Jiri
—  Village development committee  —
Jiri
Jiri Location in Nepal
Coordinates: 27°38′N 86°14′E / 27.633°N 86.233°E / 27.633; 86.233Coordinates: 27°38′N 86°14′E / 27.633°N 86.233°E / 27.633; 86.233
Country	Nepal
Zone	Janakpur Zone
District	Dolakha District
Population (1991)
• Total	7,138
Time zone	Nepal Time (UTC+5:45)

Jiri (जिरी) is a village development committee in Dolakha District in the Janakpur Zone of north-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 7,138 people living in 1,508 individual households.^[1]

  Road to Jiri in Dolakha District

Jiri lies at an altitude of 1,905 metres (6,250 feet) and is the eastern-most terminus of the highway coming from Kathmandu. Bus service is available from Kathmandu but the 184 km ride takes 6 to 8 hours due to narrow, winding roads and checkpoints along the high-way(until 2006). A company of the Nepal Army is stationed in town and visitors' equipment and backpacks might be searched. There are a number of lodges available along either side of the main road mainly in Jiri Bazaar.

There is one high school namely Jiri Higher Secondary School at Hatdanda.

Jiri was set up as agricultural development centre bye the Swiss Government Aid in 1938.

As the closest roadhead, Jiri is now the trailhead for many treks into the Mount Everest region. The trek to Lukla will take seven or eight days. Few people actually begin a trek from Jiri, as only 5% of all trekkers who attempt the difficult trek to Everest Base Camp start at Jiri. The other 95% choose to fly into the small airstrip at Lukla, thus cutting off a week of difficult but beautiful trekking.

Although the trailhead from Jiri into Sagarmatha National Park is referred to as the "classic route to Everest", the original trailhead actually began at Kathmandu. All early Everest expeditions—including the one led by John Hunt that put Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on the summit—passed through Jiri. So Jiri is also called the "Gateway to Mt. Everest".

Jiri is the home of an ethnic group called the Jirels.

  References

1. ^ "Nepal Census 2001", Nepal's Village Development Committees (Digital Himalaya), http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/nepalcensus/form.php?selection=1, retrieved 15 November 2009 .

  External links

• Jiri travel guide from Wikitravel
• UN map of the municipalities of Dolakha District
• Jiri (Dolakha) and Jirels

Dolakha District Capital: Charikot Alampu Babare Bhedapu Bhimeswor Bhirkot Bhusafeda Bigu Bocha Bulung Chankhu Chhetrapa Chilankha Chyama Dadhpokhari Dandakharka Fasku Gairimudi Gauri Sankar Ghang Sukathokar Hawa Japhe Jhule Jhyaku Jiri Jugu Kabhre Kalingchok Katakuti Khare Khupachagu Laduk Lakuri Danda Lamabagar Lamidada Lapilang Magapauwa Makaibari Mali Malu Marbu Mati Melung Mirge Namdu Orang Pawati Sahare Sailungeswor Sunakhani Sundrawati Sureti Susma Chhemawati Syama Thulopatal