KATHMANDU: India has announced plans to build a new expressway connecting Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand, with the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. The proposed corridor aims to significantly reduce travel time between the two major religious sites.
The announcement was made by Bihar’s Road Construction Minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal. According to him, the proposal has already been sent to the central government. Construction will begin once approval is granted.
The proposed expressway will be approximately 250 kilometers long. It will start from Kathmandu and pass through Bhimanagar and Birpur in Nepal before entering India via Supaul district in Bihar.
Within Bihar, the corridor will improve connectivity across Madhepura, Saharsa, Khagaria, Munger, and Banka districts. The expressway will finally connect to Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar district of Jharkhand.
Currently, the road distance between Baidyanath Dham and Pashupatinath Temple is around 534 kilometers. The journey takes about 13 to 14 hours by road.
Once the expressway becomes operational, the effective travel distance will be reduced to around 250 kilometers. Travel time is expected to drop sharply to just 2 to 3 hours. This will result in significant savings in both time and fuel.
In its fiscal year 2026-27 budget, the Bihar government has allocated Rs 8,260 crore for road construction projects. The proposed Pashupatinath-Baidyanath expressway is part of this broader connectivity expansion plan.
According to Minister Jaiswal, 554 kilometers of roads have already been built along the India-Nepal border. The new expressway is seen as a major step in strengthening cross-border infrastructure.
If the central government grants timely approval, the project is expected to be completed within five years.
The main objective of the project is to promote religious tourism and strengthen cultural ties between India and Nepal. The corridor is also expected to boost economic activities in several districts of Bihar and Jharkhand by improving regional connectivity.
The proposed expressway marks a significant step towards faster, more efficient cross-border movement between the two countries.
