Narayani was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal until the restructuring of zones to Provinces, located in the central south of the country. The headquarter of Narayani zone was Hetauda. Narayani Zone is named after the Narayani River which is on the western border of the zone, separating it from the Gandaki and Lumbini zones. Narayani means beloved of Narayan which is Parvati his sister, and Narayan refers to Lord Vishnu in the Hindu religion.
The Terai or Tarai is to a lowland region in parts of northern India and southern Nepal that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scrub savannah, sal forests and clay rich swamps. In North India, the Terai spreads from the Yamuna River eastward across Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The Terai is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. Nepal's Terai stretches over 33,998.8 km2 (13,127.0 sq mi), about 23.1% of Nepal's land area, and lies at an elevation of between 67 and 300 m. The region comprises more than 50 wetlands. North of the Terai rises the Bhabar, a narrow but continuous belt of forest about 8–12 km (5.0–7.5 mi) wide.
Chitwan National Park is the first national park of Nepal. It was established in 1973 as the Royal Chitwan National Park and was granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of 952.63 km2 (367.81 sq mi) in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal in Nawalpur, Chitwan, Makwanpur and Parsa Districts. It ranges in elevation from about 100 m (330 ft) in the river valleys to 815 m (2,674 ft) in the Sivalik Hills.
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in the Terai of eastern Nepal covering 176 km2 (68 sq mi) of wetlands in the Sunsari, Saptari and Udayapur Districts. It comprises extensive reed beds and freshwater marshes in the floodplain of the Kosi River, and ranges in elevation from 75 to 81 m. It was established in 1976 and designated as a Ramsar site in December 1987. It hosts Nepal's last remaining herd of the wild water buffalo.
Chitwan District is one of 77 districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers 2,238.39 km2 (864.25 sq mi), and in 2011 had a population of 579,984 people. Bharatpur is the commercial and service centre of South Central Nepal and a major destination for higher education, health care and transportation in the region. Chitwan lies in the Terai region of Nepal. It is in the drainage basin of the Gandaki River and is roughly triangular, taking that river as its meandering northwestern border, and a modest watershed border, with India, as the basis of its southern limit. Local government: Bharatpur Metropolitan, Rapti Municipality, Ratnanagar Municipality, Kalika Municipality, Khairahani Municipality, Madi Municipality, Ikshyakamana Gaupalika
The Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands is a narrow lowland ecoregion at the base of the Himalayas, about 25 km (16 mi) wide, and a continuation of the Indo-Gangetic Plain in India, Nepal and Bhutan. It is colloquially called Terai in the Ganges Basin east to Nepal, then Dooars in West Bengal, Bhutan and Assam east to the Brahmaputra River. It harbours the world's tallest grasslands, which are the most threatened and rare worldwide.
Bharatpur is a city in southern central Nepal. It is the third most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara with 369,377 inhabitants in 2021. It is also the second largest metropolitan city in Nepal by area. It is the district headquarter of the Chitwan District.
The Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal comprise several elongated river valleys in the southern lowland Terai part of the country. These tropical valleys are enclosed by the Himalayan foothills, viz the Mahabharat Range and the Sivalik Hills farther south.
The Chitwan Valley is an Inner Terai valley in the south of Nepal, encompassing the districts of Makwanpur, Chitwan and Nawalpur. The valley is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion of about 150 km (93 mi) length and 30–48 km (19–30 mi) width.
Ratnanagar is a municipality in Chitwan District of Bagmati Province in Nepal. It is the second biggest municipality after Bharatpur Metropolitan City that was formed in 1997 through the merger of the former Village Development Committees Old-Ratnanagar and Panchakanya. It is adjacent to Chitwan National Park, and serves as a gateway to the park. Agricultural products produced from Ratnanagar includes rice, maize, mustard and vegetables. This municipality is also a major place for production of poultry products and animal husbandry. Tourism is another source of income generation for the people in Ratnanagar. People are directly or indirectly dependent in tourism industry. Ratnanagar is also concerned in environment preservation so in order to preserve and protect environment, eco-friendly electric risk-shaw has also been introduced and available in different parts of this municipality. It lies on the bank of East Rapti River.
Birendranagar is a village development committee (VDC) in Chitwan District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 14,934 people living in 3,374 individual households.
Gitanagar was a former village development committee in Chitwan District in Narayani zone of Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 13,929 people living in 3,375 individual households.
Kumroj is a town in Khairhani Municipality in Chitwan District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal. The municipality was promulgated on 18 May 2014 by merging the existing Khairahani, Kumroj and Chainpur VDCs. Kumroj is 190 km south-west of the Kathmandu valley stationed in the Rapti valley, also known as the Inner Terai or Dun. The village is situated at an altitude of 1000 ft above the sea level surrounded by two mountain ranges; the mahabharat ranges of hills on the north and the churiya siwalik hills on the south. The main point of attraction is the Chitwan National Park which today stands as a successful testimony of nature conservation in south Asia Region. Historically it was established in 1973 as the first national park of the Nepal to preserve a unique ecosystems significantly valuable to the whole world en routing this area on the world heritage site list in 1984. In the near future, this town would be one of the potential Eco-tourism village destination. Kumroj is dedicated to protect the wild animals, community forest and the Chitwan national park. Once the Southern belt of Nepal was afflicted by malaria epidemics. Tharu, the native tribe, were able to thrive even in malaria. As malaria subsided, more and more people started migrating in this place in the search of arable land, which eventually made Kumroj as a multicultural and multiethinic place. Irrigated low land has been the main stud of agriculture, permitting Rice-Rice-Pulse cropping pattern feasible.
Meghauli is a small city and former Village Development Committee that is now part of Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Bagmati Province of central Nepal.
Parsa National Park is a protected area in the Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal. It covers an area of 627.39 km2 (242.24 sq mi) in the Parsa, Makwanpur and Bara districts and ranges in altitude from 435 m (1,427 ft) to 950 m (3,120 ft) in the Siwalik Hills. It was established as a wildlife reserve in 1984. A bufferzone declared in 2005 comprises 285.3 km2 (110.2 sq mi). In 2015, the protected area has been extended by 128 km2 (49 sq mi). Since 2017, it has the status of a National Park.
Gaindakot is a municipality in Nawalpur District in the Lumbini Zone of southern Nepal. It became a municipality in May 2014 by merging the existing Mukundapur, Amarapuri, and Gaindakot VDCs. It was again expanded by merging Ratanpur VDC. It is situated on the shore of Narayani River in the lap of Maula Kalika temple. So this place has a great possibility of tourism development. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, it had a population of 58,841 and 13,623 individual households according to 2011 Nepal census. Contributed in the article by Prashant Subedi
Madhyabindu is a municipality of Nawalpur District in Lumbini Zone of southern Nepal. The municipality was established on 19 September 2015 by merging the existing Tamasariya, Naya Belahani and Kolhuwa village development committees (VDCs). The center of the municipality is established in the former Tamasariya VDC of Chormara Bazaar. After merging the three VDCs population it had a total population of 28,224 according to 2011 Nepal census. After the government decision the number of Sub Metropolitan cities and municipalities has reached 12 and 217 respectively in Nepal.
The Bote people are an ethnic group indigenous to the inner Terai regions of Nepal. They speak Bote language. The Bote people are well-known for ferrying travellers across the rivers through the boats, which often are prepared from the trunks of the trees. They are scattered around the bank of Kaligandaki, Narayani and Rapti River of Nepal. Bote and Majhi people are known as the ‘King of water’. Their ancestral occupation is fishing, boating and searching gold in the river whose settlement is nearby river and forest.The dialect and culture of Bote people in several ways is similar to that of the Danuwars, Darai, Tharus and Majhi.
