JHAPA: On the occasion of National Unity Day and 304th Prithivi Jayanti, the Nepali Army conducted a cleaning program at the historic Chandragadh forth in Bhadrapur-10 on Saturday.

The program, organized by the Aridman Battalion of the Nepali Army in Charali was attended by the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, National Service Corps, journalists and the general public.

Durga Prasad Bhattarai, the then Chairperson of the Chandragadhi Village Development Committee, says that the place was named Chandragadh because it was a military fort built during the time of Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher.

Various efforts are being made to develop the place as a historical tourist destination at the initiative of Bhadrapur Municipality.

Some researchers also link the place with the mythological story of the Mahabharata. Due to lack of sufficient research and excavation, the archaeological significance of Chandragadh is still a mystery.

Saroj Thapa, the chief commander of the Aridman Battalion, said that 185 people attended the cleaning program and that since it is a historical fort, Chandragadh needs to be protected and properly taken care of.

Locals say that the fort was built to house a unit of the army during the reign of the then Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Rana during the Second World War to protect the eastern border.

Similarly, it is understood that the name of the city of Chandragadhi is derived from this historical Chandragadh, built in the 18th century.