Gaindakot (मेरो गाउँ )

Gaindakot (also written as Gaidakot) /Guyn-daa-kowt/ Nepali: गैंडाकोट is a small town of Gaindakot Municipality of Nawalparasi District, next to Narayangarh, Chitwan in Nepal. The official name of this place is Adarsha Gaindakot Village development committee it is located in the bank of Narayani River and is backed by numerous mountains. Dhodeni, Keladi (west of Devghat) and Hardi situated on the north and eastern side Gaindakot municipality are sparsely populated areas in Gaindakot with no proper motorways. Since Gaindakot is just across the famous Narayanghat (or Bharatpur, Nepal) city, it has got ample opportunities for development and the population has been growing at a fast pace with Gaindakot's population recording to 21,775 according to 2001 census. Gaindakot is situated at an average altitude of about 150m from sea level.

Maula Kalika

Gaindakot is famous nationwide for Maula Kalika temple and for Maula hill hiking. The temple is situated at the top of the Maula hill mountain (approx 600m above sea level) where people climb around 2 km long trail. Maula Kalika is popular for its 360 degree panoramic view of the entire Chitwan valley including Chitwan National Park on the south and Mt.Manaslu & Kaligandaki river on the north. The temple is famous for sunrise view also. Many high ranking officials of Nepal including President, former kings and foreign dignitaries have visited the temple. Dasain (Vijayadashami or Bada Dasain) festival in Sept-October and in March-April (Chaite Dasain) are peak seasons. Maula Kalika is the symbol of Hindugoddess Kali or Kalika is associated with eternal energy, the symbol of power, harmony and new beginning.

Dhodeni

Dhodeni is located on the northern part of Gaindakot's hilly area sand-witched by two mountains at an altitude of about 300m from sea level. Dhodeni is populated by Gurung, Magarand some Kumal tribes within few hundred houses. Dhodeni is widely popular for traditional dance and party events during festive seasons around October.

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Narayani River

Kaligandakit river and Narayani River flows north, east and south of Gaindakot. Narayani river is the deepest and also one of the biggest rivers of Nepal. The Narayani Bridge over the river connects Chitwan District with Nawalparasi District of Nepal. Small islands, like Nagarban in Narayani river are popular picnic spots. Eastern side of the Narayani river bank in Gaindakot is regarded as the holy site for Hindu rituals and well as a playground for school children. For long time Narayani river had been a life-line of Gaindakotie as the main source of drinking water supply irrespective of the season and water quality until late 1990's.

Narayangadh

Narayangadh in Bharatpur city, is the main shopping and commercial area for Gaindakot residents. Is the main transit point for all the vehicles traveling via east-west Mahendra Highway and also for the people traveling from Kathmandu, Gorkha, and Pokhara through Mugling road. Devghat is an important religious site for elderly people of Gaindakot.

Recently, Narayangarh has become a retail and commercial capital of whole Chitwan district and Bharatpur Municipality. It is also the center for hospitality industry which includes Hotels, Lodges, Restaurants etc. and transportation hub for Chitwan district.

Lumbini

Gaindakot is an entry point of Lumbini on the eastern side of the Lumbini Zone. Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, a World Heritage Site, is situated about 130 km. west of Gaindakot. Lumbini is also the administrative zone of Gaindakot VDC.

Chitwan National Park

Nearby Chitwan National Park, a World Heritage Site, is home to one horn rhino's, elephants, royal Bengal tigers, crocodiles, deers and many other wild animals. It is the third largest tourist destination in Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara. Gaindakot's name is derived from the rhino, as rhino's are said to be once dominating Gaindakot plains until the mid 20th century.