Narayani Zone

Narayani Zone(Nepali: नारायणी अञ्चल), located in the central south of Nepal, is one of the fourteen Zones of the Republic of Nepal. Narayani Zone is named after the Narayani River which is located on the western border of the zone, separating it from Gandaki and Lumbini zones. Narayani means beloved of Narayan and Narayan refers to Lord Bishnu (The preserver).

Geography

Narayani contains parts of the Terai, Inner Terai, and Hill regions of Nepal, but it does not contain any of the Mountain or Himalayan region. Narayani is rich in flora and fauna. Considering the plain Terai, bordering India (to the south), where Arnas (Wild Bulls) run to the Hills from when fall falls, landscape structure of Narayani can be considered pretty unique. Narayani River and Rapti River are the main rivers of Narayani zone. Bisharari Lake, Garuda Lake are some of the few lakes in Narayani.

Narayani is divided into 5 districts:

1. Bara District : Kalaiya

2. Chitwan District : Bharatpur

3. Makwanpur District : Hetauda

4. Parsa District : Birganj

5. Rautahat District : Gaur

History

Narayani used to be all forest, and settlement started after the Anglo-Nepal War. Devghat is also present in this area where people go there for meditation, it is one of the most religious place of Nepal.

Miscellaneous

Narayani hosts Nepal's oldest and most famous national park: Chitwan (932 km²), considered to be one of Asia's richest nature reserves, renowned for its Bengal tigers and the Indian white Rhinoceros. To the southeast the park is complemented by the Parsa Wildlife reserve with another 499 km².

Narayani is one of the few zones that has been left relatively untouched by Maoist insurgency up to now. It is one of the relatively prosperous zones of Nepal with a vibrant trading market with India whose effect can be easily seen in the border town of Birgunj. Birgunj is the capital of this zone.

From : www.wikipedia.org