Pokhara
Pokhara upmahānagarpālikā पोखरा उपमहानगरपालिका Pokhara |
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Coordinates | 28 ° 12 ′ N , 83 ° 59 ′ E | |
Basic data | ||
Country | Nepal | |
Gandaki | ||
ISO 3166-2 | NP-P4 | |
District | Kaski | |
height | 930 m | |
surface | 225.7 km² | |
Residents | 313,841 (2011) | |
density | 1,390.5 Ew. / km² | |
Website | www.pokharamun.gov.np | |
politics | ||
Chief Executive Officer | Uday Bahadur Rana (October 2015) | |
City law 2nd order 28 wards |
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View from the Shanti Stupa to Lake Phewa and the city
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Pokhara ( Nepali पोखरा Pokharā ) is a city in Nepal approx. 200 km west of Kathmandu , almost exactly in the geographical center of the country, with city law of the 2nd order .
In the south it borders on Lake Phewa (4.4 km², almost 800 m above sea level, Nepal's second largest lake), in the north on the southern foothills of the Annapurna massif at about 1000 m above sea level. NN. With 313,841 inhabitants (2011), Pokhara is the second largest city in the country. It is the administrative seat of the Kaski district.
Geography and climate
The Pokharatal was created by widening the Setital, whose northwestern end the city takes. The valley floor is relatively flat and very fertile. In him have Seti and the numerous tributaries deep gorges dug, which are only visible from the air or from vantage points. In the Pokhara Valley there is another city that has only recently developed as a suburb of Pokhara: Lekhnath . It is relatively widely scattered, takes up almost all of the rest of the Pokhara Valley and has no actual center.
From the southern outskirts and from the surrounding mountains there is an extraordinary view of the nearby main Himalayan ridge with the three eight-thousanders ( Dhaulagiri , Annapurna , Manaslu ), as well as of the "Matterhorn of the Himalayas", which is part of the Annapurna massif , and the Machapuchhre (Nepal - Spelling: maachhaapuchchhare or maachhaapuchchhre ("fish tail")) with almost 7000 m . The mountain has this name because of its small twin peaks, which, however, cannot be recognized from the city.
Lake Phewa has been enlarged somewhat by damming it has an area of 4.4 km² and is threatened by silting up due to the high sediment content of the tributaries. The weir is used to generate electricity by a small hydroelectric power station, which is located in the side gorge of the Seti Gandaki, south of the lake, almost 100 m below. In addition, water is diverted from the lake for agricultural irrigation in the Pokhara Valley. Fish farming is also carried out in the lake. Most hotels and tourist accommodation ( Lakeside and Damside ) are located near the dam and the lake . In the Pokhara Valley, not far from the city, there are a number of other lakes, some of them heavily or almost completely silted up. The better known larger lakes are the Begnas Valley and the Rupakot Valley , about 10 km east of the city center. Fish farming is also practiced on a large scale in Begnas. None of the lakes is suitable for swimming, especially since there are no beaches or suitable access. However, it is possible to rent row boats.
Nowhere else does the Himalayas rise so suddenly from 1000 m to 8000 m . This stark contrast provides almost the highest amount of precipitation in the country in the monsoon (over 4000 mm pa). Even within the urban area, there is a noticeable difference in rainfall between the south and the north of the city. The climate in the Pokhara Valley is subtropical; Due to the altitude, the summers are not so hot, with temperatures of 30–35 °, and the winters are mild and frost-free.
Pokhara Airport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Climate diagram | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Pokhara Airport
Source: www.dhm.gov.np (PDF; 191 kB)
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history
Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet , Pokhara was an important transshipment point in trade between Tibet and India . Until the end of the 1960s , the city could only be reached on foot and was even more shrouded in mystery than Kathmandu. The first road connection was completed in 1968. Then the city, which was wedged between Sarangkot and Seti, developed towards the lake, where a tourist area was created, and across the Seti to the east. Today it extends over 8 km from north to south and about 6 km from east to west.
In 2014 a number of neighboring Village Development Committees were incorporated. These were Arba Vijaya , Armala , Hemja , Kahun , Kristinachnechaur , Lamachaur , Nirmalpokhari , Pumdibhumdi , Sarangkot and Valam .
Residents
At the 2011 census, Pokhara had a population of 255,465. As a result of the VDCs, which have now been incorporated, the population increased to 313,841 (152,651 of them male) in 82,870 households. With a city area of 225.7 km² the population density is 1390 inhabitants per square kilometer.
An integral part of the cityscape are Tibetan refugees who are now the third generation to live in three camps in Pokhara: Tashiling in the south, Tashipalkhel in the north and Paljorling in the center. Over the years these have developed into planned settlements. Tashiling, near the Patale Chhango waterfall, is particularly geared towards tourism with its stalls, but the monasteries are also worth visiting.
Population development of the agglomeration according to the UN
year | population |
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1950 | 5,000 |
1960 | 9,000 |
1970 | 19,000 |
1980 | 43,000 |
1990 | 89,000 |
2000 | 149,000 |
2010 | 252,000 |
2017 | 364,000 |
Infrastructure
There are a number of branches of Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu in the city: the Engineering Campus , the Forestry Campus , the Institute of Medical Science, and the Prithvi Narayan Campus . Other major educational institutions in the city include the Pokhara Multiple Campus , Kanya Campus , Manipal Medical College , Urban Training Development Center, and Tourism Training Center .
Medical facilities are the Gandaki Western Regional Hospital , the Himalayan Eye Hospital , the Leprosy Hospital , the TBC Hospital and, for a few years now, the large Manipal Teaching Hospital with western standards.
Even the military has a strong presence in Pokhara: In the north of the city, one is Gurkha - barracks of the British Army ; There is also a barracks for the Nepali Army and a large Indian Army Pension Camp.
The Pokhara Airport is located in the city. From here there are numerous connections to Kathmandu (flight time approx. 30 minutes), as well as to Jomsom and Manang (seasonal). Construction of a new airport began in 2012 on the south-eastern outskirts of the city.
There are two bus stations: in the south near Pritvi Chok and in the north on Baglung Road. National bus connections lead to Baglung , Beni , Tansen , Butwal , Kathmandu and (tourist buses) Chitwan .
Attractions
Almost half of all Nepalese tourists today visit Pokhara. The city is the starting point for trekking tours around the Annapurna massif, to the Annapurna base camp, to Mustang and to the Himalayan foothills around Pokhara.
Urban area
Pokhara is a relatively modern city and in itself has few structural attractions to offer. The most interesting part of the city is the old town in the north (Purano Bazar, Bagar), where many old Newari-style trading houses have been preserved. Caravans from Mustang also arrive there from time to time . On a ridge on the south side of Lake Phewa is the modern Peace Stupa (1113 m above sea level), from which there is a beautiful panoramic view of the lake, the city and the mountains. Also worth seeing temples in the older part of the city are the Bindhyabasini Mandir in the old bazaar and the Bhimsen Mandir with erotic carvings; then there is the Varahi Mandir on a small island in Lake Pewa. The summer residence of the royal family is also located by the lake, not visible in the tourist area. Today's city center is about halfway between the lake and the old town. A hike or drive up to the almost 1600 m high Sarangkot, the “local mountain” of the city, from which there is a breathtaking view of the Annapurna massif, is also worth a trip.
The modern city center is located on Chiple Dhunga and Bhimsen Chok (Mahendrapul). The former can be referred to as the main shopping street, although there are several other shopping streets in other parts of the city. But here is a mix of all the shops and services that one associates with a center. The name "chiple dhunga" means "smooth stone" and comes from a conspicuous smooth rock that was left on one side of the road when the road was built. The Bhimsen Chok (formerly Mahendrapul) is formed by the cross street at the eastern end of the Chiple Dhunga. The name Mahendrapul comes from the nearby bridge (pul) over the Seti Gorge, which is hidden in the depths. In addition to this main center, there are also smaller centers in various parts of the city: in the north in the Bagar district, in the south between Pritwi Chok and Srijana Chok, where the shops tend to specialize in "hardware" (metal goods) and in the east, on the other side of Seti in Ram Bazaar.
Sea area
The tourist area was created along Lake Phewa (Lakeside and Damside) in the Baidam and Pardi districts. Originally a few km away from the city, they have now merged with it. The development was unplanned and despite a construction ban in the shore zone or on the south side of the riverside road, a tourist mile with small hotels, guest houses, restaurants, discos, bars, trinkets, etc. Souvenirs, exchange offices and banks developed. There are also a few small tourist supermarkets and second-hand bookshops. Except for a few places, the view of the lake is blocked, and the development is now also two-story. There is a multitude of advertising signs in many languages. Seen from the mountain, Lakeside is the most brightly lit street in town.
landscape
Pokhara compensates for the lack of structural sights with natural scenarios, few of which are noted on maps. The deep gorge of the Seti Gandaki ("White Gandaki") stretches through the city, which is only a few meters wide in sections and around 100 m deep (water depth 20 m), but then in the city center is so wide that it is like looks like a crater. This river offers a special spectacle in the monsoon when it disappears in the north of the city, behind the INF campus, in a high crevice. It reappears about 500 m further on. A particularly good view of the gorge landscape is obtained from the opposite side of the river, at the foot of Kahu Danda (mountain); Suspension bridges and footpaths lead there. Insights into other sections of the gorge are only possible in a few places, but the search for them is worthwhile. In the south of the city, the Seti Gorge expands into a canyon that extends to the end of the Pokhara Valley.
Another natural spectacle is offered by the water at the outflow of Lake Phewa, the Pardi Khola . At the junction of this river with the arterial road to Tansen there is a waterfall worth seeing, the Patale Chhango (Hell Falls), also called Devi's Falls or David's Falls for tourists , because a person with this name is said to have disappeared there.
The special thing about this waterfall is that the whole river falls into a hole and disappears. The river only emerges a few hundred meters south. Across the street is the Gupteshwor Cave , which can be visited. With Mahendra Cave , Bat Cave and Kumari Cave another cave system is located on the exact opposite north end of town. The northernmost district of Pokhara, Batulechaur, is known for the Gains musician caste.
Personalities
- Khagendra Thapa Magar (* 1992 / † January 17, 2020), smallest man in the world from October 2010 to June 12, 2011, lived in Pokhara.
Web links
- Official website of the Nepal Tourism Board (English)
- Latest news (English)
- A virtual trip to Nepal - the roof of the world
- Provides news, chats, forums, telephone directory and tourist information for the region (English)
- Pokhara city Photos, Gallery
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official City Office ( Memento of the original from March 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ National Population and Housing Census 2011 (PDF) Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013.
- ^ Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN). ( Memento of the original from January 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ World Urbanization Prospects - Population Division - United Nations. Retrieved July 23, 2018 .
- ↑ To travel to Nepal to verify claim. Retrieved December 29, 2015