The name Dolakha (also Dolkha/Dholkha) comes from the Newar (Nepal Bhasa) words "Dol" or "Dwāl" (thousand) and "Khā" (houses), meaning "the place that has a thousand houses." The Bhimeshwar temple in Dolakha Bazaar is of great antiquity; an inscription dated 1611 AD records a renovation of the shrine, and local legend links it to the 7th-century Tibet trade era when merchants worshipped Bhimsen as patron of trade. In 1938 Jiri was established as an agricultural development centre under Swiss government aid, and before the Lukla airstrip opened, nearly all early Everest expeditions — including John Hunt's 1953 team and Edmund Hillary's — passed through Jiri, earning it the title "Gateway to Mt. Everest." The Gaurishankar Conservation Area, covering 2,179 km² across Dolakha, Ramechhap and Sindhupalchok, was established in January 2010 and handed to the National Trust for Nature Conservation for 20 years of management. In 2018 a cable car service was introduced to the Kalinchowk Bhagwati shrine to serve growing pilgrim and tourist traffic.
Researched by the ChillNepal team from published sources. Spot something out of date? Tell us from the place's page.
