The politics of Buddhism in Nepal

Nepal, as Nepalis never tire of reminding the world and each other, was where the Buddha was born. But did Nepal exist 2500 years ago? Does the fact that the Buddha was born in what is today Nepal mean that the modern nation-state Nepal can claim special ownership of his memory, when the other three significant events in the Buddha’s life—attainment of enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, first sermon at Sarnath, and entry into full nirvana at Kushinagar—all took place in what is now India? Even the very act of asking these questions will irritate some of my Nepali friends, for whom the two most fundamental facts about their country are that it is home to the world’s highest mountain and that it claims the birthplace of the Buddha