American Rotarians have made a number of mission-type trips to the city and surrounding areas since the 1980s. Located along the hydroelectric power transmission grid, the city normally has electricity throughout the day and night.
During the United Nations occupation of 2005, Nepalese troops were stationed in the city, using the city jail as their headquarters.
A U.S. military C-17 cargo plane carried out a large airdrop of food and supplies here in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.