Dang District, Nepal
Dang District
दाङ जिल्ला | |
|---|---|
World's largest Trishula (trident) at Pandaveshwor Temple in Dang District | |
Location of Dang (dark yellow) in Lumbini Province | |
| Country | Nepal |
| Province | Lumbini Province |
| Established | 17 May 1951 |
| Admin HQ. | Ghorahi |
| Government | |
| • Type | Coordination committee |
| • Body | DCC, Dāng Deukhuri |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,955 km2 (1,141 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 548,141 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (480/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:45 (NPT) |
| Main Language(s) | Nepali, Tharu |
Dang District (Nepali: दाङ जिल्ला, [daŋ]) is the district of Lumbini Province located in the Inner Terai of midwestern Nepal. Deukhuri valley of the district is the capital of the province and is the second largest valley of Asia surrounded by Sivalik Hills and Mahabharata Range. The district headquarter Ghorahi is the seventh largest city and the largest sub-metropolitan city of Nepal. Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city, the second largest city of Dang, is a major transportation hub with an extensive road and air networks. The district covers an area of 2,955 km2 and has a population of 548,141 (2011 census).
Dang district has been archeologically studied extensively since the 20th century due to the discoveries of ancient fossils of apes and early humans. The district is considered the center of Sanskrit language in Nepal and is home to Nepal's second oldest university, Nepal Sanskrit University which is the only Sanskrit university of the country as well as Rapti Academy of Health Sciences (RAHS), the state-owned medical college of Lumbini Province with the Prime Minister of Nepal as the Chancellor. There are numerous temples and gumbas in Dang Deukhuri district with puranic legendary connections to Mahābhārata, Shaivism, Shaktism & Gorakhnath making it one of the richest cultural sites of the country.