagar) or heading up in to the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

and its hill stations. A popular place to visit while staying in Banbasa i
The Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission
an orphanage home for around 80 orphan children located just 1 km from the town -though visitors must obtain permission prior to visiting via their website. The GSAM is situated on the border of the jungle and has been registered and running since 1948. Banbasa is a popular spot for people to cross into Nepal from India as there is an immigration office for both countries. The Nepal border is about 5 km from Banbasa and rickshaws, tuktuk or horse-drawn carts can be hired with ease. Vehicles can also cross the border into Nepal/India but specific times are held when this can happen (3-4 times per day).

Transport

Buses run direct between Banbasa and

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The ...

, Rudrapur,

Nanital Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...

Haldwani Haldwani ( Kumaoni: ''Haldvānī'') is the largest city of Kumaon. It is also the third most populous city and largest commercial market in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Haldwani is said to be the financial capital of Uttarakhand, having the ...

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, district and is governed by the Dehr ...

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the ri ...

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, ...

and many other places. Most services have several timings but some only have 1-3 buses per day. Banbasa is one of the last stops before the Himalayan mountain climb begins on the road to Almorah, Champawat and Pithoragarh. Trains also run to Banbasa, a direct line from

via

. Banbasa is near India's border with Nepal, across from the Mahendranagar municipality. Nepalese and Indian nationals may cross unrestricted, however there is a customs checkpoint for goods and third country nationals.

References

{{Champawat district Cities and towns in Champawat district Transit and customs posts along the India–Nepal border Points for exit and entry of nationals from third countries along the India–Nepal border