70 – State Law, Religious Identity, and Cultural Transformation: Hinduisation and Sanskritisation in the Himalayas

October 2, 2025
8:30 am
H06
This panel examines the processes of Hinduisation and Sanskritisation in the Himalayan region, with a focus on Nepal’s distinct legal and cultural history in contrast to (British) India. It explores the intricate relationship between Brahmanical norms and local customs (deśācāra), particularly through the integration of Hindu legal scriptures (dharmaśāstra). The Himalayan region presents a unique context, where the application of these laws has sparked ongoing scholarly debate about the balance between Dharmaśāstra and indigenous practices. A key focus is the Mulukī Ain (MA) of 1854 CE, Nepal’s first codified legal code introduced by Prime Minister Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā. This legal reform sought to enforce Brahmanical norms across Nepal’s diverse communities, including Buddhist and non-Brahmanical groups. It was not only a legal initiative but also a political strategy to solidify Nepal’s identity as a Hindu kingdom and resist external threats, especially from colonial forces. The process of Sanskritisation and Hinduisation served to bring together Nepal’s various cultural groups under a common legal framework while preserving its Hindu ethos. The panel will explore the interaction between state-imposed laws and local traditions, analyzing how these frameworks shaped religious practices, social norms, and community identities in Nepal and the broader Himalayan region, including Tibet. Comparative studies of Nepal, India, and Tibet’s legal histories are encouraged, offering insights into how states with different colonial experiences addressed similar challenges. Scholars are invited to use archival and anthropological methods to investigate these transformations, shedding light on the dynamic relationship between state law and local customs in shaping the legal and cultural landscapes of the Himalayas.

Convenors

Manik Bajracharya
Nirajan Kafle
Rajan Khatiwoda

Presentations

To be executed, shaved, dispossessed, exiled or condemned to slavery – On the threat of capital punishment in a series of Nepalese inscriptions
Zotter Astrid - South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Muktikṣetra Between Worlds: Hinduisation, Syncretism, and Sacred Geography in the Himalayas
Sapkota Devaki - HCTS, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
(De)Hinduization in 19th-Century Nepal: A Case Study of the Mulukī Ain of 1854982
Khatiwoda Rajan - Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Bajracharya Manik - Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Bridging Traditions: The Umāmaheśvarasaṃvāda and the Integration of Buddhist and Brahmanical Legal Thought in the Kathmandu Valley
Kafle Nirajan - Sanskrit Studies, Ashoka University, Haryana, Germany
The Practice of Ordeals in Nepal: A Historical Overview from the Malla to the Rāṇa Periods in Comparison with Hindu Dharmaśāstra
Giudice Alessandro - University of Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Mapping the Sacred: The Role of the Himavatkhaṇḍa in Shaping Hindu Identity in Nepal
Ghimire Pradip - South Asia Institure, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
General Will or Public Order?The Debate on Criminal Justice Policy in Early Colonial Himalaya, 1815-1816
Moran Arik - Department of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Ballas Irit - Law Faculty, College of Law and Business, Ramat Gan, Israel