A day after Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli faced flak for claiming that the “real Ayodhya” lies in Nepal, the foreign ministry of Nepal issued a statement saying that the remarks were not political and had no intention of hurting anyone’s sentiments.
“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 civilisation.”Nepal’s Foreign Ministry
It was also pointed out, in the statement, that the remarks were not meant to debase the significance or the cultural value of Ayodhya.
According to Nepalese media house Khabarhub, Oli, speaking on the occasion of Bhanu Jayanti at his residence, claimed “distortion of facts” with “India’s Ayodhya” as the birthplace of Lord Ram.
“Although the real Ayodhya lies at Thori in the west of Birgunj, India have claimed the Indian site as the birthplace of Lord Ram,” PM Oli said, as quoted by Khabarhub. “We also believe that deity Sita got married to Prince Ram of India. Actually, Ayodhya is a village lying west of Birgunj,” the PM was quoted by the media house as saying.
Oli reportedly added that there is ‘dispute’ over Ayodhya’s location and that the actual Ayodhya is not where India claims.
“Ayodhya is at Thori, west of Birgunj, Balmiki Ashram is in Nepal and the holy place where King Dashrath had executed the rites to get the son is in Ridi,” he was quoted by Khabarhub as saying.
Ram was not an Indian and Ayodhya is also in Nepal, he reportedly claimed.
Oli’s claims come just weeks after his government amended its constitution, paving the way for inclusion of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in its maps – areas that have been a cause of dispute between India and Nepal.
A few weeks later, Oli had also claimed that his party rivals were being instigated by India with the intention of removing him from power. He had claimed that a plot with the intention to overthrow him was being shaped.
While India officially has called Nepal’s territorial claims an “artificial enlargement not based on historical facts,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had claimed that the dispute will be resolved via dialogue as the two nations are connected by ‘roti and beti’.
(With inputs from Khabarhub.)
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