Editing Rajbiraj (section)

{{short description|First planned city of Nepal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the table at Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage-->
<!-- Basic info  -->| name                     = Rajbiraj
| official_name            = Rajbiraj Municipality
| other_name               = 
| native_name              = राजविराज
| native_name_lang         = 
| settlement_type          = [[List of cities in Nepal|City]]
| motto                    = "Rajbiraj city, prosperous green city"<ref>Rajbiraj Municipality official website</ref>
| image_skyline            = {{Photomontage
| photo2a      = Gajendra Chauk.jpg
| photo3a      = Neta Chwok, Rajbiraj (1).JPG
| photo3b      = Krishna Temple (1).JPG
| photo4a      = Bhagwati Mandir Rajbiraj (2).JPG
| photo4b      = Rajdevi Temple,Rajbiraj (2).JPG
| spacing                   = 1
| color_border              = white
| color                     = white
| size                      = 280
| foot_montage = Clockwise from top<br />Gajendra Chowk formerly Tribhuwan Chowk, Krishna Temple, [[Rajdevi Temple]], [[Bhagwati Temple]] and Neta Chowk/Dashan Chowk/Ghantaghar
}}
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = 
| image_map                = {{Maplink|frame=yes|frame-width=280|frame-height=220|frame-coordinates={{Coord|26.5|N|86.75|E}}|stroke-width=2|zoom=10|type=shape-inverse|stroke-color=#525252|id=Q2463109}}
| named_for                = [[Rajdevi Temple]]
| mapsize                  = 
| map_caption              = 
| pushpin_map              = Nepal Madhesh Province#Nepal
| pushpin_label_position   = top
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Rajbiraj
| pushpin_mapsize          = 300
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = [[flag|Nepal]]<!--the name of the country-->
| subdivision_type1        = [[Nepalese Federal States|Province]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Madhesh Province|Madhesh]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[Region]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]]
| subdivision_type3        = [[Districts of Nepal|District]]
| subdivision_name3        = [[Saptari District|Saptari]]
| subdivision_type4        = No. of wards
| subdivision_name4        = 16
| government_footnotes     = 
| leader_title             = [[Mayor|Acting Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Ishrat Praveen ([[People's Socialist Party, Nepal (2020)|PSP-N]])
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| leader_title2            = Chief Administrative Officer
| leader_name2             = 
| leader_title3            = 
| leader_name3             = 
| leader_title4            = [[House of Representatives (Nepal)|MP]]
| leader_name4             = [[CK Raut]] ([[Janamat Party]])
| established_title        = <bgcolor="red">
| established_date         = 
| established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated -->
| established_date2        = <!-- Area    -->
| area_footnotes           = 
| area_total_km2           = 55.64
<!-- Population   -->
| population_as_of         = [[2021 Nepal census|2021 census]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_note          = 
| population_total         = 70,803<ref name="Census">{{Cite web |title=National population and housing census |url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/population?province=2&district=15&municipality=13 |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Census Nepal}}</ref>
| population_density_km2   = auto
| population_metro         = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_demonym       = Rajbirajian 
<!-- General information  -->
| timezone                 = [[Nepal Standard Time|NST]]
| utc_offset               = +5:45
| timezone_DST             = 
| utc_offset_DST           = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|26|32|26|N|86|44|55|E|region:NP_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use  tags-->
| elevation_m              = 76
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -->
| postal_code_type         = [[Postal code]]
| postal_code              = 56400
| area_code                = 031
| blank_name_sec1          = [[Literacy rate]]
| blank_info_sec1          = 76.60%
| website                  = {{URL|www.rajbirajmun.gov.np}}
| footnotes                = 
}}
<!-- Please do not edit the summary without citing reliable sources -->
'''Rajbiraj''' ({{langx|ne|राजविराज}}) is a mid-sized [[List of cities in Nepal|municipality]] located in the south-eastern part of [[Province No. 2|Madhesh Province]] of [[Nepal]]. The city is also called the "Pink City of Nepal" because the township was designed in 1938 based on influence from the "Indian Pink City"  [[Jaipur]] - thus making it the first township in Nepal to receive [[urban planning]].<ref name=Rajbiraj/> Rajbiraj is the district headquarters of [[Saptari District|Saptari]] which is transferred from old district headquarter [[Hanumannagar, Saptari|Hanumannagar]] in 1944 and is the eighth largest city in the province.<ref>{{cite news |title=Terms of Reference for the preparation of IUDP of municipality |url=https://mofald.gov.np/sites/default/files/News_Notices/Napakha.PDF |access-date=30 November 2023 |agency=MOFALD |publisher=Government of Nepal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jha |first=Ajay Kumar |title=हनुमाननगरका मूर्तिहरू घर फर्किन्छन् ! |url=https://www.onlinekhabar.com/2021/07/980439 |access-date=2018-02-05 |website=Onlinekhabar |language=ne}}</ref>  It was declared a municipality in 1959.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.housingnepal.com/articles/display/rapid-urbanization-in-nepal-an-asset-or-liability |title=Rapid urbanization in Nepal |website=www.housingnepal.com |access-date=8 May 2018}}</ref> According to the [[2021 Nepal census|2021 census]], the city had a population of 70,803 making it the [[List of cities in Nepal|77rh largest municipality in Nepal]].<ref name="Census"/> The city area is spread over {{Convert|55.64|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|2}} and comprises 16 wards.

The city is named after the ancient temple of [[Rajdevi Temple|Rajdevi]], rebuilt by the [[Sena dynasty|Sena]] kings in the early 14th century.<ref name="Monuments of Saptari">{{cite book|last1=Dāsa|first1=Harikāntalāla|title=Saptarī Jillākā pramukha sāṃskr̥tika sthalaharu : eka adhyayana : laghuanusandhānakārya|date=2003|publisher=Nepāla Rājakīya Prajñā-Pratishṭhāna|location=Kāṭhamāḍauṃ|isbn=9789993350569|pages=120|edition=1. saṃskaraṇa.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.asianart.com/articles/saptari/index.html |title=Sanjib Chaudhary: The ruins of Sen palace and temple in Saptari district of Nepal |website=www.asianart.com |access-date=8 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="Das">{{cite journal |last=Das |first=Basudevlal |title=The Sena Dynasty: From Bengal to Nepal |journal=Academic Voices |date=2014 |page=6 |url= https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/AV/article/download/12350/10009}}</ref> Rajbiraj has prominently served as a politically active town in the modern history of Nepal and has been the hometown to a [[#Notable persons|number of icons]] of the nation. Rajbiraj comes under the Saptari 2(B) assembly constituency which elects a member to the [[Provincial Assembly of Province No. 2|Provincial Assembly of Madhesh Province]] once every five years and it is a part of the Saptari 2 constituency which elects its [[House of Representatives (Nepal)|MP]] once in five years.

Roadways are the major mode of transportation to the town but it also has air connectivity. The major trade routes to the town are offered by the Nepalese metropolis of [[Biratnagar]] situated {{Convert|78|km|mi|abbr=on}} east to the city as well as the [[Indo-Nepal relations|Indo-Nepal]] border of [[Kunauli]] situated {{Convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} south to the city.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fgbsCgAAQBAJ&q=Rajbiraj%2520and%2520kunauli&pg=PT24 |title=Nepal - India Open Borders: Problems and Prospects |last=Pyakurel |first=Uddab P. |date=2015-12-20 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-84464-92-9 |language=en}}</ref>