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William Dalrymple (historian)
Gelephu
དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུག་ | |
|---|---|
  Gelephu Location in Bhutan | |
| Coordinates: 26°52′14″N 90°29′8″E / 26.87056°N 90.48556°E | |
| Country |  Bhutan |
| District | Sarpang District |
| Gelephu Thromde | July 2010 |
| Government | |
| • Thrompon | Tshering Norbu |
| • Drangpon | Karma Dorji |
| Area | |
• Thromde | 11.5 km2 (4.4 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 11.52 km2 (4.45 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 221 m (725 ft) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Thromde | 9,858 |
| • Density | 860/km2 (2,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BTT) |
| Website | gcc |
Gelephu (Dzongkha: དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུ་; Wylie: dge-legs-phu), also spelled as Gelyephug, Gelegphu,[1] Gaylegphug, or Gaylephug,[2] (IATA: GLU) is a town or Thromde[3] in Sarpang District in Bhutan.[4] It is located on the Indian border, about 30 km to the east of Sarpang, the Dzongkhag (District) headquarters,[5] and has a population of 9,858 as per the 2017 census.[6] It is one of the border market and road entry points into Bhutan from India;[7] Phuntsholing to its west and Samdrup Jongkhar to its east are two other border market road entry points into Bhutan.
Gelephu Special Administrative Region (GeSAR), also known as Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC SAR), is a planned economic hub and special administrative region in Gelephu, separate from Bhutan's existing laws. Strategically located on the border with India to leverage regional connectivity betweem South Asia and South East Asia, it will cover an area of 2,500 square kilometers three times the size of Singapore.[8][9]
History
The history of Gelephu dates back to the 1960s when the original settlement was moved from the banks of Mo Chhu to the present area, which used to be known as Hati Sahar (elephant place).[10]
On 5 September 2004, insurgents bombed a marketplace in the town, killing two people and injuring twenty-seven others.[11][12]
Urban development
Planning area
Gelephu Thromde has 11.52 km2 planning boundary area which can be increased further. It has 6 sub zones (Demkhong) listed as 1. Trashiling, 2. Namkhaling, 3. Jampeling, 4. Rabtengling, 5. Samdrupling, 6. Sonam Gatsel. Core market area is very close to the Indo-Bhutan border. Ashish Kumar Chauhan is also one of the Urban Planner while delineating the boundaries of Industrial Area Plan and Local Area Plan 4 & 5.[13]
Urban recreational park
One theme of the Gelephu Plan is to develop inter-linked open-green spaces for use as recreation, sports, walking, cycling, exercising and play gardens that can provide an excellent opportunity to promote planned growth of Gelephu unlike many other settlements.[10]
Gelephu Mindfulness City
In December 2023, during the 116th National Day celebration, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck unveiled a project to establish a Special Administrative Region in Gelephu called the Gelephu Special Administrative Region. The project is developed by BIG, Arup, and Cistri, spans 1,000 square kilometers. Inspired by Bhutanese culture and Gross National Happiness principles, the plan includes an international airport, railways, a hydroelectric dam, and diverse public spaces.[14][15]
CDCL Workshops
The Construction Development Corporation Limited (CDCL), fully owned by the Royal Government of Bhutan, following a 1996-1997 merger and subsequently upgraded the Gelephu workshop which now serves CDCL's Sarpang, Phuentsholing, and Zhemgang Field Divisions, covering a wide central region, with field support from workshops in Sarpang and Mangdechu.[16][17]
Trade and commerce
The location of Gelephu is favorable for cross-border trade between India and Bhutan.[18] From that Indo-Bhutan border gate Bongaigaon, the sixth largest city of Ainamssamerging as business node for the economics affairs i.e., business dealing & logistic supports is 78 km away.
Transport
Gelephu Airport was completed in 2012, after being planned in the early 2000s.[19][20] In 2023, it was announced that a new international airport would be built as part of the proposed Gelephu Special Administrative Region. The existing domestic airport will remain operational.[21][22]
Gelephu Tourism
Key attractins include the Gelephu Tshachu (a hot spring in the southern plains of Gelephu known for its miraculous healing power and properties, inaugurated by the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in 1962),[23] Royal Manas National Park, Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, Nyimalung Monastery, Tali Monastery, and Threma Lhakhang (temple).
Climate
| Climate data for Gelephu (Bhur), elevation 375 m (1,230 ft), (1996–2017 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.0 (86.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.2 (91.8) |
36.4 (97.5) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
38.5 (101.3) |
38.8 (101.8) |
39.0 (102.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
32.0 (89.6) |
39.0 (102.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
24.0 (75.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.8 (83.8) |
29.1 (84.4) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.6 (85.3) |
28.7 (83.7) |
26.3 (79.3) |
23.8 (74.8) |
27.2 (80.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.8 (64.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.7 (80.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
24.9 (76.8) |
22.0 (71.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
23.6 (74.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
19.9 (67.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.2 (64.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.0 (42.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 16.6 (0.65) |
29.0 (1.14) |
73.6 (2.90) |
237.3 (9.34) |
445.6 (17.54) |
1,032.7 (40.66) |
1,313.7 (51.72) |
1,051.9 (41.41) |
686.2 (27.02) |
192.7 (7.59) |
16.3 (0.64) |
10.0 (0.39) |
5,105.6 (201) |
| Average rainy days | 2.0 | 3.2 | 6.5 | 13.3 | 18.7 | 23.2 | 25.6 | 23.8 | 19.0 | 8.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 147.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70.2 | 68.9 | 69.2 | 78.8 | 82.0 | 86.5 | 87.5 | 85.9 | 83.5 | 76.6 | 71.9 | 70.5 | 77.6 |
| Source 1: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology[24] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: World Meteorological Organization (rainy days 1996–2018)[25] | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ see information provided by the Sarpang Dzongkhag Administration: http://www.sarpang.gov.bt/?page_id=434
- ^ see "Change of name of Post Offices in Bhutan" by Leo van der Velden in Postal Himal no.162, 2nd Quarter 2015 http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/postalhimal/pdf/PH_2015_002.pdf
- ^ Gelephu Thromde website http://www.gcc.bt/ Archived 2014-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- ^ "Gelephu Structural Plan: Foreword". Gelephu Structural Plan. Archived from the original on 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ "Bhutan: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2008-07-11.[dead link]
- ^ An Ethnographic Insight on Border-Markets: Reflections from the Indo-Bhutan Border, sadf.eu, accessed 23 October 2024.
- ^ "Bhutan King announces mega Gelephu city project along Indo-Bhutan border". India Today NE. 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ भूटान में बन रहा 'नई दुनिया' का अनोखा शहर, सिंगापुर से 3 गुना बड़ा आकार, दिखेगा प्रकृति का असली स्वरूप, indiatv.in, 21 Jan 2025.
- ^ a b "Background History". Gelephu Thromde. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23.
- ^ SATP (2019-04-23). "Bhutan: Oasis Of Peace – Analysis". Eurasia Review. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
- ^ House, Freedom (2007-06-01). "Freedom in the World 2007". Retrieved 2022-06-01.
- ^ http://www.land.gov.bt Archived December 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Emerson, Sarah. "A Thiel-Backed Startup Pitched A Futuristic City In Bhutan. Its Dragon King Is Building It Without Them". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ News Desk (2023-12-22). "Plans for "Mindfulness City" in Gelephu Unveiled". The Bhutan Live. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ "Bhutan Auto - Let's build Trust with Truth". Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ http://www.cdcl.bt/index.php/80-about-cdcl/80-regional-workshops[permanent dead link]
- ^ "How an Indo-Bhutan Border Market Has Moved Beyond Narratives of Conflict and Security". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ Dorji, Gyalsten K (2011-04-11). "Two Tenders, No Bids". Kuensel online. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
- ^ "Gelephu airport inaugurated". Little Bhutan. 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
- ^ Newspaper, Bhutan's Daily. "Master plan begins for international airport in Gelephu". Kuensel Online. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ Mattoo, Shashank (2024-01-31). "India to help Bhutan develop Gelephu airport". mint. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
- ^ "Gelephu Tshachu, a Hot Spring that cures Illnesses and gives Glowing Skin". bhutanpilgrimage.com. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "Climate Data Book of Bhutan, 2018" (PDF). National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "World Weather Information Service – Bhur". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 20 February 2025.