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 municipality on 18 May 2014 by merging the existing Sandhikharka, Wangla, Narapani, Khanchikot, Kimadada, Argha and Dibharna VDCs evdo. It is located, in a valley surrounded by hills, in the western part of the capital, Kathmandu.

Geography

Sandhikharka is situated between the two hills Argha and Khanchi, from which the district's name is derived. Sandhikharka has made a significant progress in road building and the training of people through various national and international non-governmental organisations. Although Sandhikharka is a small town, in recent years migration to developed countries has increased, with migrants sending billions of remittance to their families every year. Development of new houses, privately own luxury vehicles and the modern atmosphere itself have shown that the town has marvellously progressed in terms of economy and other sectors.

Three small rivers; the Bangi, Ghoche and Bhadri merge at Chutrabeshi, within Sandhikharka. Therefore, people sometimes call the rivers Tribeni. There is one pitched road that connects to the national highway at Gorusinghe. However Arghakhanchi district was the first district in Nepal where all the VDCs were officially linked with the motorable roads.

Sandhikharka is located around 960 meters above sea level. The climate changes from season to season. During summer, the maximum temperature reaches about 37 °C which can be significantly warm for some visitors and in the winter season the temperature is usually between 1-10 °C. In summer the rainfall is high hills in winter the surrounding higher hills remain cold and sometimes are covered in snow.

History

Background

Many years ago the region was fully covered by the wild grasses called "Kharka". Farmers used to bring their cattle to graze on the land. This area was a boader of two small kingdoms i.e. Argha and Khanchi during Chaubisi rajya (24 principalities). There was always conflict about the ownership of the land between the two monarchs of this place. Later, in the interest of public welfare, the kings decided to make a treaty between the two little kingdoms. Treaty is the English translation of Sandhi which means a formally concluded and ratified agreement between states. The two states created the treaty for the land of "Kharka" which eventually led to the name of Sandhikharka, the headquarter of Arghakhanchi district.

Attack during Maoist insurgency

On September 8, 2002, the town was involved in a massive battle between the government forces and "thousands" of Maoists, reportedly led by the two most wanted terrorists of that time Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Pampha Bhusal who come from the district. Heavily armed rebels engaged the bases of civilian police, armed police and the Royal Nepalese Army and overpowered them following a few hours of gunbattle. They torched all government buildings except the hospital, most never being rebuilt. About 50 policemen and 70 rebels were killed in the night-long battle, with almost 36 police injured. However, doubts remain over how many of the dead were actually Maoists. A second attack was launched on September 10, 2002, in which guerillas killed at least 65 security personnel, including soldiers, through 12 hours of fighting. Forty-one personnel were reported as injured in this attack. A telecommunication tower was destroyed as a result of the second attack, and reinforcements were rushed in by helicopter as well as a government-sponsored effort to hold the town. Unnamed leaders said lack of communication and a failed response from authorities which led to the government's defeats. CNN speculated that these attacks were aimed at disrupting the upcoming election by forcing the Nepali government to impose a state of emergency.

2005 Maoist attack

Maoists launched a third attack on March 4, 2005. This operation backfired, and the Nepali military killed 30 Maoists in what BBC
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