Salyan District IPA: [sʌljan], in Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Salyan covers an area of 1,462 km2 with a population of 213,500 in 2001 and 241,716 in 2011. The district's administrative center is named Salyan or Salyan Khalanga, today it is part of Shaarada Municipality. The district is known for its Hindu temples including Shiva temples in Chhayachhetra and Laxmipur, and the Devi temple at Khairabang in Shaarada municipality, one of nine in Nepal.

History

Salyan was one of the Baise Rajya, a confederation of 22 petty kingdoms in the Karnali (Ghagra) region. It was ruled by Samala Shahis before unification. About 1760 CE all these kingdoms were annexed by the Shah Dynasty during the unification of Nepal.

Etymology

Salyan derives from the Nepali word sallo which means pine tree or conifer.

Geography and climate

Although Salyan is considered a hilly district, its southwest salient is actually outside the Pahari-inhabited hill region, in the lower Siwalik Hills that are more an extension of the Terai. The Babai River flows through the southwestern Siwaliks section after draining Dang Valley. A tributary Sharad Khola drains the eastern half of Salyan's hill region—including the district center, then exits these hills by cutting through the Mahabharat Range to its confluence with the Babai. The western half of Salyan's hill region is drained by the Bheri.

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Salyan District had a population of 242,444. As first language, 99.4% spoke Nepali, 0.3% Magar, 0.1% Newar, 0.1% Urdu and 0.1% other languages. Ethnicity/caste: 57.1% were Khas/Chhetri, 15.1% Magar, 11.8% Kami, 3.5% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 3.5% Thakuri, 3.0% Damai/Dholi, 2.6% Hill Brahmin, 1.8% Sarki, 0.6% Newar, 0.3% Badi, 0.1% Gaine, 0.1% Gurung, 0.1% Kumal, 0.1% Musalman, 0.1% other Terai and 0.1% others. Religion: 97.7% were Hindu, 1.3% Christian, 0.8% Buddhist, 0.1% Muslim and 0.1% others. Literacy: 63.9% could read and write, 3.5% could only read and 32.5% could neither read nor write. ===Population by census 1971–2021 ===

Administration

The district consists of ten municipalities, out of which three are urban municipalities and seven are rural municipalities:

Former village development committees

Prior to the restructuring of the district, Saylan District consisted of the following municipalities and village development committees:

Maps

Besides the United Nations/Nepal map of districts and VDCs shown above, their Map Centre has a downloadable PDF version adding municipalities, roads and water detail: From 1992 to 2002 a definitive series of large scale topographic maps were surveyed and published through a joint project by Government of Nepal Survey Department and Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs contracting through the FinnMap consulting firm. Japan International Cooperation Agency substituted for FinnMap in Lumbini Zone. Topographic sheets at 1:25,000 scale covering 7.5 minutes latitude and longitude map the Terai and Middle Mountains. Less populated high mountain regions are on 15 minute sheets at 1:50,000. JPG scans can be downloaded here: These sheets cover Salyan District: