Arjundhara Municipality is the city in the eastern part of Nepal with historical value.  This municipality was formed in the year by joining the former village development committees Arjundhara, Shanischare and Khudunbari.  Arjundhara was the first place in the entire country to have a fruit canning industry.  It is one of the most ethnically diverse  towns in the nation and is home to about 110 ethnic groups. The total population of the town is about 60,205 in the 13623 individual houses. It is a populated city due to its industrial value. Initially, the name of the town was Shani-Arjun but was changed to Arjundhara again in January 2017. It lies in the fertile Terai plains. Marwari community have the major stake in the trading business of the city.

History of the Arjundhara

Arjundhara  was the municipality of the Jhapa district formed in 2014. The town is named after a holy place situated here, Arjundhara Temple.  According to Mahabharat Purana, this place belongs to the five pandavas when they were sentenced to the banbas. Arjun pointed the arrow to the ground for thirsty cows who were in need of water. He hit the ground and it busted with water and the cows quenched their thirst. So, this place has its own historical and cultural significance. Actually, Arjundhara was established by the Dhakals when they migrated from the immediate hills in the North to settle in the plain Terai region. They started many industrial activities in this area such as the fruit canning industry in the 60s and rubber industry in 70s. Arjundhara strives to be a progressive municipality in terms of politics and socio-economic reforms.

Location of Arjundhara

This municipality is located in the Jhapa district of Province no 1 in the Eastern part of Nepal. It lies in the north-east region of the district. The city is situated in the fertile land of the Terai region.  This municipality has Mechinagar on its eastern part . The major highway of Nepal runs in the city, Mahendra Highway. The nearest airport is the Bhadrapur Airport which is in the southern part of the city. Daily six to eight flights are flown from this airport to the Kathmandu valley. This airport is also one of the busiest airports in the country. The city is well connected with the airport and roads.

Economy of the Place

Even though the majority of land here is fertile and cultivable land, the major economy of this area is industries and factories. The main economy comes from the fruit canning industry and rubber industry. The foreign employment also plays a major role in the economy of the place. There are also other manufacturing companies such as tea, cement, banana and betel nuts. The city also has tons of small manufacturing businesses that produce goods like grills, aluminium, copper and iron.

Infrastructure of The Town

The town is well developed in terms of infrastructure. It is well equipped with the roads, schools and health care centres. The high speed bus service is available on major highways to commute through various highway side towns like Itabhatta, Dhulabari and other cities like Birtamod and Damak. Red colored buses indicate the high speed buses and green colored buses indicate inter district high speed commutes. The people mostly use here chargeable three wheel rickshaw for their commute. 

Infrastructures development of the city including the whole Jhapa is considered some of the best in town. Villages and towns are connected via road network and there is no town or village without the reach of electricity and internet. The city is running rapidly towards the road of development without looking back and stopping for a moment. The town has a literacy rate of 94.6% with the highest proportion of literate people. Many high level schools, colleges are established here in the last few decades.

Pilgrimage Site of Arjundhara

The Arjundhara is also the major pilgrimage site in the country.  The Arjundhara Temple is considered to be the major historical site of the place. It is about 30 minutes drive from Bhadrapur to Arjundhara. The temple is about 6 km north from the Business centre Birtamod.  This temple is known as the Pashupatinath of the eastern Nepal. It is the temple where devotees worship Lord Arjun. Lord Arjun is considered as the god with the greatest talent in the bow and arrow art.

According to the myths and purans, five pandas have to complete 12 years in woods in which 2 years they have to hide their identity before returning to the Kingdom. Pandavs were staying in the King Birat’s Palace as the cow taker. But the Kaurav found out and they hid all the cows of King Birat. The Pandav went to search for the cows which they found in the place now known as Garuwa. When the Pandavs were returning to the palace with cows, the cows felt thirsty. To quench the thirst of the cow, Arjun hit the ground with his arrow from where the water came out and cows quenched their thirst.

Later after the century back this place was discovered by the nun named Khadebaba . The temple was built here and named Arjundhara Jaleshwor Dham. It is a two storied temple built in the pagoda style. The main shrine of the temple is the lingam of the Lord Shiva. It is on the manmade pond where the statue of Arjun with the raised bow and arrow is in front  of the temple. There is also the gurukul for the Brahmas to read and recite the mantras. The temple also has a statue of Lord Hanuman. It is mostly crowded with the devotees on the day of Shraavana, Bala Chaturdashi and Maha Shivaratri. The pilgrimage from other districts and neighbouring countries of India come here to pay their devotion to the temple.

Climate of The Town

The town is relatively very hot during the Summer season the maximum temperature recorded is 42 degree Celsius in summer and minimum temperature is 10 degree Celsius during winter season. It receives rainfall of about 250-300 cm in a year. The weather is also foggy during the winter season. The town also experiences the cold wave during the winter season which is considered as the most extreme weather in the region.

Best time to visit here

The best time to visit here is during the month of November and December as the temperature is relatively lower than the other months and it is not that cold also.

How can we get there

As  it is the major city of the Nation, we can get there through airways that fly from the domestic terminal of the Tribhuvan International Airport to Bhadrapur. We can also book the bus ticket from different ticket counters to the city. The buses are also comfortable with the air conditioning. We can enjoy the scenes of forests and narrow roads during our bus ride.