Temple, monastery or heritage site
Ajaymerukot
Ruins of an old hilltop capital of the Doti kingdom, set among forest in the Dadeldhura hills.
Sudurpashchim Provinceडडेलधुरा
Dadeldhura District
A cool, pine-forested hill district above the far-west Terai, with the Amargadhi fort and the Ugratara temple.
- Province
- Sudurpashchim
- Headquarters
- Dadeldhura
- Area
- about 1,507 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 3
About Dadeldhura
Dadeldhura sits in the hills of western Sudurpashchim, rising behind the Terai districts of Kanchanpur and Kailali. Baitadi lies to the north and Doti to the east, while the Mahakali River touches its western side along the border with India. The district is mostly mid-hill country of pine forest, terraced farmland and long ridges, with lower valleys along its rivers. The headquarters town lies on a ridge and has a mild climate.
Dadeldhura's people are mainly Khas Chhetri, Brahmin and Dalit communities, and the town serves as a market and stopover on the road between the Terai and the hill districts further north. Deuda songs and dances are popular. Travellers usually pass through on the way to Baitadi and Darchula, but the town makes a pleasant halt for its cool air, its fort and its temples.
Places in Dadeldhura
Town or village
Amargadhi (Dadeldhura)
A pine-scented ridge town above the far-western Terai, with an old Gorkhali fort and views north to the Himalaya.
Temple, monastery or heritage site
Ugratara Temple
A revered goddess shrine in the Dadeldhura hills, a focus of pilgrimage and fairs in the far west.
Getting there
Dadeldhura is reached by road from Dhangadhi or Bhimdatta in the Terai, climbing into the hills via Attariya on a winding highway that takes several hours. The nearest airport with regular flights from Kathmandu is at Dhangadhi.
Best time to visit
Autumn and spring are the most pleasant seasons; the monsoon brings heavy rain and occasional road closures, and winters are cool and mostly dry, with frosty mornings on the ridges.
Editorial draft: the district overview is being checked. Headquarters and Nepali names: nepal-places dataset (MIT). Area and map position computed from the district boundaries of the Government of Nepal, Survey Department, via OCHA.