After Surkhet's headquarters, Gothikanda, descended into the valley, some parts of Katakuwa, Gothikada, and Jarbuta village panchayats were merged to form Birendranagar Nagar Panchayat in 2023 BS. The first settlement was established near the Ganesh Temple. To the east of it, a place where locals discussed, shopped, and students studied and gathered was Birendra Chowk.

The chowk was named after the former king Birendra Shah. According to Dhruv Kumar Shrestha, who is knowledgeable about local history, Birendra had visited Surkhet several times as a crown prince. 'When he came here, he would talk to the locals. He was impressed by the behavior of the people here,' he said. 'The people here were also impressed by him, which is why the chowk was named Birendra Chowk.'

According to Shrestha, at that time, festivals and various festivals were celebrated in this chowk. The then King Birendra had brought urban planner Madhav Bhakta Mathema to prepare the master plan of Birendranagar. Birendranagar has been developed accordingly. In 2044 BS, the Queen herself came and unveiled the statue built in the square. The statue was vandalized during the people's movement of 2062/63 BS.

In 2074 BS, the Birendranagar Municipality reconstructed the structure in Birendra Chowk. But the statue was not placed. A flower pot was placed in the middle of the square. Almost 15 years later, on 14 Poush 2078 BS, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former King Birendra, local youth restored the statue. ‘Even though the name Birendra Chowk was retained, there was a long debate about whether to keep the statue or not,’ said Dev Kumar Subedi, former mayor of Birendranagar Municipality. ‘Later, the youth restored the statue with their own investment.’

According to local Durga Prasad Sapkota, the then King Birendra had a master plan prepared here because it was his favorite place. ‘The statue was named after him in honor of his contribution,’ he said. ‘Now, Birendra Chowk is considered the heart of Birendranagar.’

Four roads branch off from Birendra Chowk. This is the busiest chowk in Birendranagar. ‘From the provincial hospital to Airi Chowk, Itram where government offices are located, to the main market area, everyone goes through this chowk,’ said local Vijaya Sharma, ‘Various fairs and formal programs on national days start from this chowk.’

Local leader Dhruv Kumar Shrestha said that settlement in Birendranagar Municipality began in 2023 BS. According to him, before that, due to malaria in the plains of the municipality (in the valley area), the locals used to live in the fort about 20 kilometers above. ‘Since malaria is prevalent here, it was customary to go up to sleep after finishing farming work,’ he said, ‘The settlement started after malaria was eradicated.’ Before that, the Tharu and Raji communities were scattered in the valley.

After the construction of the Ratna Highway in 2038 BS, another chowk was built near Birendranagar – Mangalgadhi Chowk. This chowk is used to travel to and from Nepalgunj, Kathmandu, Jumla, Dailekh, Kalikot and other districts. ‘After becoming the headquarters of the then Mid-Western Development Region, Mangalgadhi Chowk also started to become as busy as Birendra Chowk,’ said local leader Govinda KC.

Shrestha says that Mangalgadhi was named after the history of the King of Mangalsen of Achham coming and staying in Mangalgadhi. ‘There is a history of the King of Mangalsen building a pond with water around it in Mangalgadhi to protect himself from enemies and making a place for himself in the middle, there is also a Jaldurga temple there,’ he said, ‘Only after offering Jamara and worshipping in that temple on the seventh day of Dashain, worship and tika talo were held in the Gothikada.’ He said that there is a legend that Mangalgadhi Chowk was later built in memory of the King of Mangalsen.

There was also a Nepali Army carrack near Mangalgadhi Chowk. According to him, after the establishment of the Nepali Army, the barracks were moved to Neware. Now, the Nepali Army College is located in that place.

Birendranagar became the capital of Karnali Province in 2074. After that, this city became the main commercial and educational tourist center of western Nepal, said Kamal Lamsal, associate professor at Madhya Paschim University. According to him, Mulpani, Eri Chowk, Hatiya Chowk, Simtali Chowk, Ganesh Chowk and other squares have been built in Birendranagar, which was known as Chauhan Chaur and Chaughan Chaur before 2023.

‘A chowk means a square or courtyard surrounded by houses and paved in the middle. Similarly, a place where two or more roads intersect or the center of a main market is also a chowk,’ he said. ‘As urbanization increases, the places where gatherings and formal programs are held have changed.’