Okhaldhunga

Okhaldhunga is the headquarters of Okhaldhunga District, in the Sagarmatha Zone of Nepal. It falls in Siddhicharan Municipality. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3761 living in 790 individual households. It is located at 27°19'0N 86°30'0E and has an altitude of 1561 m (5124 ft).
The district gets its name from Okhal, meaning a grinding stone. As if in evidence of the same, a big grinding stone still lies at the district headquarters, which is also named as Okhaldhuga. The district contains ancient forts such as Okhaldhunga Gadhi, Taluwagadhi, Chisankhukot, Bhaluithumkagadhi, and Chyanmakotgadhi that were important in :the history of Nepal. The birthplace of the famous Nepalese poet, Siddhicharan Shrestha, Okhaldhunga is also known as the 'District of Martyrs'. It is believed that more than 56 citizens of the area died in the Nepalese struggle for democracy. The district provides scenic views of snow-capped mountains Sagaramatha, Kanchenjanga, Gaurishankar, Tholedemba, Taklung, Rawadelu and many others. It also possesses many sparkling springs like Pokali, Lipu, Patle, Sepli, Dhikure and more, which descend along the hills from heights of around 300 metres. The district is known. as a good source of slate, especially on the cliffs like Khiji Khijee, Ragani and Dandapakha. The proper development of the slate industry, with procurement, processing and transporting to .lucrative markets could be a boon not just for Okhaldhunga but the entire nation. Other industries that could be developed are copper mining and iron ore mining as the district is said to be rich in these metals. In the agricultural sector the district is well known for various cash crops such as like tea, coffee, cardamom etc. The climate is most suitable for these crops as well as for many different citrus fruits.