2026/03/23 by Sabin Ninglekhu
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nepal #South Asian Cinema and Culture #Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation
paper · doi:10.1080/0048721x.2026.2644031
Within the last decade, Hindutva, or Hindu majoritarian nationalism, has seen a steady rise in India, particularly under Narendra Modi. Based in Janakpurdham, a major Hindu pilgrimage site in Nepal with deep religious ties to Ayodhya, this article situates a recent urban planning and heritage preservation initiative within this broader regional shift. Following an unprecedented demolition of private houses for road expansion, the municipal government introduced a ‘heritage preservation’ project requiring homeowners to paint their houses saffron – a color increasingly associated with Hindutva. By critically analyzing the state’s dual appropriation of preservation and planning, the article argues that this heritage initiative has inadvertently contributed to the subtle cross-border diffusion of Hindu majoritarian politics from northern India into southern Nepal.