Itahari is one of the biggest cities of Nepal. It serves as the junction point of the east west Mahendra Highway and north south  Koshi highway.  It consists of the 36.21 square kilometre of the total land of Nepal.  The town is divided into a total of 20 wards. It is located at the main transportation junction of the Mahendra highway and Koshi Highway. The city is about 30 km away from Jogbani, India so most of the people of this city go to the neighbouring country for employment.  It has become the traffic nerve centre of Nepalese transportation.  The city experiences high temperature during the summer season. 

Location of Itahari

Itahari is located in the Terai region of our country. It lies in the Sunsari district of Province number 1 in Nepal. The town is situated at a distance of 25 kilometres north of Biratnagar, 16 kilometres  south of Dharan and 92 kilometres west of Kakarbhitta . It is about 358 kilometres far from the Kathmandu Valley. It also serves as the major business and industrial centres in Nepal.

History of Itahari

In terms of years, the city is not that very old. It was established only in the 1997 AD.  The town was declared as the metro city in the year 2014 after merging the rural development areas of Khanar, Ekamba, Pakali and Hansposa.  It has neither the vast historical appeal of antiquity, nor the charm of distinctive culture like many other cities of Nepal. The town consists of the people of all the ethnicity but the Tharus are in larger numbers than other ethnicities. 

Places to visit

There are only a few places to visit in this town but these places carry great significance .

1. Budhikhola Ghat

It is a calm and quiet place only a few minutes’ walk from the main city of Itahari. The water bank is right where the bridge connects Sunsari and Morang on the two sides of the narrow muddy stream. It is cemented with stairs and benches to sit and enjoy the evening breeze. 

The place is beautifully decorated with small shrubs, bushes and flower pots along its sideways. It also has the giant statue of Lord Shiva resting there calmly along with the other scriptures of Gods and Goddesses. The ghat is mostly crowded during the Chhath as devotees come here to worship the rising and setting sun.

2. Mechi-Kali Pond

It is another pretty water body inside the compound of the Itahari Sub Metropolitan office. However both the domestic and International Visitors are allowed inside. Most of the tourists visit here to enjoy the breeze and the view of the peaceful emerald pond. The pond is also the habitat for the various fishes which provide extra joy and excitement to the visitors.

3. Taal Talaiya

It is about an hour drive from the main city of the Itahari.  The Taal Talaiya is one of the major attraction sites of the city. It basically means wetland in the local dialect.  It is an amazing ecological garden with lots of greenery and crisscross paths in between to walk along. The main attraction of this site is the new art illustrations  that will  wake creativity inside us. This place held an International sculpture art workshop in 2016. The artist from all around participated in this workshop and left some of the brilliant masterpieces here. Visitors can relax their mind by looking at these around 55 of such sculptures all around the place. There is one particular sculpture by Israeli artist called ‘Stone of Heart’ believed to win the  hearts of the many arts admirers and visitors.

Activities to do around the city

• Shopping

No trip is complete without a little bit of shopping. And Itahari offers you with many places to fulfill your wish. But one particular place is famous for shopping ‘Gorkha Gali’. The Gorkha Gali is a must visit shopping destination in the city. There are big shopping shops and shacks selling trinkets and souvenirs. There are also family restaurants from snack bars to roadside pani puri.

• Dining

The famous dining of the city is Gorkha Kitchen. It is located on the roof  from where you can enjoy the glimpse of the city. You can enjoy the varieties of Nepali as well as International cuisines at an affordable price.  They also serve varieties of beverages, smoothies, milkshakes, Lassi and drinks. You can enjoy your meal with the family and friends with the setting sun against the moderately high buildings. For vegetarians there is a perfect place to enjoy the vegetarian dishes  called Purbanchal Kitchen.  The restaurant  serves a wide range of vegetarian dishes. They also serve vegetarian cakes, pastries , tarts and sweet desserts.

• Ocean park

Ocean park is a lovely and cheerful water amusement park . It has international sized swimming pools for experts and veterans. There are also other smaller pools with features like a waterfall, fountains, water slides and others. It is the perfect place to go on a very hot day with your bands of friends.

Accommodation

There are many hotels and lodges in the city with the great services and hospitality. Visitors can stay from 3 star hotel to 4 star hotel according to their preferences and  needs. The hotels here are pretty much affordable and are easily accessible from the Biratnagar airport and Bus stop.

Trip to Itahari

I went to Itahari last year to attend the wedding of one of my relatives. We went to Itahari from the flight from the Tribhuvan Airport. It took about half an hour to reach the Biratnagar Airport. The most famous vehicle there is a chargeable auto rickshaw.  We directly went to our relative house. I rested for a bit and went out with my cousin to explore the city. The city was clean and has many shopping centres and restaurants.  But the weather was too hot for me to handle.

So we went to the restaurant and grabbed some food and drinks .  My cousins took me to the Taal Talaiya ,it was an amazing place to relax our tired mind and soul. I was stunned with the beautiful artworks  in the garden. I did not get much to explore the city as I was there to attend the wedding of my relative. We attended the wedding and came back to Kathmandu by flight.

The city of Itahari is the best site for the travellers to explore the amazing city and to find sites, shops and restaurants that have never been heard of before.