Butwal

• Butwal  is a city in southern Nepal in Rupandehi District, in Lumbini Zone—of which it is the administrative center. It is located 240 kilometres west of Kathmandu and 22 kilometers north of Siddharthanagar, at the northern edge of the Terai plain below the Siwalik Hills. Its name is derived from Batauli Bazaar in the town's oldest district.
• Through highway and air links, Butwal connects western Nepal to the capital Kathmandu. It has highway connections to the Indian Border at Sunauli and to hill towns Tansen and Pokhara. Butwal is a major gateway to Nepal.
• History
• Fossils of ancient hominoids Ramapithecus were found near the Tinau River as early as 1932, including a 10.1 million year old tooth.
• Historically Butwal connected Nepali people with their Indian neighbors. As the British East India Company annexed Awadh from its hereditary rulers while the Shah Dynasty attempted to annex the Terai, Butwal became one of bones of contention leading to the Gurkha War 1814-16.
• When King Tribhuvan fled to India in 1950 during the revolt against the Rana dynasty he travelled through Butwal. Then it was little more than a village on the western bank of Tilottama River (also known as Tinau). With completion in 1968 of Siddhartha Highway from the border at Sunauli through Butwal to Pokhara and then in the 1990s Mahendra Highway across the full east-west expanse of Nepal's Terai, Butwal has developed rapidly.
• Economy
• The economy of Butwal centers around education, ment of Batauli Bazar at the edge of the hills in old Butwal. Presently the main trading centre are near Traffic Chok and Puspalal Park. Numerous shops sell Chinese and Indian goods. Butwal also has small and medium scale manufacturers of woodwork, ironsheet, metalware and aluminium sheet. There are rice mills including Siddhababa Rice mill, Aryal Rice Mill (Jharbaira-Murgiya) and Sita rice mill.Butwal leads the sale of marbles,tiles sanitary and hardwares in nepal ,we can find them at cheaper cost in comparision to other places nepal ,like usha marbles,narshang hardware etc, students from nearby hilly regions contributes to Butwal's economy. Additional income is remitted by expatriate Nepalis and from Gurkha Soldiers employed by the Indian and British Armies.
• Transport
• Buses are the dominant form of transportation. Private operators offer service to various destinations. Until 2003 most of the fleet was older large buses; since then operators have added newer minibuses popularly called micro. Older jeeps are used to take people to nearby hilly regions. Rickshaws are used for short-distance urban transport, however taxicabs are gaining popularity with increasing affluence. Motorcycles are a common means of personal transportation around town. The number registered has increased from 1,200 in 1999 to 80,000 in 2008. Nearly 100 buses depart to Kathmandu from Butwal daily, from 5am morning from Butwal, and at every 20-30 min bus will depart from Butwal to Pokhara, through Siddhartha highway. With the improvisation of the main road that runs on the mid of Butwal into 6 lanes and also due to the provision of second and third highways running along the inner areas, transportation has become more efficient, well-managed and accessible to the residents.