JHAPA: Tourism activities have increased in the famous tourist destinations of Kichakbadh and Kachankabal in Jhapa, after improvements to road connectivity in the area.
Spread across 19 bighas in Bhadrapur-2, Kichakbadh is linked to the Mahabharata era and is believed to be the site where King Birat’s general Kichak was killed. The area is also associated with human civilization dating back more than 2,000 years.
Similarly, Kachankabal in Kachanakabal Rural Municipality-4 is known as the lowest point in Nepal, situated at an altitude of 58 metres above sea level. Both tourist destinations are located around 10 kilometres from Chandragadhi Airport and between 28 and 43 kilometres from Birtamod, Charali and the eastern border point of Kakarbhitta along the Mahendra Highway.
The road leading to Kachankabal has already been blacktopped, while blacktopping work has reached within one and a half kilometres of the Kichakbadh site, according to Bam Bahadur Koirala, secretary of the Kichakbadh Religious, Historical and Tourist Site Conservation Committee.
“The blacktopped road now connects Kichakbadh from all major routes, including Kakarbhitta, Bhadrapur, Charali and Birtamod,” Koirala said. “Earlier, visitors complained about poor road conditions, but now access has become much easier. We hope the government will allocate additional budget to complete blacktopping up to the site itself.”
He said the number of visitors has increased after the Department of Archaeology discovered artefacts believed to be more than 2,000 years old during excavations in the area. Ancient metal utensils, earthen pots and jars recovered from repeated excavations were carbon-tested abroad.
According to excavation team leader Uddhav Acharya, the tests confirmed the artefacts to be around 2,200 years old. Excavations have also uncovered five physical structures, including a large building in the northeast, another structure in the south and a small room believed to have been used by security personnel in the northwest.
Parts of the brick structures are now visible above ground level. The first excavation at the site was carried out in 2059 BS. Since then, the Kichakbadh Religious, Historical and Tourist Site Conservation Committee has been working on conservation and tourism promotion activities.
Tourist attractions developed in the area include a 20-foot-tall Bhim-Kichak statue, a pond, a forest picnic site and a children’s park. Koirala said the number of visitors coming for study, recreation and holidays has increased significantly in recent years.
Road access has also improved in Kachankabal after the blacktopping of the route leading to the site. Vice-chairperson of Kachankabal Rural Municipality Nawaraj Bhattarai said both domestic and foreign tourists can now reach the country’s lowest point from the highway in less than an hour.
“Tourists previously faced difficulties due to dusty and gravel roads,” Bhattarai said. “Now the main road from Baniyani Bazaar to the Kachankabal pillar has been blacktopped.”
He added that physical structures, including a fish-shaped statue near the pond, have been built to attract more tourists. According to him, the number of visitors arriving on both two-wheelers and four-wheelers has increased after the road improvement.
Visitor Gopal Kafle from Birtamod said that although road access has improved, there is still a lack of facilities for tourists wishing to stay longer in the area.
Locals believe that once the Mahendra Highway is upgraded under the Asian Highway project, these destinations could attract even more domestic and international tourists.
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