Jiri

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Jiri जिरी
municipality
Jiri
Nickname:  Switzerland of Nepal
Jiri Location in Nepal
Coordinates: 27°38′N 86°14′E / 27.633°N 86.233°E / 27.633; 86.233
Country	Nepal
Province	Bagmati
District	Dolakha
No of wards	9
Government
• Mayor	Mitra Bahadur Jirel
• Deputy Mayor	Krishnamaya Budhathoki
Population  (2011)
• Total	13,638
Time zone	UTC+5:45 (NST)
Website	www.jirimun.gov.np

Jiri (Nepali: जिरी) is a municipality in Dolakha District in the Bagmati Province of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 13,638 people.^[1] Jiri, which lies about 190 kilometers from Kathmandu, is the main gateway to the Everest Region. Almost all the Everest expeditions, including the one led by famous climber John Hunt, Edmund Hillary had passed through Jiri. 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 are two government high schools namely Jiri Higher Secondary School at Hatanda and Dhungeshwori Secondary School at Jiri Bazaar. One private boarding school called JEM Academy, two community schools namely Martyrs Memorial School and Saraswoti Community School. There is a technical school called Jiri Technical School which provides with technical education regarding agriculture, construction and health.

Jiri was set up as agricultural development center by the Swiss Government Aid in 1938.

As the closest road head, Jiri is the trailhead for many treks into the Mount Everest region. The trek to Lukla takes seven or eight days. Few people begin a trek from Jiri, and 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 to Sagarmatha National Park is referred to as the "classic route to Everest", the original trailhead 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".

It is proud to shout that Jiri is land of ethnic people called the Jirels. They love themselves called Jiriba. In Jirel language Zi means bright or blazing, Ri means mountain or hill and Ba means people. Thus Jiriba means people from the mountain. The Jirel people who come from the second brother of seven brothers of Kirats, known as the warriors for the eldest brother, the ruler of the Kirats who later was fled to Tibet. The number of Jirels is now less because they had responsibility to protect the other younger brothers from the attackers. This was the reason that they had fortress at Kirati Chhap where they made their army base. Finally, it is told that they came to Jiri and settled permanently. Kirat Thursa, Kirat Khasa are some of the evidences that they were the brave kirats. The people love to be called themselves leopard. Jirba means people like leopard.

The Jirel mountain climber, Lal Bahadur Jirel, who scaled Everest two times come from this place.