Before becoming a district in its own right, Surkhet was part of Dailekh District. The Surkhet Valley was part of the medieval Khas kingdom (11th to early 14th centuries), whose capital was at Sinja in neighboring Jumla, and the 12th-century Kakrebihar temple attests to Hindu-Buddhist activity in the valley under the Sinja kings. In modern times Surkhet has become a hub for remoter districts such as Kalikot, Jumla, Mugu, Jajarkot and Salyan, and migration from these districts increased following the Maoist insurgency which ended in 2008. Birendranagar was established in 1976 (2033 BS) by King Birendra as Nepal's first planned town and became the capital of Karnali Province in February 2018.
Researched by the ChillNepal team from published sources. Spot something out of date? Tell us from the place's page.
