Discover what Mahendranagar has on offer
Mahendranagar is named after King Mahendra Bir Bikram Saha
of Nepal with the main area of the town named King Mahendra Square. The town or
city is situated about five kilometers to the east of the Indian border and is
regarded as a ‘border town’.
Mahendranagar is regarded as the eighth largest city in the
west of Nepal. Cities 1 through 7 are: Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara,
Biratnagar, Birganj, Dharan and Bharatpur. It is also the headquarters for the
Kanchnpur district as well as the Mahakali Zone with a population of over
82,474 people known as the Tharu people. The basic necessities do exist here
and you will be able to find a local bank by the name of ‘Rastriya Baniya Bank’
located opposite the Hotel Alpine. It is here that you will be able to exchange
both rupees and US dollars, but unfortunately no other currencies are exchanged.
However, rupees are a recognized currency in this area and are accepted in the
town centre. The times of opening are from Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 2pm
and then on Friday from 10am to 12pm noon.
Mahendranagar is naturally enhanced by the beautiful Mahakali River that runs in between Nepal and India. It is here that you will find two of the main tributaries that filter into the Mahakali River, namely: Limpiyadhura and Chamelia. The Mahakeli River's namesake belongs to the Hindu goddess of ‘courage and rage’. It is interesting to note that the name is not commonly used amongst the Nepalese people who generally refer to it as ‘Kali’, while in India it is known as ‘Sharda’. If you wish to cross at the border you can do this at anytime during the day as a pedestrian, however, this does not apply to vehicles which are restricted on the Indian side allowing them access only from 7am – 8am, 12pm – 2pm and lastly from 4pm to 6pm. This must be kept in mind when planning any excursions across the border, as gate only reopens between 7am - 8am the following day.
