Gelephu
Gelephu
དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུག་ | |
|---|---|
Gelephu Location in Bhutan | |
| Coordinates: 26°52′14″N 90°29′8″E / 26.87056°N 90.48556°E | |
| Country | Bhutan |
| District | Sarpang District |
| Gelephu Thromde | July 2010 |
| Government | |
| • Thrompon | Tshering Norbu |
| • Drangpon | Karma Dorji |
| Area | |
• Thromde | 11.5 km2 (4.4 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 11.52 km2 (4.45 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 221 m (725 ft) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Thromde | 9,858 |
| • Density | 857/km2 (2,220/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BTT) |
| Website | gcc |
Gelephu (Dzongkha: དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུ་; Wylie: dge-legs-phu), also spelled as Gelyephug, Gelegphu, Gaylegphug, or Gaylephug, (IATA: GLU) is a town or Thromde in Sarpang District in Bhutan. It is located on the Indian border, about 30 km to the east of Sarpang, the Dzongkhag (District) headquarters, and has a population of 9,858 as per the 2017 census. It is one of the border markets and road entry points into Bhutan from India; Phuntsholing to its west and Samdrup Jongkhar to its east are two other border market road entry points into Bhutan.
Gelephu is located near the border with Assam, India. Positioned along the banks of the Mao River, it serves as a key commercial and transit hub, connecting Bhutan to India via the Gelephu–Kokrajhar road and the proposed Gelephu–Kokrajhar railway link.
The Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) is a planned zero-carbon urban development project initiated by His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in December 2023, aiming to blend Bhutanese cultural values, sustainability, and economic growth. GMC is a special administrative region in Gelephu, separate from Bhutan's existing laws. Strategically located on the border with India to leverage regional connectivity between South Asia and South East Asia, it will cover an area of 2,500 square kilometers, or three times the size of Singapore.
Gelephu is also home to the Gelephu Central Regional Referral Hospital and is set to host Bhutan's second international airport by 2029, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group.