Tanahun District was established in 1872 in central Nepal. Bandipur, now its best-known town, was founded as a trade funneling point by Newar merchants from Bhaktapur after Prithvi Narayan Shah's 1768 conquest of the Kathmandu Valley, becoming an important stop on the India-Tibet trade route with its heyday in the Rana era (1846-1951). In the 1970s the Prithvi Highway bypassed the hilltop town and the district headquarters moved to Damauli, leaving Bandipur a semi-ghost town until its revival as a tourist destination through the EuropeAid-supported Bandipur Eco Cultural Tourism Project. The district is the birthplace of Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814-1868), the Adikabi who translated the Ramayana into the Khas language, born at Chundi Ramgha; his birthday on 29 Ashad is celebrated as Bhanujayanti. Hindu tradition, cited in scriptures including the Skanda Purana, holds that sage Veda Vyasa was born near the Seti-Madi confluence at present-day Damauli, after whom Vyas Municipality is named.
Researched by the ChillNepal team from published sources. Spot something out of date? Tell us from the place's page.
