BP Museum

The Sundarijal facility, where visionary political leader B.P. Koirala was imprisoned for nearly ten years, has been transformed by the government into the B.P. Museum. The museum was inaugurated on Bhadra 24, 2061 B.S. (September 9, 2004 A.D.) by the then President of the Nepali Congress, Girija Prasad Koirala. The site, previously used by the Nepalese Army, was turned into a prison through the tireless efforts of local social worker Parshuram Pokharel. At that time, it was a challenging task to transfer ownership of the army-controlled land and buildings to the museum.

The deteriorated physical structures, received from the army in poor condition, were renovated and brought into operation by the B.P. Museum Committee. This museum is Nepal's first and only institution established in the name of a political figure. It has also been expanded to serve as a political library. Artifacts for the museum were collected from Morang, Sunsari, and Banaras (India). Many personal items used by B.P. Koirala are preserved and displayed in the museum.

Spanning an area of 24 ropanis (approximately 1.2 hectares), the museum's physical infrastructure was completely destroyed during the 2015 (2072 B.S.) earthquake. Reconstruction work is now in its final phase. A three-storey building, currently under construction by the Department of Archaeology, will include an event space and administrative offices.

One unique attraction on the museum premises is an aircraft that was hijacked by the Nepali Congress from Biratnagar on Jestha 29, 2030 B.S. (June 11, 1973 A.D.) and taken to India. The reconstruction of this airplane using its original parts for public display cost approximately 47.9 million rupees. The museum also houses cannons and tanks used in the 2007 B.S. (1950 A.D.) revolution led by the Nepali Congress.

After King Mahendra’s coup on Poush 1, 2017 B.S. (December 15, 1960 A.D.), many Congress leaders were imprisoned. Alongside B.P. Koirala, several senior leaders of the Nepali Congress, including Ganesh Man Singh, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Surya Prasad Upadhyaya, Ram Narayan Mishra, Diwan Singh Rai, Yogendra Man Sherchan, Jaman Singh Gurung, and Prem Raj Angdambe, served prison sentences at Sundarijal Prison. Following the king’s takeover, B.P. Koirala spent nearly a decade in confinement at Sundarijal.

During his imprisonment, B.P. continued his literary journey. While in prison, he wrote several notable works including the novels:

• Sumnima

• Teen Ghumti

• Narendra Dai

• Modi Ain

• Babu, Aama Ra Chhora

• Hitler Ra Yahudi

He also wrote collections of stories such as:

• Jail Journal

• Shwet Bhairavi

• Feri Sundarijal

• Aafno Katha

These significant literary contributions were all penned during his years of political imprisonment.