Siddhartha Highway Explained

Country:NPL
Siddhartha Highway
Type:NH
Route:47
Alternate Name:National Highway 47
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:Siddhartha Highway in red
Length Km:182
Terminus A:Belahiya, Nepal
Terminus B:Pokhara, Nepal
Next Type:NH
Next Route:48
Previous Type:NH
Previous Route:46

Siddhartha Highway (Nepali: [[:ne:सिद्धार्थ राजमार्ग|सिद्धार्थ राजमार्ग]]), or NH47 (previously: H10)is a major highway in Nepal that connects the Terai region in southern Nepal with the mountain region in northern Nepal. The highway starts at the Nepal–India border near Siddharthanagar and terminates at Pokhara. This highway intersects with the east–west Mahendra Highway at Butwal.[1]

The highway construction was started in 1964 and completed in 1971. It was inaugurated by King Birendra on 9 May 1972 (25 Baisakh 2029 BS) in Pokhara. Constructed with Indian financial assistance, the highway consists of about 34 bridges with the longest bridge over the Kali Gandaki River in Ramdi. The highway takes its name from Siddhartha Gautam (Gautama Buddha).

Route description

The length of highway is 181km (112miles).[2] The major settlements on the highway are Siddharthanagar, Butwal, Tansen, Waling, Putalibazar, Syangja and Pokhara.

The Butwal–Palpa section of this road consists of rocky terrain and frequent rock-fall which sometimes causes fatal accidents.[3]

The road is considered among top five busiest highways in Nepal. The road is mainly used for transportation of food and agricultural products. People who want to travel to Pokhara generally do not use this highway because of large number of narrow curves and the poor quality of the road.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ::..DoR || Road Statistics ..:: . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160709181819/http://www.dor.gov.np/national_highways.php . 2016-07-09 .
  2. Web site: ::..DoR || Road Statistics ..:: . 2016-06-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160709181819/http://www.dor.gov.np/national_highways.php . 2016-07-09 .
  3. Gnyawali . Kaushal Raj . A Minor Study on Rockfall in the Siddhababa Section of Siddhartha Highway Nepal . 2011 .