Kamalamai () is a municipality in Sindhuli District of Bagmati Province in Nepal. It has a total area of 482.57 km<sup>2</sup>. In terms of area, it is the largest municipality of Bagmati Province and 6th largest municipality of Nepal. At the time of the 2021 Nepal census, it had a population of 71,016 people in 18,135 households. Sindhulimadhi, commonly referred to simply as Sindhuli, serves as both the administrative center of the municipality and the headquarter of Sindhuli District.
The municipality was established on 27 March 1997 (14 Chaitra 2053 B.S) and further expanded on 10 March 2017 (27 Falgun 2073 B.S).
The historic Sindhuli Gadhi fort lies within the municipality on the Mahabharat Hills north of Sindhulimadhi. The iconic BP Highway passes through the municipality.
The municipality is named after the Kamalamai Temple, a historic Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Kamalamai. The temple is located near the confluence of the Kamala and Gwang (Gaumati) rivers, south of Sindhulimadhi.
Kamalamai Municipality was established on 27 March 1997 (14 Chaitra 2053 B.S) by merger of existing Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Siddheshwar (containing Sindhulimadhi) and Bhiman. It had a total area of 208.09 km<sup>2</sup>.
As part of NepalâÂÂs restructuring of local bodies, the municipality was expanded on 10 March 2017 (27 Falgun 2073 B.S) to include Dandiguranse, Bhadrakali, Jalkanya, Ranichuri and Ranibas VDCs. The total area increased to 482.57 km<sup>2</sup>.
The municipalityâÂÂs topography ranges from lower elevation flatlands to rugged hills. It encompasses the areas of Inner Terai, Chure (Sivalik Hills) and some parts of the Mahabharat Hills (Lower Himalayan Range). It includes Sindhuli Valley along with a part of Kamala River Plain, a small part of Marin River Plain and other smaller river plains. Large areas of the municipality are covered with forest.
Major rivers flowing through this municipality include Kamala, Gwang (Gaumati), Gadauli and Marin.
Kamalamai consists of various areas and places.
Sindhulimadhi, located in Sindhuli Valley is the center of the municipality. It contains neighbourhoods like Madhi Bazar, Dhura Bazar, Dhungrebas, Ratmata, Madhutar, Majhitar, Panityanki, Laxman Chowk, Rammadi, Milan Chowk, Dhakal Gaun and Gayatar.
Karkare, Bhiman and Ranibas are located on Kamala Plain southeast of Sindhulimadhi. Places like Pipal Bhanjyang, Selfie Danda, Sindhuli Gadhi and Chapauli lie on Mahabharat Hills to the north. The area of Ranichuri containing places like Jarayotar and Tintale lies to the east. Dandiguranse lies on Marin Plain to the west.
During the time of incorporation in 1997, Kamalamai Municipality was divided into 18 wards. After the incorporation of 5 more VDCs in 2017, the municipality was reorganized into 14 wards.
The previous 18 wards and their constituent VDC wards are as follows:
At the time of the 2021 Nepal census, Kamalamai Municipality had a population of 71,016 in 18,135 households. The population was composed of 34,316 males and 36,700 females. In terms of language, 65.13% spoke Nepali, 20.23% Tamang, 4.59% Magar Dhut, 2.94% Newar, 2.23% Danwar, 1.95% Maithili, 0.76% Vayu (Hayu), 0.56% Sunwar, 0.52% Majhi, 0.31% Bhojpuri, 0.16% Bhujel, 0.13% Rai and 0.49% other languages.In terms of ethnicity/caste, 22.78% were Tamang, 19.78% Chhetri, 11.44% Magar, 9.68% Newar, 8.80% Hill Brahmin, 5.20% Biswakarma, 3.97% Mijar, 3.39% Majhi, 3.30% Pariyar, 2.37% Danuwar, 2.16% Gharti/Bhujel, 1.41% Hayu, 1.14% Sunuwar, 0.64% Thakuri, 0.44% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0.39% Terai Brahmin, 0.30% Rai, 0.24% Kalwar, 0.20% Sonar, 0.18% Sundi, 0.17% Gurung, 0.16% Yadav, 0.15% Hajam/Thakur, 0.15% Tharu, 0.15% Muslim, 0.14% Teli, 0.14 Thami, 0.12% Kamar, 0.10% Koiri/Kushwaha and 1.09% others.In terms of religion, 74.79% were Hindu, 21.39% Buddhist, 2.61% Christian, 0.71% Kirati, 0.28% Prakriti, 0.21% Muslim and 0.01% Bon.
In terms of literacy, 77.83% were literate with male literacy at 85.20% and female at 71.03%.
The historical population of the municipality is given in the following table:
Agriculture is the primary economic activity of the municipality. Crops like rice, maize, wheat, potatoes, millet as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables are grown in the municipality. People are also engaged in livestock farming including poultry and dairy production. A significant number of households are dependent on remittances from abroad.
Sindhulimadhi is the main town and the commercial hub of the municipality. As the district headquarters, it serves as a focal point for business activities and services for the entire Sindhuli District. Weekly markets (locally known as Haat) are held at Sindhulimadhi on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Bhiman is another market town of the municipality where weekly market (Haat) is held on Fridays. Apart from trade and commerce, people in the towns are also engaged in service sectors like education, finance, health and public administration.
Tourism is a developing sector in Kamalamai. Natural, cultural and historical attractions including Kamalamai Temple and Sindhuli Gadhi Fort draw visitors to the municipality. In support of tourism, a range of hotels and resorts operate in and around the municipality.
Health Services: The municipality is served by Sindhuli Hospital, a 100 bed provincial level hospital. Located in Sindhulimadhi, it is the main public health facility in the entire Sindhuli District. There are also health centres and health posts in various parts of the municipality.
Drinking Water: Drinking water supply in parts of the municipality, particularly in Sindhulimadhi and surrounding areas, is managed by the Siddheshwar Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumers Committee. It is a community-based organisation that operates a piped water system sourcing from local springs and reservoirs. This system supplies piped water to several thousand households, with infrastructure including treatment and storage facilities.
Sanitation and Waste Management: Municipal waste management is overseen by KamalamaiâÂÂs Public Health and Environment section, which coordinates solid waste collection, street cleaning and environmental sanitation across wards.
Two national highways, BP Highway and Madan Bhandari (Inner Terai) Highway run through Kamalamai Municipality.
BP Highway connects the municipality to Kathmandu via Dhulikhel and to Terai via Bardibas. It passes through places like Bhiman, Sindhulimadhi and Sindhuli Gadhi. The Sindhulimadhi-Khurkot section of this highway, part of which lies within the municipality, is famous for its scenic route around the Mahabharat Hills, characterized by numerous hairpin turns.
Dharan-Hetauda section of Madan Bhandari (Inner Terai) Highway connects the municipality to Katari, Udayapur to the east and to Hetauda to the west. It passes through Ranibas and merges with BP Highway at Bhiman. The highway resumes at Sindhulimadhi and runs westwards towards Hetauda.
Long-route vehicles run from Sindhulimadhi to cities like Kathmandu, Janakpur, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Hetauda and Pokhara. Janakpur Airport is the closest major airport to the municipality located about 70 kilometers away from Sindhulimadhi.
Most of the parts of Kamalamai are accessible by road. Nowadays, auto rickshaws have common mode of transport within municipality.
Kamalamai municipality has a good facility of education up to SEE levels. Janata ,Suryodaya, Bhagwati, Siddhasthali, Swiss are some of the best private schools in Sindhuli district . The quality of +2 levels too is fine here. Many private colleges run +2 commerce affiliated to HSEB. However, the number of +2 science colleges are very few. Science college like Kamala Higher Secondary School is providing good practical based education to students of Sindhuli. This college has been serving as the central of excellence for all science students throughout Sindhuli valley.
There are many colleges which facilitate higher education. There are a large number of colleges running courses with affiliation to universities of Nepal. Colleges like Sindhuli Multiple Campus fall under this category. Kamala Science Campus enables students to acquire Bachelor of Science courses (BSc.). There are also colleges for technical education were subjects affiliated with CTEVT are taught.
Kamalamai Municipality has good mobile network coverage with 4G service, mainly provided by Nepal Telecom (NTC) and Ncell. High-speed optical fiber internet is also available, offered by various internet service providers.
To promote local culture, Kamalamai Municipality has three FM radio stations: Sindhuligadhi FM - 92 MHz, Radio Siddhababa - 98.4 MHz and Radio Sahara - 104.2 MHz.
The KM Club holds various events in colleges of Sindhuli.