Bhairahawa, April 13

A gate is set to be constructed at Belhiya of Rupandehi on the Nepal-India border.

Siddharthanagar Municipality has started a campaign to construct a gate at Belhiya which is the major entry point for tourists entering the country via land route. It is also the entry point to Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini.

The gate will be 50-metre long, 23-metre wide and 29-metre tall. The entry door will be decorated with artistic designs of Ashoka, Buddha with Swoyambhu eyes, stupas, 12 Buddha idols, and national flag to give a glimpse of Nepal’s identity. The entry door construction is expected to cost around Rs 15 million.

Siddharthanagar Municipality Engineer Yamlal Pandey said the final design of the Buddha gate was prepared after consultation with stakeholders.

Municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer Khyam Bahadur Thapa said his office expected

to complete the project within one year.

According to Immigration Office, Belhiya, tourists from 120 countries have their visa stamped from the office. Around 200,000 tourists entered Nepal via the border point in 2017.

Mayor Hari Adhikari said the municipality had come up with the idea of constructing the gate to attract more tourists to the country. “We want to construct the gate to welcome tourists, dispel the misconception about the Budhha’s birthplace and develop Siddharthanagar as a tourist hub along with Lumbini,” Adhikari added.