• Explainers
  • Features
  • Longreads
  • Perspectives
  • Podcast
  • Photo Essays
  • Newsletter
  • Write for Us
  • Donate
LOGIN DASHBOARD

Photo Essays

3 MIN READ

A Journey Through the Maoist Heartland

Nabin Bibhas, July 10, 2019, Kathmandu

A Journey Through the Maoist Heartland

    Share this article

Rolpa and Rukum 13 years after the war

(Nabin Bibhas)

The Maoist insurgency began with simultaneous attacks on three police posts on Feb 13, 1996, two of which were in Rolpa and Rukum. With the attacks began a decade long civil war that claimed close to 17,000 lives, and led to a political transformation that changed the course of Nepali history. The Maoists gained a stronghold on political power after the war. They have led three  governments and, since their merger with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) have formed the largest ruling party in Nepal to date.

In Rolpa and Rukum, the Maoists had some support— and a strong coercive network — which they used to establish parallel governments and state structures. The general consensus in political circles is that the war is over and Nepal has successfully transitioned into a federal democracy. But a splinter group, led by former Maoist youth leader Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’, who hails from Rolpa, believes that the revolution is far from complete. He is now attempting to mobilize a new generation of youth in Rukum and Rolpa to fight for this cause under the banner of his Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). 

13 years after the end of the war, we visit Rolpa and Rukum to see what life is like in what was, and continues to be, the Maoist heartland. 

Scenes from Jaljala, a hill in Rolpa that is 3,500 m high. For the Maoists, this hill was a symbol of the revolution and it featured prominently in war literature, music and poetry.
Jaljala is now being promoted heavily by the provincial government as a tourist destination, for its abundant flora, fauna, and wildlife.


“All communists, leftists, patriots and democratic forces unite! Let’s struggle together for scientific socialism! Let’s fight against excessive taxation!” This graffiti by CPN cadres is painted on the walls of what used to be the palace of the king of Aathbiskot, Rukum
Scene from Thabang village, Rolpa. Thabang is the cradle of the war, where the Maoists had almost unanimous support. Following the vicissitudes of the peace process and the many divisions of and within the party that resulted, in Thabang Biplab’s CPN now holds sway.
While sketches of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Prachanda were common in Rolpa and Rukum during the Maoist war, the CPN now projects  Che Guevara as the symbol of the “continued revolution.” This wall painting is from Thabang, Rolpa
Mural of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao has been at Thabang gate for over a decade now.
Police post in Mahat, Rukum. In 1999, the Maoists kidnapped a deputy superintendent of police of this police post, their first high-profile kidnapping.
Kamal Daha in Rukumkot, Rukum (East). This was the site of the first major clash  between the police and the Maoists in 1996. Over 20 people lost their lives.
Sarun Bahadur KC, 61, father of Bibek KC, a Maoist combatant killed by the police. He received Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) as  compensation from the government for his son’s death. With the money, he built a temple in Syarpu, Rukum, where is a dhami (shaman) and tends to many locals, providing healing and spiritual guidance.
Banphikot, Rukum. This formerly independent kingdom was the first place where the Maoists declared a “people’s government”, headed by Purna Bahadur Gharti Magar. He is now Speaker of the House for Province 5.
Punni BK and his daughter-in-law standing in front of their house, which they bought from the former royal family of Gotamkot, Rukum. A Dalit man purchasing a house that belonged to the king is indicative of the social transformations taking place in Rukum.
Houses in Gotamkot that belonged to the rulers of the former kingdom.
​​​​
No longer glorious, these former royal residences are now home to ordinary people going about their daily lives and herding their animals.
Rarijiula, Rukum.
The war formally began with a Maoist attack on these police quarters as well as two others in Rolpa and Sindhuli.

:::

We welcome your comments. Please write to us at letters@recordnepal.com



author bio photo

Nabin Bibhas  Nabin Bibhas has worked as a journalist for a decade, and closely follows Nepal's politics. He is the author four collections of essays, poetry, and short stories. He tweets @NabinBibhas



Comments

Get the best of

the Record

Previous Next

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Opinions

Perspectives

1 min read

But not living either

Gayaprasad - August 25, 2015

Gaya Prasad Chaudhary was tortured by the Nepal Army twelve years ago, but his suffering continues

Photo Essays

3 min read

A Journey Through the Maoist Heartland

Nabin Bibhas - July 10, 2019

Rolpa and Rukum 13 years after the war

Photo Essays

4 min read

The whole family

Bikkil Sthapit - August 30, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic brought a faint hope for some that their family members who disappeared during the People’s War might finally return

Longreads

76 min read

Inside the People’s Liberation Army: A military perspective

Sam Cowan - December 27, 2021

Using extensive documentary footage from the Maoist conflict, General Sam Cowan provides incisive analysis on the military effectiveness of the People’s Liberation Army.

The Wire

Features

14 min read

Nepal’s botched truth and reconciliation program

Indu Nepal - July 29, 2016

A decade has passed since the end of the civil war, but Nepal’s truth and reconciliation program is still suffering from a lack of political will

Features

6 min read

Fear of what happens next in transitional justice divides the victims

Dewan Rai - January 14, 2019

Transitional justice mechanisms expire on February 9 without finishing their job

Features

5 min read

Lessons we don’t learn from history

The Record - December 15, 2020

Determined to crush Maoist rebels instead of seeking a political solution, Oli is repeating the same mistakes Deuba made in the 90s which resulted in a decade-long people’s war

Features

21 min read

The machinery of brutality

Aditya Adhikari - August 20, 2018

Remembering the Royal Nepal Army’s actions in wartime

  • About
  • Contributors
  • Jobs
  • Contact

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2025 the Record | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy

×