Bhanu Chowk has changed, it shines even brighter in the evening

लगानी न्यूज

२८ आश्विन २०८३, बुधबार ०८:२६October 14, 2026

Sunsari. With the festival approaching, Bhanu Chowk of Dharan, which is busy in the morning with the crowd of passengers returning to the village, becomes more lively in the evening with the hustle and bustle of the general public shopping and snack shops.

{{TAG_OPEN_div_65} The movement of passengers heading to Khotang, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Taplejung, Panchthar, Biratnagar and Jhapa districts is busy throughout the day.

As the pressure of big vehicles decreases, the movement of traders selling snacks like mom, chow mein, and egg rolls by placing carts on the roadside increases. The crowd of people coming for lunch and shopping makes the atmosphere of the square more enjoyable.

Anita Rai of Dharan-8 has been selling mom, chow mein and egg rolls in a cart in Bhanu Chowk for the last 10 years. She prepares lunch items after completing household chores all day, reaches Bhanu Chowk at 5 pm and does business till 9:30 pm. Her daughter has been helping her in her business.TAG_OPEN_div_62

“I finish the household chores all day and prepare the snacks. I come to Bhanu Chowk at 5 pm and do business till 9:30 pm. My daughter also helps,” Rai said.

{{TAG_OPEN_div_58} The daily price of M:M, Chow Mein used to be sold at Rs 35-40 per plate and now it has increased to Rs 70. She said that this business has made it easier to take care of her children’s education and household expenses. Like Rai, Nira Magar of Dharan-15 has also been selling mom, chow mein and egg rolls in the evening at Bhanu Chowk for the last nine years.

She says that before starting the snack business, she worked for four years roasting maize and selling potato chops. She said that she started the snack business after she did not earn as much as she expected. “As a woman, I used to go out on the streets with a cart in the evening, I was scared and it was also difficult. Now I have become a habit. The business is also doing well as the festival has started,” Magar said.TAG_OPEN_div_56

She reaches Bhanu Chowk at 6 pm after preparing snacks at home throughout the day and does business till 10 pm. She says that business is good due to the increase in the number of customers during the festival.

{{TAG_OPEN_div_52} In the evening, small tea shops and carts along the road of Bhanuchowk are crowded with people eating snacks, chatting tea on chairs and shopping. With the increase in the movement of vendors and customers in the evening, traffic management at Bhanu Chowk has become more challenging. Inspector Anil Mabohang, chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Dharan, said that the safety of the passengers and traffic management has been given priority as the crowd of passengers increases in the morning with the festival approaching.

} “We are managing the traffic by giving special priority to Bhanu Chowk, which is very crowded since early morning, as the festival has started,” he said. He said that for the safety of the people returning to the village, inquiries are being made about the status of the management of vehicles and whether the passengers have been getting tickets or not.

{{TAG_OPEN_div_48} Although the number of big vehicles is less in the evening, he said that the road is narrow due to the movement of motorcycles, tempos and safaris and haphazard parking. He said that the management is being done in coordination with the ward office and municipality to facilitate traffic management.

Bhanu Chowk has become a place for people tired of the heat, dust, noise and hurry of the day, and in the evening, Bhanu Chowk has become a place to meet and chat with friends. The sight of people sitting on the chairs placed on the roadside tea shops and pavements and gossiping has become common in the evening.

The gathering of youths increases in the evening. Some are taking videos from their mobiles, some are enjoying taking photos, and some are seen entertaining by singing songs. The courtyard, illuminated by twinkling lights, looks beautiful in itself.

Bhanu Chowk, the main market of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-2, is not only a center of business activity but also a place of historical importance. Birkhalal Tamang, a local of Dharan-2, says, “The place is named Bhanu Chowk because the statue of Bhanubhakta Acharya is placed in the square.”TAG_OPEN_div_42 ”

There is a statue of Bhanubhakta in the chowk. During the people’s movement, the chowk was a major place for sloganeering, rallies and political and literary activities. “Until a few decades ago, there were only small tin-covered houses in the area around Bhanu Chowk. There were tea shops there. It was customary to discuss political and social issues while drinking tea. At that time, there was no practice of selling snacks on a cart like now,” he recalls.

With the history of Bhanu Chowk, its form also changed over time. Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, 75, who has been selling newspapers in Dharan for a long time, said, “Compared to the past, the Chowk has changed now and the number of people and vehicles has increased significantly. ”

After the earthquake of 2045 BS, the construction of the clock tower near Bhanu Chowk was started at the initiative of Nepalis living in Hong Kong and Macau at a cost of Rs 56 lakh. Shrestha said that the clock tower was completed in 2048 BS and helped to further establish the identity of this area. After the construction of the clock tower, the vibrancy of the square started increasing. Business activities increased around and the hustle and bustle of the city also started centering on this area.TAG_OPEN_div_36

} Bhanu Chowk is a major hub for vehicles going to different places of Dharan and other districts every day. “Earlier, one had to go to Chhatachowk of Dharan to sell newspapers, but now customers are found in Bhanu Chowk from morning to evening. Compared to before, the number of people here has increased a lot,” he said. Kishan Maskey, vice-president of Sunsari Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the movement of small businesses and carts in the evening has helped to increase the local economic activities and help in the livelihood of small entrepreneurs.