Indian Journalists Visit Historical Sites in Rupandehi and Palpa

Butwal. A 23-member delegation of Indian journalists has made an on-site visit to various historical heritage sites in Rupandehi and Palpa, which have a history of defeating the British army.

The team of journalists working in various media houses in India visited Nuwakot Gadhi in Palpa, Manimukundasen Udyan in Rupandehi, and the historical Jitegadi fort in Butwal.

The team, led by Amit Tripathi, senior correspondent of Zee News Television India and president of Maharajganj Press Club, Uttar Pradesh, observed important sites connected with the historical relationship between Nepal and India.

A total of 23 journalists participated in the team, including Amit Tripathi, senior correspondent of Zee News, Amitesh Tripathi of Aajtak Television, Alok Joshi of Hindustan Daily, Rohit Tripathi of DD News, Sudesh Tripathi of Dainik Bhaskar, Ajay Jaiswal of India News, Dinesh Jaiswal of Amar Ujala, Amitesh Gupta of ABP News, and Angad Sharma of C News. According to Kamal Rayamajhi, president of Lumbini Press Club, the historical heritage sites and hill stations were visited by Indian journalists with the support of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Lumbini.

According to Chandra Bahadur Thapa, president of NATTA Lumbini, Indian journalists were taken to historical sites related to the Nepal-British war and given historical information about how the British army was defeated in Nepal.

At Nuwakot Gadhi and Manimukundasen Udyan, historian and tourism entrepreneur Madhav Nepal informed the journalists about the Nepal-British war and the bravery of the Nepali army.

Indian journalists were impressed to hear the history of how the then Colonel Ujir Singh Thapa, leading a limited Nepali army, defeated the British army of thousands based on military strategy, said Alok Joshi, senior correspondent of Hindustan Daily.

Ajay Jaiswal of India News Television said that it was a matter of joy for the people of Uttar Pradesh to enjoy the natural scenic beauty at a temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius in Nuwakot Gadhi, located about an hour away from the Sunauli border, while the temperature in the bordering Indian cities of Nautanwa, Kolhui, and Maharajganj was reaching around 40 degrees Celsius.

The Indian journalists' team was welcomed at Jitegadi in Butwal by the mayor of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, Khelraj Pandey. He provided information about the historical significance of Jitegadi fort.

For about an hour, the journalists were informed about the historical heritage in Jitegadi fort, the map of Greater Nepal, the paintings depicting military strategy, the martyr's park, the saga of Colonel Ujir Singh Thapa, and the old history of Butwal.

Tourism entrepreneur and former president of NATTA Lumbini, Sagar Adhikari, said that the Indian journalists were very impressed by the visit.

The British, who had colonized India for a long time, attacked Butwal on Baisakh 7, 1872 BS (1815 AD) while invading Nepal. Jitegadi is known as the site where the Nepali army, led by then Colonel Ujir Singh Thapa, achieved a historic victory by defeating the powerful British army. The history of Jitegadi fort is connected with the saga of valor and sacrifice of the brave Gurkha soldiers who fought to protect Nepal's sovereignty during the Nepal-British war.