Sundarijal, Kathmandu

Sundarijal is a village development committee in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal.

History:
The VDC was named after the Hindu goddess, Sundarimai. A temple is dedicated to the deity in Sundarijal.

In 1960, the Sundarijal Military Detention Camp was the location of Nepali Congress leaders B.P. Koirala (the Prime Minister), Ganesh Man Singh, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Diwan Singh Rai, Ram Narayan Mishra, Yogendra Man Sherchan, and Jaman Singh Gurung. They were held without trial for eight years due to their participation in a 1960 coup.

Geographical situation:

View of Bagmati River from Sundarijal
Sundarijal is located 15 kilometres (9 mi) northeast of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. It is west of Gagalphedi, east of Nayapati and Baluwa, and north of Aalapot. The VDC touches Nuwakot and Sindhulpalchok Districts to the north.

Sundarijal covers an area of 5.18 square kilometres (2 sq mi). The Bagmati River flows through the VDC, where it is joined by the Shyalmati and Nagmati Rivers. Largely hilly in its terrain with few flat areas, the VDC is covered by forests. Shivapuri National Park covers large amounts of the Sundarijal.

Climate:
The climate of Sundarijal is temperate. The average for the summer is 25.5˚C while that for the winter is 0˚C.

Demographics:
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census Sundarijal had a population of 2,552 living in 547 individual households.[3]For the 2001 census Sundarijal had a population of 2586 in 444 individual households. Sixty percent of the townsfolk are Buddhists, while a 40% minority of Hindus are present.

Agriculture:

Rice farming at Sundarijal
Agriculture in the VDC is only present in the eight ward. No modern technology for this is in existence, as farmers only use traditional techniques. In the northern part of the ward, the predominate crops are millet and maize, although cultivation also includes barley and some vegetables. In the southern area, wheat, barley, maize, potato, vegetables and millet are grown.

Tourism:

Canyoing at Sundarijal
Tourism is a large industry in Sundarijal. It is a famous place for Canyoning. Pollution has risen in the Sundarijal reservoir due to large amounts of tourists who crowd the VDC every weekend.[4] They are attracted to the area's natural beauty, including the waterfalls and rivers. People from Kathmandu valley come due to being about an hour drive away. In addition, the VDC is a starting point for hikers along the Langtang Range. There are several picnic tables to meet the needs of tourists.

Various trekking route also lies in Sundarijal.Among them Sundarijal to Chesapani trek is famous one which covers almost 22 km distance.

Culture:
The main cultural sites in Sundarijal are the temples of Sundarimai Mandir, Ganesh Mandir, and Krishna Mandir. In July, the Dashahara festival is celebrated near bodies of water close to the temples.[1] National Scout Training Center situated here is also the attraction of tourists.

Infrastructure:
A 640 kW hydropower plant near the bus park area provides electricity to Sundarijal. A mail post and police station are also located here.

There is a US$464 million drinking water project that would bring water from Melamchi, treat it, and distribute it in Sundarijal. A pipeline 58 kilometres (36 mi) in length would be laid in Sundarijal to other places in the Kathmandu Valley. It will start pumping 170 million liters of water daily in 2011 or 2012.

Education:
About 90% of townsfolk can read or write, though less than that number are fully literate. Members of the younger generation under 25 years of are more likely to be literate than those over 40 years old. Classes to teach this to older adults have existed in the past, though they are no longer due to low attendance.

Biodiversity:

A view of Shivapuri National Park from Sundarijal
Sundarijal's vegetation consists of mostly pine, oak, rhododendron, and other forest types. Wildlife recorded in the area include the Himalayan Black bear, leopard, jungle cat, and rhesus monkey. The area around Sundarijal is the habitat of 177 species of birds, which includes at least nine threatened species, 102 species of butterflies with several endangered species, and 129 species of mushrooms.

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