Kathmandu, April 16 -- Political forces of diverse ideologies are now vying to restore Nepal 'back' to a Hindu state. The monarchs of the Shah dynasty during their long reign spanning 240 years and 13 generations tirelessly tried to equate the roots of Nepali statehood with the 'idea' of the Hindu kingdom. They systematically instilled the notion that kings were reincarnations of a Hindu deity, Vishnu. It was not difficult for rulers with the state apparatus absolutely in their clutches to instill this myth among the masses in a country with a predominantly Hindu population (81.3 percent in 2011 census) and with historically low literacy rates (merely 33, 48.6 and 59.6 percent in 1991, 2001 and 2011 censuses, respectively).

It was natura...