Nepal bans Bollywood movie over Buddha birth claim

by Sanjay Jha | January 23, 2009 at 03:28 am

1602 views | 28 Recommendations | 8 comments

The student activists of All Nepal National Independent Students Union belonging to ruling leftist party staged anti-India demonstrations in front of Trichandra College in the heart of Kathmandu city by blocking roads for showing that Buddha was born in India.

Siddhartha Gautam, who later became Buddha, was born about 2,600 years ago in Lumbini, a western Nepal town.

The group led by noted documentary-director Manoj Pandit staged a sit-in for three hours starting 10 am today. They had also demonstrated in the area yesterday as well.

The new Indian movie ‘Chandni Chowk to China’ introduces India as “the land where Buddha was born”.

Pandit informed, “This is a phase-wise protest. We want an apology from the producers of the movie. This lie is being screened everywhere else in the world. This has to stop.”

He is scheduled to meet with the Indian Ambassador on Sunday to discuss the same and about the encroachment of Nepali land by the Indian side.

The protestors also demanded the resignation of Minister for Local Development Ram Chandra Jha.

Pandit said he will meet the leadership of the CPN-UML and urge to terminate Jha from the party.

Minister Jha had recently remarked that nobody knows what happened 200 years ago on the context of Buddha’s birthplace, according to reports.

The government on Thursday banned the screening of ‘Chandni Chowk…’ nationwide citing controversial narrations and scenes.

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harringtola

at 06:16 on January 23rd, 2009

Banning anything just makes it more popular in the place where you ban it.

René

at 18:51 on January 23rd, 2009

Leftist party? are they communists? If so, what do they care?

ronny_hanafi

at 21:52 on January 23rd, 2009

One of the thousand buddha statue donates by people for the tample. All those statue is hanging on the temple's wall

ronny_hanafi has contributed a photo to this story.

SubZeroConsciousness

at 02:29 on January 24th, 2009

Just a photo that I took while on a day out at the British Museum. Buddha has always represented peace and tranquility for me.

SubZeroConsciousness has contributed a photo to this story.

kiranp

at 16:06 on January 25th, 2009

They forget that Nepal was part of India when Buddha was born so the film is not wrong to depict the true history.

Its like if you were born in that part of India which is now in Pakistan you cant change history and say you are a Pakistani when you are and were an Indian.

http://www.meditationinliverpool.org.uk/HTML-Pages/About-Buddhism/Buddha-Life-Story/Buddha-Birth.html

Buddha Skakyamuni was born as a royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini, which was originally in northern India but is now part of Nepal. His mother's name was Queen Mayadevi and his father's name was
King Shuddhodana.

I'm Fed Up (not verified)

at 08:41 on January 28th, 2009

Ok, let's believe you are right, "Nepal was a part of India" before and Gautum buddha was born in ancient India which is now mordern Nepal..... But when Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October, 1869 in India, it was under British rule. Now can I say Mahatma Gandhi was born in Britain. With you're kind of logic, I obviously can, can't I? So, please stop saying Buddha was born in India. Lumbini, place where Buddha was born, is part of Nepal and he did get enlightenment in India.

And also Nepal was never a part of India, I understand you are taught in that way but don't think whatever you learn in your history book - written by an Indian - is true. Nepal was small kingdoms before it got united. And those kingdoms, my friend, were never part of India.

We love all Indians, you are our friends. So, let's put this bullshit aside.

Umesh Karki (not verified)

at 01:38 on February 1st, 2009

It's true that Buddha was born in Nepal. It should be noted that Nepal is the only country which has it's own independent existence throughout the history. The most condemnable thing that Indian Filmmaker's mindset has is that they most of the time want to dominate Nepalese sentiment. Like they are doing agiainst Pakisthani. It's true that art is the universal language. But when it comes the issue of film it is also the most important part of information dissemination. The info there is Buddha was born in Hindusthan, which was knowingly put in the film to sensationalize.

Even the Indians became slave of British and it came as the colony of great Britain but Nepal was able to save it's sovereignity.

Survajyoti Sengupta (not verified)

at 20:37 on March 12th, 2009

I endorse what you have stated. But please do not judge all Indians as regional chauvinists. I have very good and old friends that are in Nepal, and we continue to remain fast friends even after 36 years.

There are a lot of mentally sick people all over and one cannot help if some of them are film makers that feel it is their moral right to distort well documented and accepted historical facts.