Nepalgunj - Culture and Religion

Culture and Religion

Nepalgunj has a diverse culture with people from different faiths living within mixed communities. Hinduism and Islam are two major religions in the city with Hindus comprising larger percentage of the population. Other religions like Buddhism and the Christianity are among in the minorities. People of different ethnicity are known to have traditionally lived together, without any significant conflicts.

However, there have been religious conflicts in the past in the city between its Hindu and Muslim majorities. Recent conflict occurred in December 2006 betweenPahari people of the hill-origin and Madhesi people of Ganges-river origin. The conflict resulted in the death of at least one person, while dozens were injured. The conflict followed immediately after the 2006 democracy movement in Nepal. During the conflict, a mob destroyed the statue of late King Tribhuvan placed at a junction named after him while demanding to rename the junction as Kamal Madheshi Chok after a man from the madhesi side who was killed in the violence. The local administration had to impose a curfew to take the mob under control, and later formed a commission to investigate the causes of the riot.