Dharan is a major town in Eastern Nepal, in the Sunsari district, at the foot of the hills at the edge of the Terai. It serves as a major trading centre for the hill region, although situated on the plains. It was once the location of a British Gurkha recruitment centre, opened in 1953. It closed in the last decade, and the only remaining centre is in the town of Pokhara, west of Kathmandu.

Dharan is homeland of the Kiranti people (Rai & Limbu); however, other peoples like Newar, Brahman, Chetris, Tamang, etc., can be found here, making Dharan a multi-lingual community with different languages and various dialects spoken. However, Nepali is the official and common language. Because of the multi-racial structure, Dharan has been the meeting point of different cultures, with Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim groups all present.

Statistics

Land area: 12.23 km˛
Population: 110,316 (1998 est.), of which male 55.514%, female 54.802%

Administration

Zone: Kosi
District: Sunsari
Number of Wards: 19