Nepal features disputed areas with India on new Rs 100 notes, revives 2020 row

The release has reignited the long-running border dispute between the two neighbours.

New Delhi had previously criticised Nepal’s 2020 map revision as a “unilateral act,” calling the expansion of territorial claims an “artificial enlargement” that it could not accept.

The Lipulekh Pass, located in the far-western Himalayas, lies close to Kalapani—an area claimed by both India and Nepal.

India maintains that Kalapani falls within Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district, while Nepal insists it belongs to the Dharchula region.

The new Rs 100 notes, issued by Nepal Rastra Bank, bear the signature of former governor Maha Prasad Adhikari and are dated 2081 BS (2024).

The currency design incorporates the revised national map approved by Parliament during the K. P. Sharma Oli administration in May 2020, which officially added Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura to Nepal’s political map.

Responding to queries about the updated design, an NRB spokesperson said the national map had already appeared on earlier Rs 100 notes and that the latest edition simply reflects the government’s directive to update it.

The new note displays Mt. Everest on the left and a watermark of the rhododendron—the national flower—on the right. A soft green outline of Nepal’s map appears in the centre, accompanied by the Ashok Pillar and the inscription, “Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.”

The reverse side features an image of the one-horned rhinoceros, along with a security thread and an embossed black dot to aid visually impaired users.

Among Nepal’s currency denominations—including Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000—only the Rs 100 note carries the national map.

Nepal shares over 1,850 kilometres of border with five Indian states: Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.