Kodari
title: "Kodari" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-sindhupalchowk-district"] topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-sindhupalchowk-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodari" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| official_name | |
| native_name | कोदारी |
| settlement_type | Border village |
| motto | |
| image_skyline | File:Kodari, Nepal - panoramio.jpg |
| image_caption | View of Kodari from the Chinese side of the border. |
| pushpin_map | Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal |
| pushpin_label_position | right |
| pushpin_mapsize | 300 |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Nepal |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | Bagmati |
| subdivision_type2 | District |
| subdivision_name2 | Sindhupalchok |
| subdivision_type3 | Rural Municipality |
| subdivision_name3 | Bhotekoshi |
| leader_title1 | |
| established_title | |
| established_date | |
| unit_pref | |
| area_total_km2 | |
| area_total_sq_mi | |
| population_blank2 | |
| timezone | Nepal Time |
| utc_offset | +5:45 |
| coordinates | |
| elevation_footnotes | |
| elevation_m | 2300 |
| postal_code_type | |
| :: |
| official_name = Kodari | other_name = | native_name = कोदारी | nickname = | settlement_type = Border village | motto = | image_skyline = File:Kodari, Nepal - panoramio.jpg | image_caption = View of Kodari from the Chinese side of the border. | image_flag = | image_seal = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal | pushpin_label_position = right | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Nepal | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Bagmati | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Sindhupalchok | subdivision_type3 = Rural Municipality | subdivision_name3 = Bhotekoshi | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | established_title = | established_date = | unit_pref = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = | population_density_km2 = | population_blank1_title = | population_blank2_title = | population_blank2 = | timezone = Nepal Time | utc_offset = +5:45 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | coordinates = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 2300 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = | blank_info = | website = | footnotes = Kodari is a small Nepali village located at the border with Tibet, China. The village is located at the end–point of the Arniko Highway, which connects Kodari with the capital city of Kathmandu. Kathmandu is away from Kodari. Kodari is a major border crossing from Nepal into the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Kodari is a part of Bhotekoshi rural municipality in Sindhupalchok District of Bagmati Province (previously Tatopani VDC of Bagmati Zone of Central Development Region; from 1990 to 2017). The other side is the town of Zhangmu (also known as Dram or Khasa in Nepali) located in Nyalam County, Shigatse Prefecture of the Tibet.
History
In ancient times, it was the starting point of a trans-Himalayan caravan route. Newar traders headed north from Kodari and after crossing Kuti pass turned east to continue their journey across the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa. The construction of the 115 km Kathmandu-Kodari Road during the 1963-67 period. It was named Araniko Highway in Nepal and China National Highway 318 beyond. As of 2011, Nepal is planning to expand it to six metalled lanes.
China started building a railway in 2008 connecting Lhasa with Zhangmu on the Nepal-China border. It is an extension of the 1956 km Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
In 2012, China signed agreement with Nepal to make this one of six ports of entries between Nepal and China.{{Cite web | title = 中华人民共和国政府和尼泊尔政府关于边境口岸及其管理制度的协定 | trans-title = China-Nepal Agreement on Port of Entry | publisher = Chinese Embassy in Nepal | date = 2012-01-14 | access-date = 2017-02-10 | url = http://np.chineseembassy.org/chn/zngxs/zywj/t1059642.htm }}
The April and May 2015 earthquakes essentially closed the route due to numerous landslides and boulders coming down, damaging roads in Nepal and Tibet (China). There was an evacuation and people have been slow to come back, and there is large reduction in trading. Chinese and Nepali officials met in December 2016 to discuss potential reopening of the port in 2017, which was blocked by progress of road construction. The checkpoint finally reopened on 29 May 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the border closed until second week of June 2020, then closed again until further notice (likely thru 2021) due to a landslide since July 9, while also warning of lakeburst of Tso Lake.
Geography
Kodari is located at an altitude of 2515 m. Kodari is 144 km from Kathmandu. The height gain is from 1317 m to 2300 m. On a clear day, the Himalayan chain is visible on both sides of the road. From Zhangmu to Nyalam, a distance of 33 km the height gain is from 2300 m to 3750 m.
Transport
Kodari is just south of and above the Friendship Bridge border crossing where Araniko Highway becomes China National Highway 318 and immediately passes Zhangmu village in Nyalam County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region en route to Shigatse. Before the earthquake, tourists traveling between Nepal and the Tibet make substantial use of this crossing, and there was also substantial trans-border trade.
Chinese trucks traveling on the Tibet-Nepal Friendship Highway offload goods at Zhangmu and transfer them to Nepalese trucks. Even though the drive between Kodari and Kathmandu is only four hours, the sourcing logistics and bureaucracy of cross-border trade takes around 2 weeks, as such in 2013 it takes each Nepalese truck almost half a month for a round trip.{{Cite episode | title = 318国道终点站--樟木 | trans-title = Terminus of G318 Highway — Zhangmu | network = China Central Television | series = Yuanfang De Jia | season = 北纬30°·中国行 | number = 184 | date = 2013-03-19 | access-date = 2017-02-14 | url = http://tv.cntv.cn/video/C22432/bfb0662b6318424ab496ad4a752c7fc7
Gallery
File:NEPAL Route 2.JPG|The Araniko Highway in Kodari just before the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge. File:The Friendship Bridge connecting China with Nepal.jpg|The Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge with Nepal on the left, and China on the right side of the Sun Kosi River. File:TIB-grenze-koffertraeger.jpg|Women hard at work at the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge border crossing. File:Nepal China Broder Tatopani.jpg|Kodari customs buildings with view of Zhangmu on mountain slope in the background.
References
References
- "Kodari".
- "Kodari Road – Implications for Nepal, China and Inda". Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies.
- "Nepal to get China rail link". Asia Times, 15 May 2008.
- "New Railroads in Tibet open up economic opportunities". Yo! Learn Chinese! 6 September 2009.
- (2015-12-18). "Bordering on helplessness". Atavist.
- Jiao. (December 30, 2016). "Zhangmu Port May Reopen in 2017-Tibet Travel News, Tibet Travel Blog". Tibet Travel Agency.
- (2019-05-29). "Kodari Checkpoint To Open Today". The Spotlight Online.
- (2020-09-25). "Nepal Republic Party condemns closure of border points by China".
- "Kodari, Nepal Page". Fallingrain Genomics.
- (9 September 2010). "The Mount Kailash trek: a trekker's and visitor's guide".
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