28°22′N 082°33′E / 28.367°N 82.550°E / 28.367; 82.550 (Rolpa District, Nepal)

Rolpa (Nepali: रोल्पा जिल्ला)Listen, is a "hill" district in Lumbini Province of Nepal. Rolpa district covers an area of 1,879 km (725 sq mi) with population (2011) of 221,177. Rolpa town is the district's administrative center.

The various grievances of Rolpa's population made the district ripe for revolt. It became a "Maoist Stronghold" of the Communist Party of Nepal. In May 2002 a major battle between Maoist guerillas and the army was fought at Lisne Lekh near the Rolpa-Pyuthan border.

History

The area of Rolpa District was under the Rukumkot (Rukum District) King before 15th century. Tuthansen (King of Salyankot) established a separate kingdom carving out some 18 villages from Rukumkot Kingdom. The new kingdom was named Gajulkot. These 18 villages were given to Tuthansen in dowry by Jayant Berma who was the king of Rukumkot. These ruins are still available to see in Rolpa District.

Rolpa district was part of two different districts Pyuthan District and Salyan District during Rana regime. In 1962, Rolpa district established carving out parts of Pyuthan District and Salyan District.

Administrative divisions

Rolpa district is divided into 10 local level bodies in which nine are rural municipalities and one is municipality:

1. Rolpa Municipality
2. Runtigadhi Rural Municipality
3. Triveni Rural Municipality
4. Sunilsmiriti Rural Municipality (previously: Suwarnawati Rural Municipality)
5. Lungri Rural Municipality
6. Sunchhahari Rural Municipality
7. Thabang Rural Municipality
8. Madi Rural Municipality
9. Gangadev Rural Municipality (previously: Sukidaha Rural Municipality)
10. Paribartan Rural Municipality (previously: Duikholi Rural Municipality)

Geography and climate

Rolpa is drained southward by the Madi Khola from a complex of 3,000 to 4,000 meter ridges about 50 kilometers south of the Dhaulagiri Himalaya. This mountainous barrier historically isolated Rolpa by encouraging travelers between India and Tibet to detour to follow easier routes to the east or west, while east–west travelers found easier routes to the north through Dhorpatan Valley, or to the south through Dang Valley or along the Mahabharat Range.

Climate Zone	Elevation Range	% of Area
Upper Tropical	300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft.	3.3%
Subtropical	1,000 to 2,000 meters 3,300 to 6,600 ft.	61.7%
Temperate	2,000 to 3,000 meters 6,400 to 9,800 ft.	31.4%
Subalpine	3,000 to 4,000 meters 9,800 to 13,100 ft.	3.6%

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Rolpa District had a population of 224,506.

As their first language, 86.1% spoke Nepali, 10.8% Magar, 2.6% Kham, 0.3% Gurung and 0.1% other languages.

Ethnicity/caste: 43.4% were Magar, 33.9% Chhetri, 12.3% Kami, 3.6% Damai/Dholi, 2.3% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 1.1% Hill Brahmin, 0.9% Thakuri, 0.8% Sarki, 0.5% other Dalit, 0.5% Gurung, 0.2% Newar, 0.1% Badi, 0.1% Musalman and 0.2% others.

Religion: 85.2% were Hindu, 11.7% Buddhist, 1.7% Christian, 0.7% Prakriti, 0.1% Muslim and 0.6% others.

Literacy: 59.3% could read and write, 3.2% could only read and 37.5% could neither read nor write.

Population by Census 1971-2021

Historic, cultural, archeological sites

• Bhama Odar
• Gari Lake, Jaulipokhari
• Bibang Daha, Gam
• Chaturbhuj Panchayan
• Baraha Khetra Badachaur
• Devi and Khadga Temple, Durga Bhawani, Durga Temple
• Gajulkot
• Jaljala, Jankot Jhankristhan
• Kalika Devi, Khungrikot, Kot Maula
• Pateswari Temple
• Shivalaya Mandir
• Kothi Vheer, Gam
• Murelle lake, Holleri

Health services

Rolpa is one of the most remote district in Nepal in terms of Health services some notable Health care centers being:

• Rolpa District Hospital &
• Jeevan Anmol Hospital
• Jan Namuna Hospital