Raxaul

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Raxaul
Town
Raxaul
Raxaul Junction.jpg
India Bihar location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Raxaul
Location in Bihar, India
Coordinates: 26°59′00″N84°51′00″E / 26.9833°N 84.8500°E / 26.9833; 84.8500
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Bihar
District Purbi Champaran
Government
  TypeNagar parisad
  BodyNagar parishad Raxaul
Area
  Total5 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation
68 m (223 ft)
Population
 (2024)
  Total125,210 almost (Raxaul Nagar Parishad) [1]
Demonym Raxaulbashi
Languages
  Official Hindi, Bhojpuri
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
845305
Telephone code06255
ISO 3166 code IN-BR
Lok Sabha constituency Purvi Champaran (Lok Sabha constituency)(East Champaran
Vidhan Sabha constituency Raxaul
Website eastchamparan.bih.nic.in

Raxaul is a sub-divisional town in the East Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated at the India-Nepal border with Birgunj city (Nepal). Raxaul is a major railway junction.

Contents

The Indian border town of Raxaul has become one of the busiest towns for heavy transportation due to high trade volume. Almost 56% of the total products of Birgunj are exported to the Indian state of Bihar through this route.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, [2] Raxaul Bazar had a population of 104,532. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Raxaul Bazar has an average literacy rate of 75.62%, higher than the state average of 61.80%: male literacy is 82.14%, and female literacy is 68.25%. In Raxaul Bazar, 16.21% of the population is under 6 years of age. People communicate with each other in the Bhojpuri and Hindi languages.

History

Earlier the name of the town is used to be Falejarganj.

Others include Buddhists & Christians etc.
Religion in Raxaul [3]
ReligionPercent
Hinduism
82.7%
Islam
16.16%
Others
1.14%

Transport

Raxaul is the only city that is connected with Nepal. Birgunj railway station is connected by the Nepal Government Railway (NGR) to Raxaul Junction railway station in Bihar across the border with India. The 47 kilometres (29 mi) railway extends north to Amlekhganj in Nepal. It was built in 1927 by the British but discontinued beyond Birgunj in December 1965.[3] The 6 km (3.7 mi) railway track from Raxaul to Birgunj was converted to broad gauge two years after the Indian railways converted the track to Raxaul inside India to broad gauge. Now, broad gauge railway line connects Raxaul to the Sirsiya (Birgunj) Inland Container Depot (ICD) which became fully operational in 2005. Talks have been held to reopen the railway route from Birgunj to Amlekhganj in Nepal by converting it to broad gauge because of its socio-economic importance.

Rail

Raxaul Junction railway station is situated on the Delhi – Gorakhpur - Raxaul - Chakia - Muzaffarpur - Kolkata lines.

Raxaul is connected to several cities in Bihar with daily passenger trains. There are multiple daily connections to Muzaffarpur, Sugauli, Chakia, Bairgania and Sitamarhi and daily connections to Bagaha, Hajipur, Samastipur, Motihari and Narkatiaganj.

Daily express trains connect to Delhi with stops in major cities in Uttar Pradesh including Gorakhpur and Bareilly. Kolkata is also connected by a daily express train ; the train being 13021 Howrah Raxaul Mithila Express.

There are also direct trains to Lucknow and Varanasi with stops in several towns in Uttar Pradesh. Chhapra, Patna, chakia, Jabalpur, Mumbai, Darbhanga, Barauni, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ranchi, Rourkela, Bilaspur, Raipur, Nagpur and Hyderabad are also connected by weekly or multiple weekly trains.

Delhi is connected via Satyagraha Express and Sadbhawna Express. Earlier, all tracks were metre gauge but most have been converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge. After the completion of the gauge conversion from Darbhanga to Raxaul via Sitamarhi, another broad gauge route to Raxaul became available from March 2014. The metre gauge track from Raxaul to Narkatiaganj converted in 2018/august.03 pair passenger trains operated in this route.

Raxaul Junction Raxaul Junction.jpg
Raxaul Junction

Road

Raxaul is connected to major cities of India by National Highway 28A.

It is the main route to Nepal. The capital of Nepal, Kathmandu is connected with India through this highway. There is a bus terminal from where buses are available for most of the cities in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Airlines and destinations

Raxaul Airport (ICAO: VERL) is located at BHARATMAHI Raxaul in the state of Bihar, India. The Majority of Land For Airport was Gifted by The Family of Shri Raja Ram Prasad.Still lives in The village Of bharatmahi.It was established after the Sino-Indian War of 1962, when it served as an emergency landing ground for the Indian Army. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) that owns the airport has undertaken a pre-feasibility study at the airport to upgrade the airport to handle ATR-72 aircraft. A draft Master Plan highlighting a requirement of an additional 121 acres of land has been submitted to the State Government.

Now, there is currently no scheduled commercial air service. Raxaul can be reached by flying to Simara in Nepal. That airport is 27 km from Raxaul and has direct flights to Kathmandu. A proposal to operationalize the airport for civilian use has been drafted.

Border crossing

India and Nepal have an open border with no restrictions on movement of their nationals and no need of visa or passport documents for local people. There is a customs checkpoint for goods and third country nationals. There are Jeeps, Cars, Tempos (Three wheels vehicles), and the Tangas (Horse Driven 6 seater Rickshaws) from Raxaul station for Birganj bus park.

Gateway to Nepal outside Birgunj Gateway to Nepal outside Birgunj.jpg
Gateway to Nepal outside Birgunj

River

Sariswa River

The river, Sariswa (Sirsiya), a tributary of the Burhi Gandak, originates from Pathlahia hill of the dense Ramban forests in Nepal, its course roaming through the subdivision cutting through Bara and Parsa districts in Nepal and Raxaul in Bihar, India. It flows southwards from the place of its origin for about 15 km in Nepal and then enters India at Raxaul. From here, the river flows about 20 km in India and joins Burhi Gandak near Sugauli in East Champaran district. The water is pure in its contents and have full of medicinal values like other Himalayan rivers. It maintains its valuable contents till Parwanipur. But after it, unrestrained untreated wastes are being dumped by the 46 factories situated at Birgunj (Nepal) which make this river contaminated. The colour of the river turned into black besides, emanating foul smell has made the life of the people, who dwell near the river, a nightmare.

Bangari River

It is the neighbor river of Sariswa (Sirsiya) river.

Related Research Articles

Nepal is a landlocked mountainous country where transportation is difficult due to the difficult terrain. The modern transportation in Nepal just started in 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Champaran district</span> District of Bihar in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitamarhi district</span> District of Bihar in India

Sitamarhi is one of the districts in the Mithila region of the Indian state of Bihar, India. Dumra is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is a part of the Tirhut Division and is located along the border of Nepal.

Bairgania is a town and notified area in the Sitamarhi district in the state of Bihar, India. Bairgania is one of the blocks of Sitamarhi districts and is a border of India that links Nepal via Rautahat District through a custom checkpoint. Bairgania is the first town of India that is located on the bank of the Bagmati River.It has a good government medical hospital and experience doctors such as alumni from PMCH.

Chanpatia is a city in Nagar Panchayat situated on the bank of the Burhi Gandak River. It is the administrative headquarters of the Chanpatia block in Paschim Champaran district near the Indo-Nepal border; 18 km from District headquarters Bettiah, 242 km north-west of the capital Patna in the state of Bihar, India. Chanpatia is well-known for its cuisine, such as Marcha Ka chura, Basmati rice, and Handi kabab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birgunj</span> Metropolitan City in Madhesh Province, Nepal

Birgunj is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhes Pradesh in southern Nepal. It lies 135 km (84 mi) south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul on the border of the Indian state of Bihar. As an entry point to Nepal from Patna, Birganj is known as the "Gateway of Nepal". It is also called the "Commercial Capital of Nepal". The town has significant economic importance for Nepal as most of the trade with India is via Birganj and the Indian town of Raxaul. The Tribhuvan Highway links Birgunj to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rampur Jetha</span> Village in Bihar, India

Rampurwa is a village situated in Mehsi, East Champaran District in the Indian state of Bihar. The village is commonly known as Rampurwa among the localities. It lies in the Mirjapur Panchayat region. It is situated at the bank of river Burhi Gandak River on whose bank the village has flourished. It is well connected by road and railways. The nearest city Kaswa Mehsi in Mehsi, which is 2 km from the village. The nearest railway station is Mehsi railway station, which is around 5 km from the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bihar</span> Geographic Region in Bihar, India

North Bihar is a term used for the region of Bihar, India, which lies north of the Ganga river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines</span> Railway line in India

The Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines are a set of three lines connecting Barauni in the Indian state of Bihar with Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The lines run in an east–west direction between the Ganges and India-Nepal border, covering northern Bihar west of the Kosi river and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The southernmost of the lines connects via Hajipur Junction, Sonpur Junction,Chhapra and Siwan Junction. The central line connects via Muzaffarpur, Motihari and Sugauli. The northern line connects via Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Raxaul. The lines have interconnections between them and the northern line has extensions to places near the India–Nepal border.

Narkatiaganj Junction, is a railway station in the Samastipur railway division of East Central Railway. It is one of the busiest and important junctions of Samastipur division. The station is located in the town of Narkatiaganj, a sub-division of West Champaran district in the Indian state of Bihar.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adapur</span> Town in Bihar, India

Adapur is a block in East Champaran district of Bihar, India. Adapur railway station is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Motihari, the district headquarters. The state capital Patna is 175 kilometres (109 mi) in south. Adapur is located on the India - Nepal border. There are many villagers Near Adapur town peoples come to buy their daily essential things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raxaul Junction railway station</span> Railway station in Bihar

Raxaul Junction railway station is a main railway station in East Champaran district, Bihar. Its code is RXL. It serves Raxaul city and also as gateway to Nepal as the most important station on the Indo-Nepal border. The station consists of five platforms.

Bhikhna Thori railway station is a small terminus railway station on Narkatiaganj–Bhikhna Thori branch line in West Champaran district, Bihar. Its code is BKF. It serves Bhikhna Thori village. The station consists of two platforms.

National Highway 527D is a National Highway in India.

Sagauli Junction railway station is a junction railway station in East Champaran district, Bihar. Its code is SGL. It is on the Delhi–Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur main line

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–Nepal border</span> International boundary in South Asia

The India–Nepal border is an open international boundary running between the republics of India and Nepal. The 1,850 km (1,149.54 mi) long border includes the Himalayan territories as well as Indo-Gangetic Plain of the subcontinent. The current border was delimited after the Sugauli treaty of 1816 between Nepal and the British Raj. Following Indian independence, the prevailing border was recognised as the international border between the Kingdom of Nepal and the Dominion of India.

Gawnaha railway station is a small railway station on Narkatiaganj–Bhikhna Thori branch line in West Champaran district, Bihar. Its code is GAH. It serves Gawnaha village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Railways (Nepal)</span>

Department of Railways under Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport is the authority to develop, maintain and plan railways in Nepal. It has its headquarter at Bishalnagar, Kathmandu. Currently it maintains three in-operation railway lines in the country: Raxaul–Sirsiya, Jainagar–Bhangaha and Bathnaha-Budhnagar. It is equivalent to Department of Road for road infrastructure. It has several lines planned.

References

  1. "Raxaul Bazar Nagar Parishad City Population Census 2011-2022 | Bihar".
  2. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  3. "Census of India – Socio-cultural aspects". Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.