Kathmandu Bans All Indian Films After Mythological Dispute

June 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Kathmandu City Council has announced a ban on viewing all films from neighboring India starting Monday in protest of a phrase in a tape titled ‘Adipurush’ in which they attribute Indian and not Nepali to the Hindu goddess Sita.

The mayor of the Nepalese capital, Balendra Shah, has ordered the mobilization of security forces to monitor the 17 cinemas with 32 screens in total in the city.

“Three days ago we urged the parties involved to remove the questionable phrase from the film ‘Adpurush’ which in the original Hindi said that Janaki (Sita) is the daughter of India,” the mayor explained in statements collected by the NepalNews portal.

“There is no doubt that the first and foremost task of any Nepalese government, official body, non-governmental organizations and citizens is to preserve the independence, sovereignty and dignity of Nepal,” he argued.

If the film were to continue to be shown, it would cause “irreparable” damage to Nepal’s national and cultural unity, he warned, while recalling that Sita is one of the country’s national heroines.

The Hindu goddess Sita, also known as Siya, Janaki, Maithili, Vaidehi and Bhumija, is the partner of Rama -avatar of the god Vishnu-, the protagonist of the Sanskrit epic-religious text ‘Ramayana’, written in the 3rd century BC. The Nepalese city of Janakpur and the sanctuary of Sita Kund, in India, dispute the birth of the deity Siya.