Town or village
Amaltari
A Tharu and Bote village on the western edge of Chitwan National Park, known for its community homestays and riverside wildlife.
Gandaki Provinceनवलपुर
Nawalpur District
Lowland district on the west bank of the Narayani, with Tharu villages and quieter access to Chitwan National Park.
- Province
- Gandaki
- Headquarters
- Kawasoti
- Area
- about 1,432 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 3
About Nawalpur
Nawalpur, officially Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), is Gandaki Province's only district reaching the lowlands. It spans flat Inner Terai farmland and forest along the west bank of the Narayani, the low Chure hills, and a belt of middle hills to the north. Chitwan lies across the river to the east, Tanahun, Syangja and Palpa to the north, and Parasi to the south-west, with part of Chitwan National Park inside its borders.
Tharu, Bote, Magar, Brahmin-Chhetri and other communities live here, and the economy rests on farming, trade along the East-West Highway and the growing towns of Kawasoti and Gaindakot. Travellers come to stay in Tharu community homestays at the edge of Chitwan National Park, look for rhinos, gharials and birds along the Narayani, and visit the Maula Kalika temple on its hill above Gaindakot.
Places in Nawalpur
Temple, monastery or heritage site
Maula Kalika Temple
A hilltop Kalika temple above Gaindakot with a long stairway and wide views over the Narayani and Chitwan.
Temple, monastery or heritage site
Shashwat Dham
A modern temple and spiritual complex beside the East-West Highway in Nawalpur, with gardens, shrines and a museum.
Getting there
The Mahendra (East-West) Highway crosses the district through Gaindakot and Kawasoti, a short drive west of Narayangarh in Chitwan. From Kathmandu it is usually most of a day by road. Bharatpur has the nearest airport, with regular flights from Kathmandu.
Best time to visit
October to March is the most comfortable time, with mild days and good wildlife viewing; the pre-monsoon months are very hot and the monsoon brings heavy rain, humidity and flooding near the rivers.
Editorial draft: the district overview is being checked. Headquarters and Nepali names: nepal-places dataset (MIT). Area and map position computed from the district boundaries of the Government of Nepal, Survey Department, via OCHA.