Dang District, Nepal

Dang District
दाङ जिल्ला
District
World's largest Trishula (trident of Shiva) at Pandaveshwar Temple in Dang District
World's largest Trishula (trident of Shiva) at Pandaveshwar Temple in Dang District
Location of Dang (dark yellow) in Lumbini Province
Location of Dang (dark yellow) in Lumbini Province
CountryNepal
ProvinceLumbini Province
Established17 May 1951
Admin HQ.Ghorahi
Government
 • TypeCoordination committee
 • BodyDCC, Dāng Deukhuri
Area
 • Total2,955 km2 (1,141 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total674,993
 • Density230/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:45 (NPT)
Literacy rate81.4%
Main languagesNepali, Tharu

28°0′N 82°16′E / 28.000°N 82.267°E / 28.000; 82.267 (Deukhuri and Dang Valleys)

Dang District (Nepali: दाङ जिल्ला, [daŋ]) is a district of Lumbini Province located in the Inner Terai of midwestern Nepal. Deukhuri Valley of the district is the capital of the province and is the second largest valley of Asia surrounded by Sivalik Hills and the Mahabharata Range.[1] The district headquarter Ghorahi is the seventh largest city and the largest sub-metropolitan city of Nepal. Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city, the second largest city of Dang, is a major transportation hub with extensive road and air networks. The district covers an area of 2,955 km2 and has a population of 674,993 (2021 census).[2]

Dang district has been archaeologically studied extensively since the 20th century due to the discoveries of ancient fossils of apes and early humans.[3][4] The district is considered the center of Sanskrit language in Nepal and is home to Nepal's second oldest university, Nepal Sanskrit University, which is the only Sanskrit university of the country, as well as Rapti Academy of Health Sciences (RAHS),[5] the state-owned medical college of Lumbini Province with the Prime Minister of Nepal as the Chancellor.[6] There are numerous temples and gumbas in Dang Deukhuri district with puranic legendary connections to Mahābhārata, Shaivism, Shaktism and Gorakhnath, making it one of the richest cultural sites of the country.[7]

  1. ^ "घोराही उप-महानगरपालिकाको संक्षिप्त परिचय | घोराही उप-महानगरपालिका, नगर कार्यपालिकाको कार्यालय". ghorahimun.gov.np (in Nepali). Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Pandey, R.N. (1987). Paleo environment & pre-history of Nepal. Cnas:Tribhuvan University, Vol 14 N/2. p. 116.
  4. ^ Corvinus, G. (1989). "A handaxe assemblage from western Nepal" (PDF). Quartär (International Yearbook for Ice Age and Stone Age Research). 39/40: 155–173. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  5. ^ "Rapti Academy of Health Sciences". RAHS. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  6. ^ "About Rapti Academy of Health Sciences". RAHS. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  7. ^ Bhandari, B. (1997). Inventory of heritage sites in Nepal. Kathmandu: IUCN Nepal.