Rasuwa District

Rasuwa District (Nepali: रसुवा जिल्लाListen^ⓘ is one of 13 districts of Bagmati Province and one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhunche, Gosaikunda Rural Municipality as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,544 km² (596 sq mi) and has a population (2011) of 43,300. Its District Post Office (DPO) has a Rasuwa DPO code of 45000. There are five post offices in the district. As per census 2011 total households in Rasuwa district were 9,778. It is the smallest district by area, among 16 districts in the Himalaya region of Nepal.^[1][2]

Rasuwa District रसुवा जिल्ला
District
Clockwise from top: Kyanjing Gompa village, Stupa near Langtang village on a popular trek route, Panorama of Gosaikunda lake, Dhunche— the headquarter of Rasuwa district
Location of district in province
Country	Nepal
Province	Bagmati Province
Established	1962
Admin HQ.	Dhunche, Gosaikunda Rural Municipality
Government
• Type	Coordination committee
• Body	DCC, Rasuwa
• Chief District Officer	Naba Raj Jaisi
Area
• Total	1,544 km2 (596 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	43,300
• Density	28.0/km2 (72.6/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+05:45 (NPT)
Main Language(s)	Nepali, Tamang

Etymology

The name, formerly Rasowa, is believed to be derived from two Tibetan words ra (lamb) and sowa (grazing), as it was known for its lamb and grazing lands.

Geography and climate

Climate Zone[3]	Elevation Range	% of Area
Upper Tropical	300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft.	1.2%
Subtropical	1,000 to 2,000 meters 3,300 to 6,600 ft.	11.4%
Temperate	2,000 to 3,000 meters 6,400 to 9,800 ft.	20.8%
Subalpine	3,000 to 4,000 meters 9,800 to 13,100 ft.	20.0%
Alpine	4,000 to 5,000 meters 13,100 to 16,400 ft.	11.8%
Nival	above 5,000 meters	32.9%
Transhimalayan[4] [5]	Cold arid or semi-arid	2.0%

Its territory has elevations ranging from 614 to 7,227 meters (2,014 to 23,711 ft) from mean sea Level. Forests cover 31.43% of the land while 16.63% is always snow-covered.^[6] Steeply varying territory and plenty of natural blessings make Rasuwa a well-known tourist destination in Nepal.^{[citation needed]} Sightseeing places including Gosaikunda Lake, Langtang valley plus one of the hot springs in Nepal (locally called Tatopani) are located in the district.

Demographics

Historical population

Census year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1981	30,241	—
1991	36,744	+1.97%
2001	44,731	+1.99%
2011	43,300	−0.32%
2021	45,554	+0.51%
Source: Citypopulation[7]

At the time of the 2021 Nepal census, Rasuwa District had a population of 46,689. 8.50% of the population is under 5 years of age. It has a literacy rate of 69.60% and a sex ratio of 943 females per 1000 males. The entire population lives in rural areas.^[8]

Castes/ethnic groups in Rasuwa District (2021)^[9]

1. Tamang (68.8%)
2. Bahun (13.3%)
3. Ghale (5.17%)
4. Gurung (2.70%)
5. Chhetri (2.62%)
6. Newar (1.84%)
7. Kami (1.80%)
8. Damai (1.18%)
9. Magar (1.13%)
10. Others (1.44%)

Ethnicity wise: Hill Janjatis were the largest group, making up 78% of the population. Tamangs were the largest Hill Janjati group, making up 69% of the population, with smaller populations of Ghale and Gurung. Khas are the second largest group, making up 19% of the population.^[9]

Languages of Rasuwa district (2021)^[10]

1. Tamang (67.5%)
2. Nepali (24.5%)
3. Ghale (3.80%)
4. Tibetan (1.72%)
5. Others (2.45%)

At the time of the 2021 census, 67.54% of the population spoke Tamang, 24.49% Nepali, 3.80% Ghale and 1.72% Tibetan as their first language.^[10] In 2011, 26.5% of the population spoke Nepali as their first language.^[11]

Religion in Rasuwa District (2021)^[12]

Religion			Percent
Buddhism			70.84%
Hinduism			25.61%
Christianity			3.44%
Other or not stated			0.11%

Administrative divisions

The administrative division of Rasuwa comprised 5 Rural Municipalities.

Map of the VDCs in Rasuwa District

Following are five Rural Municipalities in Rasuwa District:

Rural municipalities of Rasuwa District

#	Name	Website
1	Uttargaya Rural Municipality	uttargayamun.gov.np
2	Kalika Rural Municipality	kalikamunrasuwa.gov.np
3	Gosaikunda Rural Municipality	gosaikundamun.gov.np
4	Naukunda Rural Municipality	naukundamun.gov.np
5	Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality	aamachhodingmomun.gov.np

Many leaders of different parties are here but only 5 mayors are here. Nepali Congress won 2 places, CPN UML won 2 place and Rastriya Prajatantrik Party won 1 seat/place. The first ever person who was elected in Rasuwa from Nepali Congress was Mr. Bal Chandra Poudel (2046 B.S). The history of other parties are not commenced yet but this district in Nepal is also the one with no VDC. The winner of election 2070 BS in this district is Mr. Janardan Dhakal.

Transportation

Rasuwa is accessible by bus from Kathmandu (national capital) via Pasang Lhamu highway (H21), with its headquarters (Dhunche) being about 120 km (75 mi) from Kathmandu. As of 2013, 3 Village Development Committees (VDCs) namely Thuman, Langtang and Haku are not touched by any kind of roadway.

Tourism

Rasuwa lies in Himalayan region

Rasuwa is rich in natural resources claimed by the Government of Nepal Department of Mines & GeologyLangtang mountain range stands to the north of Rasuwa. The northern parts of the area largely fall within the boundaries of Langtang National Park. Gosainkunda Lake, Ganja La Pass, and Tamang village in Bridim are the major highlights of Rasuwa for tourism. The Gosainkunda Lake, also known as "Frozen Lake", is a mountain lake in the Langtang region. There are about 108 kundas (lakes) in this area. Saraswati Kund, Bhairab Kund, Surya Kund and Gosainkund are most important ones.

Langtang valley is another attraction in Rasuwa which is aptly called the valley of glaciers; mountains rise soaring toward the sky. The valley offers pine forest, swift mountain streams, rugged rock and snow-capped peaks, grassy down and meadows strewn with daisies and wild animals.

Gosaikunda lake is an alpine freshwater oligotrophic lake in Nepal's Langtang National Park.

Rasuwa Districts offer so many simple and hard Trekking routes like Langtang Valley Trek, Gosaikunda Trek, Tamang Heritage Trek, Langtang Circuit Trek which promotes locality of these places which is also recognised by Nepal Tourism Board and Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal