| Sandhikharka सन्धिखर्क |
|
|---|---|
| — VDC — | |
| Skyline of Sandhikharka | |
|
Sandhikharka
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Nepal |
| Zone | Lumbini Zone |
| District | Arghakhanchi District |
| Web http://www.argakhanchi.com | |
| Population (1991) | |
| • Total | 8,921 |
| • Religions | Hindu |
| Time zone | Nepal Time (UTC+5:45) |
Sandhikharka (Nepali: सन्धिखर्क) is the headquarters of Arghakhanchi District in the Lumbini Zone of Nepal. It is located in a remote area of central Nepal, 380 km southwest of Nepal's capital of Kathmandu. Due to a high literacy rate, Sandhikharka once attracted people from outside Arghakhanchi District to Sandhikharka for its good schools. The town had been the subject of several attacks between the Nepali government and Maoist rebels during the civil war.
Contents |
Sandhikharka is small valley and head quarter of Arghakhanchi district, Lumbini zone, Nepal, surrounded by pine forests.[1] It is located 380 kilometres (236 mi) southwest of Nepal's capital of Kathmandu.[2]Three small rivers; Bangi river, Ghoche river and Bhadri river are merging at Chutrabeshi, a next part of Snadhikharka. Therefore peoples sometimes use to say Tribeni of Arghakhanchi district. However, only one pitched road that connect to national highway at Gorusinghe.[1] There are many gravel roads constructed from Sandhikharka to many villages of the Arghakhanchi district.
Sandhikharka located around 960 meter above from mean sea level. Climatic condition of the Sandhikharka is normal type. During the summer season, maximum temperature reaches about 37 degree while in the winter season it goes in between 1-10 degree Celsius. The number of rainy days in summer are higher. Winter season normally dry and cold and sometimes, snow covers in the surrounding mountains of Sandhikharka.
More than 300 years ago, this place was not a good place for peoples of surrounding village. Peoples used to say it "Kharka" and come only for farming purpose due to large numbers of farming fields and good water supply. Nobody wanted to stay in the night there because peoples of the district believed that this area is the homeland of Ghost. Another interesting thing is that this area was a broader of two small kingdom i.e. Argha and Khanchi during Chaubisi rajya (24 principalities) or before uniting Nepal. Peoples of the two kingdom used to do fight each other for their interest. Finally, they decided to make peace and made a kind of hidden treaty at that Ghost place and converted that area into Sandhikharka i.e.( Sandhi=treaty and Kharka = Bare and farm land). During new government system of Nepal(2024B.S.),Khanchi village, next to Sandhikharka VDC was the headquarter of the Arghakhanchi district at the first time so that Sandhikharka was not so popular to peoples of the district. Due to effort of some local peoples of Sandhikharka area, Nepal government decided to shift headquarters in Sandhikharka after 2030B.S. Since, then, It has becoming popular not only to district but also in Lumbini Zone.
On September 8, 2002, the town was involved in a massive battle between the government forces and "thousands" of Maoists, reportedly led by Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Pampha Bhusal who come from the district.[2] Heavily armed rebels engaged the bases of civilian police, armed police and the Royal Nepalese Army and overpowered them following a few hours of gunbattle.[2] They tourched all government buildings except the hospital,[2] most never being rebuilt.[3] About 50 policemen and 70 rebels were killed in the night-long battle,[3] with almost 36 police injured.[2] However, doubts remain over how many of the dead were actually Maoists.[3] A second attack was launched on September 10, 2002, in which guerillas killed at least 65 security personnel, including soldiers, through 12 hours of fighting.[4] Forty-one personnel were reported as injured in this attack.[4] A telecommunication tower was destroyed as a result of the second attack,[5] and reinforcements were rushed in by helicopter as well as a government-sponsored effort to hold the town.[6] Unnamed leaders said lack of communication and a failed response from authorities led to the government's defeats.[2] CNN speculated that these attacks were aimed at disrupting the upcoming election by forcing the Nepali government to impose a state of emergency.[6]
Following the attacks, all the political parties were hounded out, and the Nepali government left Sandhikharka other than operating security forces and the post office.[3] However, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba visited the town on September 11, who expressed his surprise to see this level of damage and destruction.[2] The rebels freed 60 people abducted after the attack that day.[7] Attempting to flee, government troops blocked an exit route from Arghakhanchi district, killing 13 guerillas.[7]
Maoists launched a third attack on March 4, 2005.[8] This operation backfired, and the Nepali military killed 30 Maoists in what BBC called "one of the bloodiest clashes since the royal coup."[8] There were no casualties of troops.[8] After forcing rebels into retreat, the military recovered "some crude bombs, terrorist documents and equipment used to operate mines".[8] Despite his military's success, King Gyanendra of Nepal imposed a state of emergency, detained political party leaders and imposed censorship of the press.[8] Nepal's military released a statement on the fighting:
On 4 March, terrorists... fled after strong resistance by the security forces. In the action, about 30 terrorists are estimated to have been killed and some injured.[8]
At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 8921.[9] It had 6703 married people, with 185 having more than one spouse as of that census.[9] Sandhikharka had 7706 literate people, and 2272 were attending school as of that census.[9] This high literacy rate once drew people from outside Arghakhanchi District to Sandhikharka for its good schools.[1]
The Shree Janajyoti Higher Secondary School in Sandhikharka was established in 1963, one of the oldest school in the District.[10] It is the only school, providing high-level science in Arghakhanchi district.[10] Mr. Janga Bahadur P.C. is the principal of the school since 2007. In this periods, two new buildings have constructed to create more classrooms and practical lab rooms for science and other programs. Financial support was partially funded by the government of India for one building. Currently, Plus two programs including science, commerce and education are running at the school.[10] Due to high level education system in this school, students from neighbouring districts are coming to study every year. Nevertheless, the number of students in the school is always within the range of 1000 every year. The first English boarding school was Sandhikharkha English Boarding School. It was established in 2004. Later on the school changed its name and now is known as Arghakhanchi Higher Secondary Boarding school. It is the first private school with undergraduate level in this district.There are several private English boarding schools around the Sandhikharka area in these days. Panini Multiple College is the first and oldest college affiliated by Tribhuvan university in this district the founder principal of this college was Mr. Gyan Hari Acharya and current principal is Mr. Gyan Bahadur Chhetri since 2009. Many graduate and undergraduate courses are running in the college. Therefore, number of students always higher. Broad of the college is planning to run master course in coming days.
In October 2004, the Maoists ordered the closure of all private schools in Sandhikharka, as well as the rest of Arghakhanchi District.[1] This came a year after they promised to keep the schools open if the cut their tuition costs by at least 20 percent, which was what occurred.[1] According to schoolchild Pratiba Acharya, "Maoists thought that only rich people study in boarding schools like mine, so they want to close them."[1] Further, they destroyed schools who were operated by their enemies and those they disagreed with, after trying to change their curricula was to no avail.[1] Many students were sent to public schools, which teach in Nepali. This posed two problems. For one thing, Nepali, though widely spoken and understood, is not invariably the mother tongue of all students in multilingual, multi-ethnic Nepal. In addition, private school students are accustomed to English as the primary medium of instruction.[1]
The purpose of Village Development Committees is to organise village people structurally at a local level and creating a partnership between the community and the public sector for improved service delivery system. A VDC has a status as an autonomous institution and authority for interacting with the more centralised institutions of governance in Nepal. In doing so, the VDC gives village people an element of control and responsibility in development, and also ensures proper utilization and distribution of state funds and a greater interaction between government officials, NGOs and agencies. The village development committees within a given area will discuss education, water supply, basic health, sanitation and income and will also monitor and record progress which is displayed in census data.[11]
In VDCs there is one elected chief, usually elected with over an 80% majority. From each ward, there is also a chief that is elected along with these there are also four members elected or nominated.[11]
|
||||||||||||||