Town or village
Butwal
A busy city where the Terai meets the hills, at the mouth of the Tinau gorge and the start of the Siddhartha Highway.
Lumbini Provinceरुपन्देही
Rupandehi District
Birthplace of the Buddha at Lumbini, and home to the busy cities of Butwal and Bhairahawa on Nepal's main western gateway.
- Province
- Lumbini
- Headquarters
- Bhairahawa
- Area
- about 1,310 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 3
About Rupandehi
Rupandehi lies on the Terai in the centre of Lumbini Province, bordering India to the south, Kapilvastu to the west, Parasi to the east and Palpa in the hills to the north. Most of the district is flat, fertile plain crossed by the Tinau and other rivers flowing out of the Churia hills, which rise sharply behind Butwal.
Lumbini, recognised as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Maya Devi temple, the Ashoka pillar and a wide monastic zone of temples built by many countries. Butwal is a major trading city at the foot of the hills, and Siddharthanagar, commonly called Bhairahawa, lies near the Sunauli border crossing with India. The population mixes Madhesi, Tharu and hill communities. Devdaha, linked to the Buddha's mother, is another pilgrimage site.
Places in Rupandehi
Temple, monastery or heritage site
Devdaha
The ancient Koliya capital east of Butwal, remembered as the maternal home of the Buddha.
Temple, monastery or heritage site · 150 m
Lumbini
The birthplace of the Buddha in the Terai, a sacred garden with an Ashokan pillar, ringed by monasteries from across the Buddhist world.
Getting there
Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa has domestic flights from Kathmandu and some international services. By road, the East-West Highway passes through Butwal, a long day's drive from Kathmandu, and the Siddhartha Highway links Butwal with Pokhara. Lumbini is a short drive west of Bhairahawa.
Best time to visit
October to March is the best time, with pleasant days and cool nights, although winter mornings are often foggy; April to June is very hot, and the monsoon brings heavy rain and humidity.
Other districts in Lumbini Province
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.