Sundarijal is located 15 kilometres northeast of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. The Bagmati River flows through the main village, where it is joined by the Shyalmati and Nagmati Rivers. Largely hilly in its terrain with few flat areas, the village is covered by forests. A large part of Sundarijal is covered by Shivapuri National Park covers. The place was named after the Hindu goddess, Sundarimai. A temple is dedicated to the deity in Sundarijal.Sundarijal is also famous for the Sundarijal Military Detention Camp where former PM B P Koirala was detained and held without trial for eight years after the Royal coup in 1960. The camp now has been turned into a museum dedicated to B P Koirala.
Agriculture based on traditional techniques is the main occupation, the crops include millet, maize, barley, wheat, barley, maize, potato and vegetables millet are grown. About Sixty percent of the village folks are Buddhists, and the remaining are the Hindus.
Sundarijal observes a large number of internal and foreign tourists owing to its natural and cultural beauties. The main cultural sites in Sundarijal are the temples of Sundarimai Mandir, Ganesh Mandir, and Krishna Mandir. The visitors are attracted to the area's natural beauty, including the waterfalls and rivers. Sundarijal is also a starting point for hikers along the Langtang Range. There are several picnic tables to meet the needs of tourists.
There is a huge drinking water project that would bring water from Melamchi, treat it, and distribute it from Sundarijal. A pipeline of 58 kilometers in length would be laid in Sundarijal to other places in the Kathmandu Valley. It will start pumping 170 million liters of water daily in 2011 or 2012.
The vegetation Sundarijal consists of mostly pine, oak, rhododendron, and other forest types and 129 species of mushrooms. Wildlife recorded in the area include the Himalayan Black bear, leopard, jungle cat, and rhesus monkey. The area is inhabited by at least 177 species of birds including at least nine threatened species, 102 species of butterflies with several endangered species.
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