Dharan
Nepal Travel Destination

Dharan is the meeting point between the Terai and the middle hills. It lies right at the foothills, but the transformation when traveling from the Terai is dramatic.

Up until 1989 there used to be a British Gurkha Camp in Dharan which was used to recruit Gurkha soldiers from the eastern hills similar to that of Dhakunta the regional center of the area. The British Army recruited many people from the Rais and Limbu ethnic groups from the eastern Nepal area which used to comprise a major portion of Gurkha soldiers. Dharan is now a bustling bazaar town that has grown rapidly. The town became a favorite of prince Charles, and the region, is known as the Rhododendron kingdom.

Those wishing to travel to Dharan can visit the Varahakshetra which is an important temple located at the confluence of the Koka and Koshi rivers. This site is known to belong to the later Gupta historical period, who had issued a copper grant for the two Varaha images found there. There are also many miniature Gupta period temple replicas, which suggest that many such temples and idols were made during the sixth and seventh centuries. You can also visit the Temples of Dhantakali, Buda Subba and Singha Bahini in Dharan which are thought of as unique and famous.

Dharan is also a basecamp of sorts for fishing trips (Special Activity Services) into the Arun Basin making the town quite the popular launching pad for anglers wishing to score the Himalayan masheer. (Check out the article on Himalayan Masheer Fishing in the articles section).

You can travel to this hill town by a road that is linked with the East-West Highway of Nepal. It takes two hours by bus to reach to Dharan from Biratnagar to which there are regular flights from Kathmandu.

To view pre-designed Nepal travel packages, see the programs page or see the encyclopedia for more Nepal Travel items.