Nepal asked India - How did Gautam Buddha become an Indian?

Recently, a controversy arose with the statement of Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli regarding the birthplace of Ram and now the latest name of Gautam Buddha is in the link of the dispute.

On Saturday, at a program of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said - which are the greatest Indians you can remember. So I would say one is Gautam Buddha and the other is Mahatma Gandhi.

Just then what a new controversy arose. The Foreign Ministry of Nepal issued a statement saying that it is an established and indisputable fact from historical and archaeological evidence that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, is the place of origin of Buddhism, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage.

Former Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal said that India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's statement about Gautam Buddha is objectionable.

In his statement released on Facebook, Madhav Kumar Nepal has written - Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's statement on Gautam Buddha born in Lumbini, Nepal is unrealistic and objectionable. Insensitive statements and misconceptions expressed by Indian leaders hurt the relationship between the two countries. I request the Government of Nepal to formally talk to India.

However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs later stated to try to cool the dispute. Indian Foreign Ministry said in its statement- Foreign Minister was referring to the shared Buddhist heritage. There is no doubt that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is in Nepal.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs did not clarify why Foreign Minister S Jaishankar called Gautam Buddha an Indian.

There has been tension between Nepal and India for the last few months. Nepal released its new map in May this year, showing its territory to Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani. These three areas are in India right now, but Nepal claims that it is its territory. Whereas India considers it as its territory.

Nepal's Foreign Ministry in its statement has also referred to the 2004 visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nepal, in which Narendra Modi said that Nepal is the country where Gautam Buddha, the messenger of peace around the world, was born.

The Nepali Foreign Ministry has further said in its statement- Buddhism indeed spread from Nepal to different parts of the world. This subject is not a matter of dispute nor is there any doubt about it. Therefore, this cannot be a matter of debate. The entire international community is aware of this.

On this issue, former Foreign Secretary of Nepal Madhurman Acharya tweeted - About 2270 years ago, Indian Emperor Ashoka built a pillar by recognizing Buddha's birthplace. This monument is bigger than any claim that Buddha is an Indian.

Nepali Congress spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma has also questioned Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's claim. He has said that Lord Buddha was born in Nepal and he has a strong objection to the statement of the Indian Foreign Minister and it is against historical facts.

Recently, in a ceremony held on the 207th birthday of poet Bhanubhakta, the Prime Minister of Nepal KP Oli made a statement about the birthplace of Ram, which was a lot of controversy.

He said - the real Ayodhya is a village near Birganj, Nepal, where Lord Ram was born. We are culturally pressurized. The facts have been tampered with. We still believe that we gave Sita to the Indian prince Ram. But we did not give Sita to the prince of Ayodhya, India. The real Ayodhya is a village to the west of Birganj, not the one now built. "

As soon as Oli's statement came, there was a sharp reaction not only in India but also in Nepal. Ayodhya saints in India expressed resentment over Oli's statement.

Later, the Nepalese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Prime Minister Oli did not want to hurt anyone's feelings.

Nepal's Foreign Ministry said at the time - these comments were not related to any political issue and were not intended to hurt anyone's sentiments. The Prime Minister, Shri Ram, was only mentioning the importance of the study and research of the vast cultural geography that the Ramayana exhibits, to know facts about Ayodhya and the various places associated with it. This was not meant to diminish the importance of Ayodhya and cultural values.