Baglung

Baglung is a municipality in Gandaki Province, in western Nepal, west of Kathmandu. It is the administrative headquarters of Baglung District. Baglung serves as the major center for business, finance, education, service and healthcare for the people of mid-Kali Gandaki valley that encompass Beni, Jaljala, Baglung, Kushma, Kathekhola, Galkot, Phalewas and Jaimuni local bodies. The city is located at the cross-section of Kaligandaki corridor highway and midhill highway that transverse Nepal in north–south and east–west directions respectively. Geography and climate Baglung Bazar is situated on a plateau overlooking the Kali Gandaki gorge directly south of the Dhaulagiri Himalayan range. Steep cliffs rising from the valley flank the plateau on three sides. City limits are roughly determined by the Theule Khola to the south, Kali Gandaki river to the east and Dhodeni Khola to the north. Baglung enjoys warm summers and mild winters. Annual average temperatures range from a maximum of and a minimum of . Highs above and lows below are rare. The average annual rainfall recorded is in 1982. Rainfall is heavily affected by the monsoon and most of it occurs during the months of June through September. Rest of the year is mostly dry and sunny. Snowfall is extremely rare in the city core, however, higher elevations within the city limits see occasional snow during the winter months. Due to large topographic variation climate ranging from hot subtropical to temperate montane climate can be experienced within the city limits. History Pilgrims from India and rest of Nepal traveling to Muktinath and traders seeking to barter grains from the south with salt from Tibet frequented a trade route along the banks of Kaligandaki river since ancient times. However, owing to its location high above the banks of Kaligandaki river and the trade route few actually ventured into the area that is Baglung Bazar today. The area also lacked reliable source of water for drinking and irrigation making it poorly suited for settlement. A lack of evidence of structures and settlements predating 16th century in the area and a lack of mention in historical records predating 16th century support this notion. First confirmed history of settlement in Baglung is found during the reign of King Pratapi Narayan of Parbat (later Galkot) Kingdom in the early 16th century.