Town or village · 150 m
Karmaiya
A riverside spot where the Bagmati leaves the hills, known for the irrigation barrage that feeds the plains of Sarlahi and Rautahat.
Madhesh Provinceसर्लाही
Sarlahi District
A central Terai district of farmland and market towns between the Bagmati River and Mithila, with Malangwa on the Indian border.
- Province
- Madhesh
- Headquarters
- Malangwa
- Area
- about 1,268 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 3
About Sarlahi
Sarlahi lies in the middle of Madhesh Province, with Rautahat to the west across the Bagmati River, Mahottari to the east and the Chure hills and Sindhuli to the north. Its southern border faces Bihar in India. Most of the district is flat, fertile plain, and the Bagmati irrigation scheme supports farming across a wide area. Lalbandi and Hariwan sit along the East-West Highway near the hills.
Maithili and Bajjika are widely spoken in the south, while hill communities are settled closer to the highway. Rice, wheat, sugarcane and vegetables are the mainstays of the economy. Sarlahi sees few tourists, but it offers a direct look at village life in the Terai, with local temples, weekly markets and festivals such as Chhath and Holi celebrated with energy.
Places in Sarlahi
Getting there
Buses on the East-West Highway stop at Lalbandi and Hariwan, from where roads run south to Malangwa. From Kathmandu the journey is usually most of a day, often via the BP Highway and Bardibas. The nearest airports with regular flights are Janakpur and Simara, both a few hours away by road.
Best time to visit
October to March is the most pleasant time, with clear days interrupted by midwinter fog; April to June is very hot, and the monsoon brings heavy rain and some river flooding.
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.