Indigenous history In Nepali,
Birat () refers to King "
Virata" of the
Matsya Kingdom and
Nagar () means "city"; literally ''King Virata's City''.
20th century In 1914, Colonel Jit Bahadur Khatri, the then district governor, laid the foundations of modern Biratnagar by moving the hospital, post office, prison and the customs, land registry, forestry and auditor offices to Gograha Bazaar from
Rangeli, the then district capital of
Morang. The recorded history of Biratnagar dates back to the beginning of the 7th century, when King Mung Mawrong Hang came to prominence in the terai lands of
Limbuwan (present-day
Sunsari,
Morang, and
Jhapa areas). He cleared much of the forest area in present-day Rangeli, east of Biratnagar, and built a town there. He named his Kingdom Morang after his name and rose to power. The old name of Biratnagar was
Gograha Bazaar. The ruins of temples, palaces, and ponds are scattered in a vast area to the south of the current city, in Vedhyari, Buddhanagar. The preservation of this heritage has been a major problem citing the encroachment of newcomers into the city. The town was named Biratnagar in 1919 (1976
BS) by
Keshar Shamsher Rana after the ruins of a palace, thought to be of
King Virat, and other objects of historical importance were found. On 4 March 1947, the
first anti-Rana movement in Nepal started in Biratnagar at the Biratnagar jute mills under the leadership of
Girija Prasad Koirala and
B. P. Koirala. This sparked a countrywide anti-Rana demonstration that eventually led to the abolishment of
Rana rule in Nepal. During the panchayat system in Nepal the Pradhan Pancha who also happened to manage district level body for Biratnagar was
Govinda Bahadur Baruwal. He was also the committee member of
Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus (MMAMC) which is one of the oldest, most prestigious and leading academic institution of
Koshi Province. ==Geography==