The border starts in the west at the westerntripoint with China near theLimpuyadhura. It then proceeds to the south-west through theHimalayas, theSivalik Hills and then the Gangetic plain, initially overland and then utilising theMahakali River. Just east ofMajhola it turns to the south-east and proceeds in that direction overland, occasionally utilising various rivers and hill crests. North-west ofIslampur the border turns to the north-east and proceeds overland to the eastern Chinese tripoint.[citation needed]
Areas ceded by Nepal as part of the Treaty of Sugauli
The border region has historically existed at the edge of various Indian and Nepali kingdoms. It took its modern shape during the period ofBritish rule in India which began in the 17th century. During the late 18th century the Nepali kingdom launched anexpansion drive, bringing them into conflict with the British and resulting in theAnglo-Nepalese War (1814–16).[2][3] Nepal was defeated, and by theTreaty of Sugauli it was forced to cede large areas of land to Britain, effectively creating the modern India-Nepal boundary.[4][5] Finding theTerai region difficult to manage, the British returned parts of it to Nepal in 1816.[6]
India gained independence in 1947, and three years later it signed afriendship treaty with Nepal, by which both countries agreed to respect the territorial integrity of the other.[6] Since then relations have largely been cordial, though a number of border disputes remain. There have also been occasional blockades on the border at times of tension, for example in 1987 and2015.[7][8]
Communities living in India and Nepal close to the Indo-Nepal border have usually shared old, customary ties of kinship and resource access with communities across the border, such as along the western part of the Indo-Nepal border, in the Mahakali valley.[9][10]
There are two existing territorial disputes between India and Nepal, over theKalapani territory, a 35-square-kilometre (14 sq mi) area at the India–Nepal–China trijunction in North West Nepal, andSusta, a 20-square-kilometre (7.7 sq mi)–140-square-kilometre (54 sq mi) area in Southern Nepal.[11][12][13]
There are several major border crossings that the IndianIntegrated Check Posts (ICP) use for processing cargo customs and immigration entry for citizens of third countries. These are, from west to east subcategorised by the states of India:[14]
Since there are no fences along the border, there are several smaller official and unofficial border crossings. Smaller official border crossings, known as Chhoti Bhansar (Minor Customs) in theNepali language, are as follows from west to east (by Indian state):
Jaynagar-Bardibas railway line - mostly complete, except final and third phase (as of April 2022):[19] 52 km out of total 68 km complete as of April 2022 while remaining is awaiting land acquisition.[20][21]
The Nepal–India border is anopen border,[25] which is relatively peaceful. Nepali and Indian nationals do not need passports or visas to enter each other's countries, and tens of thousands of people cross the border every day for tourism and commerce.
The Indian side of the border is regulated bySashastra Seema Bal (SSB) along with local police. The Nepali side of the border is regulated by theArmed Police Force (APF) along with the local branch ofNepal Police. Often SSB (India) and APF (Nepal) perform joint patrols on the border.[26] On a local level, Indian and Nepali district officials meet regularly to discuss security challenges and other issues on their respective border portions. Such meetings are usually attended by District Magistrates, local SSB representatives, customs chiefs from India including the Chief District Officer (CDO), local APF, Police and custom chiefs from Nepal.[27]
^Gupta, Alok Kumar (June–December 2009), "The Context of New-Nepal: Challenges and Opportunities for India",Indian Journal of Asian Affairs,22 (1/2):57–73,JSTOR41950496: "Kalapani, 35 square kilometres piece of land, is entangled in controversy since mid-1996, a few months after the ratification of the Mahakali treaty (with India on the harnessing of hydro-power) by Nepal's Parliament."
^Nidhi Jamwal,As a river changed its course, a village on the India-Nepal border became disputed territory, Scroll.in, 19 March 2017: '"An area of some 5,000 acres [approximately 2,023 hectares] of land in Narsahi-Susta area adjoining the Gandak river in West Champaran district has been encroached upon by Nepalese nationals....," is how the then Union Minister of External Affairs answered a question in the Lok Sabha in 2002. Shrestha, however, alleged that over 14,860 hectares of Nepali land in Susta has been encroached upon by India.'
India
Nepal
