Saptari (Nepali: सप्तरी जिल्लाListen), is Located in the easternmost part of Madhesh Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Its district headquarter is Rajbiraj. Saptari is an Outer Terai district. This district covers an area of 1,363 km2 (526 sq mi) and has a population (2022) of 706,255[1] which makes it the 14th most populated district of Nepal. Saptari is renowned for its agricultural output, and is bordered on the east by the massive Sapta Koshi river, on the west by the Balan River separating Siraha district, on the north by Udayapur and on the south by Supaul and Madhubani districts of Bharat Vihar.

Saptari District
सप्तरी जिल्ला
Chinnamasta Temple
Chinnamasta Temple
Saptari District (dark yellow) in Madhesh Province
Saptari District (dark yellow) in Madhesh Province
Country Nepal
RegionMithila
ProvinceMadhesh
Admin HQ.Rajbiraj
Government
 • TypeDistrict Coordination Committee
 • BodyDCC, Saptari
 • Parliamentary constituencies4
 • Provincial constituencies8
Area
 • Total
1,363 km2 (526 sq mi)
Population
 (2011[1])
 • Total
639,284
 • Density470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:45 (NPT)
Telephone Code031
Main LanguageMaithili, Nepali
Websitewww.ddcsaptari.gov.np

Saptari district is located in 68m above sea level at an altitude of 457 meters, it extends to 26.22 minutes north latitude and 86.45 minutes east longitude. The east-west length of the district covers 63% of the plains of the Terai and 37% of the chure region and the north-south width is an average of 23 km.

Map

Map
Map

There are nine municipalities in Saptari: Dakneshwori, Rajbiraj, Bodebarsain, Hanumannagar Kankalini, Kanchanrup, Saptakoshi, surunga, Shambhunath and Khadak. Other small towns include Mahuli, Kathauna Fattepur, Pato and Itahari Bishnupur with the area government "Machha Palan Kendra" fish farming centre.

The famous Chhinnamasta temple is one of the Shakti Peeths and Kankalini Temple are also located in Saptari District. Saptari has highest growth in Maithili literature.[2]

Tribhuvan Chok (now Gajendra Chok) situated in the centre of Rajbiraj
VDCs and Municipalities (blue) in Saptari District

Temples

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Chinnamasta Bhagawati

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Chinnamasta Bhagwati, Sakhda

Chinnamasta Bhagawati (छिन्नमस्ता भगवती) is a temple of Eastern Nepal. It is situated in Chinnamasta VDC, Saptari, 10 km (6.2 mi) from Rajbiraj and also near to Indian Border. It is a main attraction for Indian pilgrims. People are likely to come here in Bada Dashain. Some thousands of goats are sacrificed here during dashain.[3]

Shambhunath

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Shambhunath (शम्भुनाथ) is another one of the famous temples of Eastern Nepal. It is situated in Shambhunath, 12 km (7.5 mi) from Rajbiraj and also near Mahendra Highway. This temple is a main attraction for Indian pilgrims. People are likely to come here in Siruwa Mela during month of Baisakh (the first month of Bikram Sambat).

Kankalini Temple

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Kankalini Temple

Kankalini Temple (कंकालिनी) is another temple situated in this district; it is located in Bhardah-1 of Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality. This temple is main attraction for Indian pilgrims. Kankalini Temple has great religious importance. Like most of the other Shakti Peethas in Nepal, this temple, too, has a legend attached to it. According to the legend, the people settled in Bhardaha village had started to use the land for farming, however, while digging, some farmers had found a stone statue carved beautifully with the image of Goddess Durga and in that very place, this temple is said to have been built. It is believed that when a devotee worships with great devotion and true heart in the temple, their wish comes true. So, thousands of peoples from many part of the country come to this temple to worship the avatar of Goddess Durga, known famously as goddess Kankalini.[4]

Geography and climate

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Climate Zone[5] Elevation Range % of Area
Lower Tropical below 300 m (980 ft) 94.7%
Upper Tropical 300 to 1,000 m (980 to 3,280 ft)  2.3%

Education

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  • Mahendra Bindeshwari Multiple Campus- TU Affiliated Public Campus located in Rajbiraj offering LLB, BBS, BA, MBS, M.Ed.
  • National People College- TU Affiliated Private College established in 2013 AD Offers Masters and Bachelors level of Programs in Management and Humanities Faculties. It is the 1st Private College of Saptari District Offering the Subjects of Study like MA-SOCIOLOGY, MBS, BA-RD and SOCIOLOGY. The college is Ultramodern and is Located in Kanchanrup Munacipality.

HSEB affiliated +2 colleges are:

  • Happyland HSS and college
  • Laligurans EBHSS or Paradise Campus
  • Caliber International College
  • Mission College
  • Kshitiz Edu. Foundation
  • Chinnamasta College
  • Annapurna Multiple College, Kanchanpur Beriyar, Saptari - just the east of UTL Tower
  • Rajbiraj Model Campus[6]

Demographics

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Historical population
Census yearPop.±% p.a.
1981 398,766—    
1991 492,798+2.14%
2001 635,701+2.58%
2011 769,729+1.93%
2021 857,360+1.08%
Source: Citypopulation[7]

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Saptari District had a population of 639,284.

As their first language, 79.2% spoke Maithili, 10.4% Tharu, 4.0% Nepali, 3.8% Urdu, 0.2% Magar, 0.2% Rai, 0.2% Sunuwar, 0.2% Tamang, 0.1% Bhojpuri, 0.1% Bhujel, 0.1% Danuwar, 0.1% Ghale, 0.1% Hindi, 0.1% Limbu, 0.1% Magahi, 0.1% Newar, 0.1% Rajasthani and 0.1% other languages.[8]

Ethnicity/caste: 15.8% were Yadav, 11.5% Tharu, 8.9% Musalman, 7.3% Teli, 6.5% Dhanuk, 6.1% Musahar, 5.9% Khatwe, 4.3% Chamar/Harijan/Ram, 2.3% Kathabaniyan, 2.2% Bantar/Sardar, 2.1% Mallaha, 2.0% other Terai, 1.9% Rajdhov, 1.8% Halwai, 1.7% Dusadh/Paswan/Pasi, 1.5% Hajam/Thakur, 1.5% Tatma/Tatwa, 1.4% Terai Brahmin, 1.4% Chhetri, 1.3% Hill Brahmin, 1.0% Koiri/Kushwaha, 0.9% Dhobi, 0.9% Kumhar, 0.8% Kalwar, 0.8% Kami, 0.6% Baraee, 0.6% Magar, 0.6% Rajput, 0.4% Newar, 0.3% Badhaee, 0.3% Dom, 0.3% Kayastha, 0.3% Kewat, 0.3% Rai, 0.3% Sonar, 0.3% Sudhi, 0.2% Bengali, 0.2% Damai/Dholi, 0.2% Danuwar, 0.2% Dev, 0.2% Gaderi/Bhedihar, 0.2% Kumal, 0.2% Mali, 0.2% Nuniya, 0.2% Rajbhar, 0.2% Sunuwar, 0.2% Tamang, 0.1% Amat, 0.1% Ghale, 0.1% Gharti/Bhujel, 0.1% Kurmi, 0.1% Limbu, 0.1% Lohar, 0.1% Marwadi, 0.1% Punjabi/Sikh, 0.1% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0.1% Sarki and 0.4% others.[9]

Religion: 85.7% were Hindu, 8.9% Muslim, 4.7% Buddhist, 0.1% Kirati and 0.5% others.[10]

Literacy: 54.4% could read and write, 3.0% could only read and 42.5% could neither read nor write.[11]

Administration

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The district consists of eighteen municipalities, out of which nine are urban municipalities and nine are rural municipalities.[12] These are as follows:

Former Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Municipalities

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Notable persons

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Household and population by districts, Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Nepal
  2. ^ "Maithili Literature Development in Saptari". I Love Mithila. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  3. ^ "The Goddess with Severed Head". Boss Nepal.
  4. ^ "Kankalini Temple". Boss Nepal.
  5. ^ The Map of Potential Vegetation of Nepal - a forestry/agroecological/biodiversity classification system (PDF), Forest & Landscape Development and Environment Series 2-2005 and CFC-TIS Document Series No.110., 2005, ISBN 978-87-7903-210-1, retrieved Nov 22, 2013
  6. ^ "National People College". National People College. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  7. ^ "NEPAL: Administrative Division". www.citypopulation.de.
  8. ^ NepalMap Language [1]
  9. ^ NepalMap Caste [2]
  10. ^ NepalMap Religion [3]
  11. ^ NepalMap Literacy [4]
  12. ^ "स्थानिय तह". 103.69.124.141. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  13. ^ "BBC SPORT - Cricket - Alam takes 10 wickets in Jersey". bbc.co.uk. 2008-05-26.
  14. ^ "Artises have No Boarders Udit Narayan'". The Times of India. 27 February 2018.

26°35′N 86°45′E / 26.583°N 86.750°E / 26.583; 86.750