Chobhar

Chovar चोभार
Village
Chovar Location in Nepal
Coordinates: 27°40′N85°17′E / 27.667°N 85.283°E / 27.667; 85.283
Country	Nepal
Zone	Bagmati Zone
District	Kathmandu District
Population  (1991)
• Total	5,627
• Religions	Hindu
Time zone	UTC+5:45 (Nepal Time)

Chobhar (or Chovar, or Chobar) is a village in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal and part of Kirtipur Municipality. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 5,627 living in 1,109 households. ^[1]

Chobhar is known for the nearby Chobhar Gorge where there are the Chobhar caves. There is also a temple, Jal Binayak Temple and Adinath Lokeshwar And Chobhar Hills that is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. There are beautiful herbs and suburbs along with limestone adding its more beauty in the town.

One of the biggest income generation of this village is through the supply of water and the tourist site Manjushree Park. ^[2]

Toponymy

Linguistic origin

• Linguistic family: Sino-Tibetan
• Language: Newari

Etymology

The name Chobhar derives from the Newar (Nepal Bhasa) word Chobhah where cho means “high part / top of the hill" and Baha means “monastery” and is short form of bahaal.

According to the Swayambhu Purana and local tradition, the Kathmandu Valley was originally a lake. The Bodhisattva Manjushree cut a gorge in the area now called Chobhar Gorge to drain the waters and make the valley habitable. After this event, Manjushree erected a temple dedicated to the god Chyangrasin (“Tibetan goat”) on the top of the hill. Around this temple, priests and practitioners settled, forming a monastic community.

• Chobhar
• 
  Rice terrasses
• 
  Lake Taudaha
• 
  Jal Binayak
• 
  Adinath Lokeshwar

References

1. "Nepal Census 2001". Nepal's Village Development Committees. Digital Himalaya. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
2. Wowcity.com. "Manjushree Park in Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal | Kathmandu Local Shopping Guide". np.wowcity.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.