Butwal

Butwal (Nepali: बुटवल) is one of the major cities in Nepal. It lies in Western Development Region, Lumbini Zonein Rupandehi District. It acts as an administrative headquarter for Lumbini Zone. It is situated at the bank of Tilottama River Tinau River. It is located 265 km west of Kathmandu 161 km south of Pokhara and 22 km north of Siddharthanagar Bhairawaha, at the northern edge of the Terai plain below the Siwalik Hills. Its name is derived from Batauli Bazaar in the town's oldest district; also known as BTL informally.

Geographically, Butwal is the mid section (Cross Roads) of the Nepal's National Highway (Mahendra Highway & Siddhartha Highway). It connects western Nepal to the capital Kathmandu through highway and air links. It has become one of the fastest growing cities in Nepal in terms of mainly education, infrastructure, highway, marketing, health & safety, communication, trade and banking sectors. It has highway connections to the Indian Border at Sunauli and to hilly towns Tansen and Pokhara valley. And holds the title of being "The Best City in Nepal" twice.

Butwal was officially declared as a sub-metropolitian city on 2 December 2014 by combining two neighbouring VDCs Motipur and Semlar.Fossils of ancient hominoids Ramapithecus were found near the Tinau (Tilottama) River as early as 1932, including a 10.1 million year old tooth.

Historically Butwal connected Nepali people with their Indian neighbors. As the British East India Companyannexed Awadh from its hereditary rulers while the Shah Dynasty attempted to annex the Terai, Butwal became one of bones of contention leading to the Gurkha War 1814-16.

When King Tribhuvan fled to India in 1950 during the revolt against the Rana dynasty he travelled through Butwal. Then it was little more than a village on the western bank of Tilottama River (also known as Tinau). With completion in 1968 of Siddhartha Highway from the border at Sunauli through Butwal to Pokhara and then in the 1990s Mahendra Highway across the full east-west expanse of Nepal's Terai, Butwal has developed rapidly.