Mapping the Sacred: The Role of the Himavatkhaṇḍa in Shaping Hindu Identity in Nepal

Abstract

This paper focuses on the transformative role of Sanskritization in shaping religious identities in 20th-century Nepal, with a particular focus on the Vāgmatīmāhātmya from the Himavatkhaṇḍa. As a collection of eulogistic narratives celebrating Nepal’s sacred geography, the Himavatkhaṇḍa highlights shrines, pilgrimage sites, and other culturally significant places. Compiled and promoted by Yogi Narahari Nātha, a key figure in the rise of Hindu nationalism, this text exemplifies how Sanskrit narratives were mobilized to maintain the sacredness of specific locales and Nepal’s identity as a Hindu nation. Māhātmya literature, often referred to as sthalapurāṇa, functions as a kind of “local guidebook,” addressing the queries of pilgrims while praising specific sacred sites. However, in the context of Himavatkhaṇḍa, these metrical compositions in Sanskrit served a dual purpose—not only guiding pilgrims but also reinforcing a vision of Nepal as a Hindu cultural space. This paper argues that these narratives were employed to legitimize Hindu nationalist ideals, linking mythology to geography and Sanskrit knowledge to religious authority. By examining the interplay between narrative and language, this paper focuses on how religious transformation in Nepal was shaped through sanskritized texts.