Map controversies between India and Nepal
A major controversy has broken out in Nepal over a mural depicting the Indian subcontinent landmass in the newly inaugurated Parliament building.
The mural has been interpreted as a map of Akhand Bharat or undivided India, which has drawn angry responses from Nepali political leaders across party lines.
The mural shows Lumbini, in that map.
Nepal considers Lumbini as one of the major cultural centres on the Nepalese map.
Lumbini:
Lumbini is a village, archaeological site, and place of pilgrimage honored as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) located in modern-day Rupandehi District of Nepal, near the Indian border.
It was first formally identified as the Buddha's birthsite in 249 BCE by the Mauryan king Ashoka the Great (r. 268-232 BCE).
Currently there is no official boundary dispute over Lumbini.
Kalapani Region:
Kalapani is a valley that is administered by India as a part of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
It is situated on the Kailash Mansarovar route.
Kalapani is advantageously located at a height of over 20,000 ft and serves as an observation post for that area.
The Kali River in the Kalapani region demarcates the border between India and Nepal.
The Treaty of Sugauli signed by the Kingdom of Nepal and British India (after Anglo-Nepalese War) in 1816 located the Kali River as Nepal's western boundary with India.
The discrepancy in locating the source of the Kali river led to boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps supporting their own claims.
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