Districts
Lumbini Province
Arghakhanchi अर्घाखाँची
Hill forts and ridgelines
Arghakhanchi is a compact Lumbini Province hill district, headquartered at Sandhikharka on the old ridgeline road between Butwal and Baglung. Its signature draw is Supa Deurali, a temple to the goddess Supadevi set in a Mahabharat-range gorge that fills with pilgrims from across western Nepal during Dashain. The forested ridges and minor forts sit just above the Lumbini plains but see very little foreign traffic.
About Arghakhanchi
Arghakhanchi occupies a compact belt of Mahabharat-range hills between the Terai plains and the higher mid-hills. Its centrepiece is Supa Deurali, a gorge-set temple to the goddess Supadevi at roughly 1,370 metres, reached by a dramatic 47-kilometre road from Sandhikharka through forest and river canyon. The views from the temple precinct take in mountains, hills and plains simultaneously, and the gorge waterfall beside the complex draws its own visitors outside the main pilgrimage rush.
The district is Magar and Khas hill country, with small bazaars and terraced slopes that see almost no foreign tourists. Dashain is the peak pilgrimage season at Supa Deurali, when crowds from across western Nepal fill the road in. For the rest of the year the ridge road north toward Sandhikharka is quietly scenic; onward transport can be infrequent, so a buffer day is wise.
At a glance
- Headquarters
- Sandhikharka
- Known for
- Hill forts and ridgelines
Getting there
From Kathmandu, take any bus to Butwal (~8–9 hours via the Prithvi–Mahendra highway corridor), then a shared jeep or local bus north to Sandhikharka, roughly 90 km from Butwal and about 1.5–2 hours on a winding hill road. There is no commercial airport in the district; Bhairahawa's Gautam Buddha Airport, a 30-minute flight from Kathmandu, is the quickest way to reduce the road distance.