Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City (Nepali: पोखरा उपमहानगरपालिका Pokharā Upa-Mahānagarpālikā) is the second largest city by population of Nepal. Pokhara is city of close to 350,000 inhabitants in western Nepal located at 28.25°N, 83.99°E, and is situated 198 km west of the capital Kathmandu. It is the second most populous city in Nepal and also serves as the headquarters of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and the Western Developmental Region. Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal. Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world are situated within 50 miles (linear distance) of the city so that the northern skyline of the city offers a very close view of the Himalayas. Due to its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the ACAP region of the Annapurna ranges in the Himalayas.
In the south the city borders on Phewa Tal (4.4 km²) at an elevation of about 827 m above sea level, and Lumle at 1,740 m in the north of the city touches the base of the Annapurna mountain range. 3 eight-thousand meter tall peaks (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu) can be seen from the city.[7] The Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) with an elevation of 6,993 m is the closest to the city.[8] The porous underground of the Pokhara valley favours the formation of caves and several caves can be found within the city limits. In the south of the city, a tributary of the Seti flowing out of the Phewa Lake disappears at Patale Chhango (पाताले छाँगो, Nepali for Hell's Falls, also called Davis Falls, after someone who supposedly fell into the falls) into an underground gorge, to reappear 500 metres further south.[9][10] To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of Lekhnath, a recently established town in the valley.
Bindhyabasini Temple in the evening 
Phewa lake in 1982Pokhara lies on an important old trading route between China and India. In the 17th century it was part of the Kingdom of Kaski which was one of the Chaubise Rajya (24 Kingdoms of Nepal, चौबिसे राज्य) ruled by a branch of the Shah Dynasty.[12] Many of the hills around Pokhara still have medieval ruins from this time. In 1786 Prithvi Narayan Shah added Pokhara into his kingdom. It had by then become an important trading place on the routes from Kathmandu to Jumla and from India to Tibet.[13]
Originally Pokhara was largely inhabited by Khas[14] (Brahmin, Chhetri, Thakuri and Dalits), the major communities were located in Parsyang, Malepatan, Pardi and Harichowk areas of modern Pokhara and the Majhi community near the Phewa Lake.[15] In the mid 18th century A.D.[16] the Newars of Bhaktapur migrated to Pokhara and settled near main business locations such as Bindhyabasini temple, Nalakomukh and Bhairab Tole, which has resulted in a sizeable Newari population in the city at present.[17] The establishment of a British recruitment camp brought larger Magar and Gurung communities to Pokhara.[18] At present the Khas, Gurung (Tamu) and Magar form the dominant community of Pokhara. A small Muslim community is located on eastern fringes of Pokhara generally called Miya Patan. Batulechaur in the far north of Pokhara is home to the Gaaineys (the tribe of the musicians).[19]
The nearby hill villages around Pokhara are a mixed community of Khas and Gurung.[20] Small Magar communities are also present mostly in the southern outlying hills. Newar community is almost non-existent in the villages of outlying hills outside the Pokhara city limits.
From 1959 to 1962 some 3,000,000 refugees entered Nepal from neighbouring Tibet after it was annexed by China. Four refugee camps were established in and around Pokhara:[21] Tashipalkhel, Tashiling, Paljorling and Jambling. These camps have evolved into well built settlements, each with a gompa (Buddhist monastery), chorten and its particular architecture, and Tibetans have become a visible minority in the city.[22]
Until the end of the 1960s the town was only accessible by foot and it was considered even more a mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was completed in 1968 (Siddhartha Highway) after which tourism set in and the city grew rapidly.[23] The area along the Phewa lake, called Lake Side, has developed into one of the major tourism hubs of Nepal.[24]
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[edit] Geography
Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley,[1] which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley that lies in the midland region (Pahad) of the Himalayas. In this region the mountains rise very quickly[2] and within 30 km, the elevation rises from 1,000 m to over 7,500 m. As a result of this sharp rise in altitude the area of Pokhara has one of the highest precipitation rates in the country (3,350 mm/year or 131 inches/year in the valley to 5600 mm/year or 222 inches/year in Lumle).[3] Even within the city there is a noticeable difference in rainfall between the south and the north of the city, the northern part of the city situated at the foothills of the mountains experiences proportionally higher amount of precipitation. The Seti Gandaki is the main river flowing through the city.[4] The Seti Gandaki (White River) and its tributaries have created several gorges and canyons in and around the whole city which gives intriguingly long sections of terrace features to the city and surrounding areas. These long sections of terraces are interrupted by gorges which are hundreds of meters deep.[5] The Seti gorge runs through the whole city from north to south and then west to east and at places these gorges are only a few metres wide. In the north and south, the canyons are wider.[6]In the south the city borders on Phewa Tal (4.4 km²) at an elevation of about 827 m above sea level, and Lumle at 1,740 m in the north of the city touches the base of the Annapurna mountain range. 3 eight-thousand meter tall peaks (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu) can be seen from the city.[7] The Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) with an elevation of 6,993 m is the closest to the city.[8] The porous underground of the Pokhara valley favours the formation of caves and several caves can be found within the city limits. In the south of the city, a tributary of the Seti flowing out of the Phewa Lake disappears at Patale Chhango (पाताले छाँगो, Nepali for Hell's Falls, also called Davis Falls, after someone who supposedly fell into the falls) into an underground gorge, to reappear 500 metres further south.[9][10] To the east of Pokhara is the municipality of Lekhnath, a recently established town in the valley.
[edit] Climate
The climate of the city is sub-tropical, however, the elevation keep the temperatures moderate: the summer temperatures average between 25 to 35 °C, in winter around - 2 to 15 °C.| [hide]Climate data for Pokhara | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 16 (61) | 18 (64) | 22 (72) | 26 (79) | 26 (79) | 27 (81) | 26 (79) | 26 (79) | 26 (79) | 24 (75) | 21 (70) | 17 (63) | 23.0 (73.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4 (39) | 6 (43) | 10 (50) | 13 (55) | 17 (63) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) | 19 (66) | 15 (59) | 9 (48) | 5 (41) | 13.3 (56.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.71) | 15 (0.59) | 30 (1.18) | 38 (1.5) | 102 (4.02) | 201 (7.91) | 376 (14.8) | 325 (12.8) | 188 (7.4) | 56 (2.2) | 3 (0.12) | 10 (0.39) | 1,362 (53.62) |
| Source: zoover.co.uk/[11] | |||||||||||||
[edit] History
Originally Pokhara was largely inhabited by Khas[14] (Brahmin, Chhetri, Thakuri and Dalits), the major communities were located in Parsyang, Malepatan, Pardi and Harichowk areas of modern Pokhara and the Majhi community near the Phewa Lake.[15] In the mid 18th century A.D.[16] the Newars of Bhaktapur migrated to Pokhara and settled near main business locations such as Bindhyabasini temple, Nalakomukh and Bhairab Tole, which has resulted in a sizeable Newari population in the city at present.[17] The establishment of a British recruitment camp brought larger Magar and Gurung communities to Pokhara.[18] At present the Khas, Gurung (Tamu) and Magar form the dominant community of Pokhara. A small Muslim community is located on eastern fringes of Pokhara generally called Miya Patan. Batulechaur in the far north of Pokhara is home to the Gaaineys (the tribe of the musicians).[19]
The nearby hill villages around Pokhara are a mixed community of Khas and Gurung.[20] Small Magar communities are also present mostly in the southern outlying hills. Newar community is almost non-existent in the villages of outlying hills outside the Pokhara city limits.
From 1959 to 1962 some 3,000,000 refugees entered Nepal from neighbouring Tibet after it was annexed by China. Four refugee camps were established in and around Pokhara:[21] Tashipalkhel, Tashiling, Paljorling and Jambling. These camps have evolved into well built settlements, each with a gompa (Buddhist monastery), chorten and its particular architecture, and Tibetans have become a visible minority in the city.[22]
Until the end of the 1960s the town was only accessible by foot and it was considered even more a mystical place than Kathmandu. The first road was completed in 1968 (Siddhartha Highway) after which tourism set in and the city grew rapidly.[23] The area along the Phewa lake, called Lake Side, has developed into one of the major tourism hubs of Nepal.[24]
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