Historical map of Nepal - May 2020

Awakening the people against the Indian border encroachment, he went to Mechi-Kali to train leaders and staff on what Kalapani is.

He went to China, Britain and the United States looking for a map to strengthen Nepal's claim. Border expert Budhinarayan Shrestha is overjoyed after the government of Nepal finally released a new map including Mahakali Shir Limpiyadhura. Though he retired from the post of Director General of the Survey Department in 049 BS, Budhinarayan did not retire from the service of the country. He did not expect the appointment of the Government of Nepal, he did not become a 'consultant' of NGOs. Became a volunteer engineer and visited the encroached area.

After compiling historical maps from China, the United Kingdom and the United States, he drew a map of Limpiadhura and published it in a book.

Some leaders used to laugh when Budhinarayan showed 'Chuchche Map', but now the same map has become the official map of the country. Budhinarayan led Nepal in the 13th and 14th meetings of the Nepal-India Joint Technical Boundary Committee when he was the Director General of the Survey Department. He remembers that there was a dispute over the map of Kalapani in the working group under him. India reiterated its claim on Nepalese land that the river from Lipulek is the Kali River," he said. . However, India showed a map of 1879 and submitted its claim to Lipulec, so no agreement was reached. The then government had not given the mandate to present the issue of Kalapani as an important agenda.

Therefore, the Kalapani issue has been in the shadows for a long time.

However, after retiring from the Survey Department, Budhinarayan was freed from government control. He himself set up a land survey company. From there, he had the opportunity to travel to London to participate in the Federation's survey program. While living in London from July 19, 1998 to August 21, 1998, Shrestha made good use of his time shopping and visiting the British Library.

After spending several days in the huge library, he finally found a map issued by the Survey of India on April 24, 1856.

The river flowing from Limpiyadhura is called River Kali in the map. The map of Nepal called Nepal is still preserved in British Lybary, India office Records, Map collections Shelfmark number IOR.X / 2996/1. A year later, Shrestha, who arrived in the United States from May 10 to June 25, 1999, visited the Library of Congress in Washington DC. He obtained a map with the catalog number G 7650 s 260.15 in the Geography and Map Division of the Library, published by British India in 1827. The map, prepared by Lens Horst, a hydrologist at the East India Company government under the British Parliament, also states that the river flowing from Limpiadhura is River Kali. As per the Sugauli Treaty, Kali River is a border river, so it is clear that it is western India and eastern Nepal. Both of these maps show Kalapani Hot Spring in Nepal before the Kali River.

The map says: Nabhi village is also Nepal.

Based on maps found in the United States and London, Budhinarayan concluded, "The river that flows from Limpiyadhura is the Kali River." The western border of Nepal is the same. 'In 1957, he published a book called Border of Nepal, which also won the Madan Award. However, he wanted to not only awaken the people from the book, but also interfere in Nepal's policy. After returning from the United States, Budhinarayan had the opportunity to make a presentation to the then Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. From an overhead projector in Baluwatar, Shrestha gave a presentation to Prime Minister Bhattarai with a map stamped by the Library of Congress. Six ministers and secretaries, Congress leader Sushil Koirala, Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr. Narayan Khadka and Rajaram Chhatkuli and Tirtha Pradhanang, two senior officials of the Survey Department, were also present in Baluwatar.

Budhinarayan was satisfied with his presentation to wake up the Prime Minister.

Bhattarai had said that he would take necessary steps, but he had to resign after two weeks due to political reasons," Budhinarayan said. However, no matter who came to the government, he worked tirelessly to submit the documents. Even after India released the new map on October 29, he went to the Ministry of Defense and presented it to the current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Two months ago, Chief of Army Staff Purnachandra Thapal and other army officers also gave presentations on the battlefield. He is still active in the campaign not only to harass the policy makers on the basis of the documents he has received, but also to find more documents.

During his last four months in the United States, he has received additional historical maps.

In the same meso, he also found a map issued by the then East India Company government in 1947. Border expert Budhinarayan also visited the National Library of China in Beijing, China from September 14 to 18, 2006. He arrived in Beijing on his way back to Fukuoka, Japan to attend an event. ‘I had the opportunity to study inside the archives of the National Bureau of Survey and Mapping. There, too, I found a map from 1903, 'he says.' Even on a map drawn during the Qing Dynasty, the river that flows from Limpiadhura is called Kali. The villages of Kuti, Nabhi, Gunji, Kalapani, Nabhidang and Lipulek Bhanjyang are shown on the map. A map prepared by India, which bears British heritage, on November 2 (November 16) also clearly states that the Kali River flows from Limpiyadhura.

However, on November 8, six days after the release of the map, the letter written Kali Nadi has been deleted.

Nepal should negotiate with India with restraint and maturity. We should not lose our sanity and logic as we have strong evidence, "he said." We should not spoil the atmosphere of negotiations by being provoked. 

Historical maps at the British Museum Library and the US Library of Congress say the head of the Mahakali is Limpiyadhura.

Map of 1827: Library of Congress, Washington DC: This map is stored in the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, catalog number G 7650 s 260.15 in Washington DC, USA. It is clear that its origin is Limpiyadhura. It is seen that Kalapani Hot Spring was written in Nepal before the river. This map says - Nabhi village is also Nepal. Map of 1856: British Museum Library, London: This map is stored in the India Office Record, Map Collection Safemark No. IOR.X / 2996/1 of the British Museum Library, London, UK.

However, in 1879, British India drew another map in which the Nepali lands Kuti, Nabhi and Gunji were brought to India by a cartographic sign.

Moreover, present day India has come here from Lipukhola and captured Kalapani. In the map published by India itself on November 2, the river coming from Limpiyadhura is also called Kali river. However, six days later, the new map was made public by erasing Kali's writing. After collecting historical maps from libraries in China, the United Kingdom and the United States, Budhinarayan Shrestha drew a map of Limpiyadhura and published it in a book. Some leaders used to laugh when Budhinarayan showed 'Chuchche Map', but now the same map has become the official map of the country. Border expert Budhinarayan Shrestha says, "There is ample evidence, but we should not incite political manipulation on such a sensitive issue of national identity.

We are ready to hold talks with India: Government (Nepal issues new political map)

Suggestion from a leader with knowledge of foreign affairs to hold bilateral talks with mature diplomatic skills. If the talks with India had started as per the request, it would have reached another stage now.

Kathmandu: Foreign Minister Pradip Kumar Gyawali has said that Nepal is ready to hold diplomatic dialogue with India on land encroachment and border issues. He also said that he was directly and indirectly urging India for bilateral dialogue. In the context of the border dispute, even the leaders of the main political parties and former foreign ministers have said that the only way to end the confrontation between Nepal and India is to hold bilateral talks using mature diplomatic skills. He said that the land could not be returned if only the map was released.

Reacting to the new political-administrative map of Nepal being made public by India calling it 'invalid' on Thursday, Foreign Minister Gyawali said that the new map was published after gathering. If the talks with India had started as requested, we would have reached another stage now." A date has also been proposed for the talks. Minister Gyawali said that India had replied that it would hold talks after the end of the Corona crisis in the last phase of the border dispute, adding, "But we are in favor of holding talks immediately." There is no other way to solve this problem than dialogue. '

Former Foreign Minister and Congress Joint General Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat stressed on the need to talk at the table with India by presenting facts and evidence through diplomatic channels.

Since we have to resolve through diplomacy, we have to be soft, polite in language and put things in the right place.

Just tell the people on the street, nothing should happen.  India has previously acknowledged that the Kalapani area is disputed. Accordingly, in the past, even when all border disputes were resolved elsewhere, the issue of sluggishness and black water was raised. RPP Chairman Prakash Chandra Lohani, who is also a former foreign minister, is of the opinion that India should be presented to explain and remind this. Nepal should try to establish the same thing now, 'he said. After India issued the map, Nepal protested and inaugurated a road in the same area.

Nepal sent a proposal to India for talks but no reply was received.

India ignored Nepal's objection to the road, which has been under construction for nearly 12 years, and the signing of an India-China trade agreement in 2015. One incident after another took place and Nepal only protested against it. Now, Nepal has made its concrete 'position' that this is its territory. All the parties represented in the parliament have agreed that this is the territory of Nepal. This has given the government the moral strength to speak strongly with India. Chairman of the Samajwadi Party, Upendra Yadav, who is also the former foreign minister, has suggested that the release of the map in such a favorable situation should not be used only as a weapon to shout slogans of extremism.

It would be great if you could return that territory, "he said." It should not be just a slogan of extremism.

The dispute over Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulek is directly between India and Nepal. It has been agreed to develop the trilateral point in this area and as a trade gateway between India and China. The Indian side understands that China has a 'backup' in issuing the new map to Nepal. Therefore, a mature dialogue with India and then China may be needed in the dispute over the Lipulek region. "We need to talk more with India first and create an environment for dialogue with China in the second phase," said Ram Karki, who is also the deputy chief It is important to keep the allies at the negotiating table. Only this can clear up the misunderstanding.  Karki stressed on the need for Nepal to focus on creating an atmosphere of dialogue without being provoked by the current situation.

He said that it would be appropriate to create an environment where people can talk from virtual meetings even if there is no direct talks. When it comes to talks, the Nepali side has been weak in the past. Nepal's biggest weakness in negotiations is the lack of institutional 'memory'. Therefore, the leaders say that preparations should be made in a mature manner while attending the talks. Allies have to worry about no data," Karki said.