Ilam District


Ilam district is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. It is a Hill district and covers. The 2011 census counted 290,254 population. The municipality of Ilam is the district headquarters, about from Kathmandu.

Introduction

Ilam attracts many researchers who come to study rare birds and the red panda. Ilam stretches from the Terai belt to the upper hilly belt of this Himalayan nation.
The name Ilam is derived from the limbu language in which "IL" means twisted and "Lam" means road. Ilam was one of the ten self ruling states of Limbuwan before the reunification of Nepal. Its ruler King Hangshu Phuba Lingdom of Lingdom dynasty ruled Ilam as a confederate state of Limbuwan until 1813 AD. The treaty between the other Limbuwan states and the King of Gorkha and the conflict of Gorkha and Sikkim led to the unification of Ilam with Gorkha. Ilam was the last of the ten kingdoms of Limbuwan to be reunified into Nepal. The King of Gorkha gave the ruler of Ilam full autonomy to rule and the right of Kipat. Ilam was an independent Limbu kingdom until 1813 CE/1869 BS.
Ilam is today one of the most developed places in Nepal. Its ILAM TEA is very famous and is exported to many parts of Europe. The main source of income in this district is tea, cardamom, milk, ginger, potato, orlon, and broom production on a large scale.
This place also has a religious importance. The devi temples have a great importance attached to them and many people come here just for pilgrimage.
The major attraction of Ilam is the nine-cornered Mai Pokhari lake. Also known as the abode of the goddess many tourists as well as Nepalese people come to visit this place. Similarly, Gajurmukhi is also the religious spot for pilgrimages from Nepal and India. Mai river and its four tributaries also emerge in Ilam district. The famous Mane Bhanjyang connects Ilam with Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.
Ilam was much in the news in the past during the Maoist insurgency, from here the Maoists launched frequent, massive attacks.
Tourists going to Ilam can expect to pay around 7000 rupees a week for accommodation and food.

Geography and climate

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Ilam District had a population of 290,254. Of these, 42.8% spoke Nepali, 14.3% Limbu, 8.3% Bantawa, 8.3% Rai, 6.0% Tamang, 4.6% Magar, 2.1% Gurung, 2.1% Newari, 1.2% Sherpa, 1.0% Chamling, 1.0% Sunuwar, 0.9% Lepcha, 0.6% Kulung, 0.5% Yakkha and 0.5% Sampang as their first language.
45.7% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 1.5% Rai, 1.4% Bantawa, 1.3% Limbu and 0.5% English as their second language.

Divisions

Ilam is divided into 4 urban and 6 rural municipalities.
No.TypeNameNepaliPopulation AreaWebsite
1UrbanIlamइलाम48536173.32
2UrbanDeumaiदेउमाई32927191.63
3UrbanMai Municipalityमाई32576246.11
4UrbanSuryodayaसूर्योदय56691252.52
5RuralPhakphokthumफाकफोकथुम21,619108.79
6RuralMai Jogmaiमाईजोगमाई21,044172.41
7RuralChulachuliचुलाचुली20,820108.46
8RuralRongरोङ19,135155.06
9RuralMangsebungमाङसेबुङ18,503142.41
10RuralSandakpurसन्दकपुर16,065156.01
DistrictIlamईलाम

Former Village Development Committees and Municipalities