Below is a republication of the statement issued by the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli claimed that the real Ayodhya, which is the birthplace of Hindu deity Lord Ram, was actually in Thori in Southern Nepal, and not in India. He alleged that Nepal “has become a victim of cultural encroachment, and its history has been manipulated”. He also blamed India for wrongfully claiming the “Indian site as the birthplace of Lord Ram”.
BJP National Spokesperson, Bizay Sonkar Shastri, immediately responded to the statement and said, “Lord Ram is a matter faith for us, and people will not allow anybody, be it prime minister of Nepal or anyone, to play with this.”
Oli’s claim was also criticised by Kamal Thapa, the co-Chairperson of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Nepal’s Hindu Nationalist Party, too. He believed that it was inappropriate for the PM to make such “baseless” and “unproven” claims. He tweeted, “It looks like the PM wants to further spoil Nepal-India relations rather than working to resolve tensions.”
The India-Nepal dispute has been going on for some time now and was solidified when the Nepali Parliament put forth a redrawn map that depicted Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhur as Nepali territory.
Amidst rising tensions with India, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought to allay fears of escalation through this statement. The original copy of the statement can be found on the website of the Government of Nepal.
The attention of the Government of Nepal has been drawn to the various interpretations of the remarks made yesterday by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Mr. K P Sharma Oli during the 207th birth anniversary celebration of Adikavi Bhanu Bhakta Acharya, the author of the Ramayana in Nepali language. In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to clarify the following:
- The remarks made by the Prime Minister are not linked to any political subject and have no intention at all to hurt the feeling and sentiment of anyone.
- As there have been several myths and references about Shri Ram and the places associated with him, the Prime Minister was simply highlighting the importance of further studies and research of the vast cultural geography the Ramayana represents to obtain facts about Shri Ram, Ramayana and the various places linked to this rich civilization.
- The remarks were not meant to debasing the significance of Ayodhya and the cultural value it bears.
It may be underlined that the tradition of celebrating Bibaha Panchami where a marriage procession coming from Ayodhya, India to Janakpur, Nepal takes place every year. The Prime Ministers of Nepal and India launched the Ramayana Circuit in May 2018, of which Janakpur-Ayodhya Passenger Bus Service is an important component. These facts signify the bond of time honoured cultural affinity between our two countries and peoples.