The Kirat Rai Yayokkha has demanded that Koshi Province be renamed Kirat and that 13 languages, including Bantawa, Chamling and Rai, be recognised as official languages of the province. The organisation made the demands in a 19-point Biratnagar Declaration issued at the conclusion of its 12th National Convention, held in Biratnagar from 23 to 27 Ashoj 2083. The declaration also calls on the state to protect mother tongues, historical heritage and the identity of indigenous communities.
A province name and language recognition
The proposed name change is one of the declaration’s central demands. The organisation is asking the state to replace the name Koshi with Kirat, presenting the change as part of a broader set of calls concerning language, heritage and indigenous identity. The declaration establishes the Yayokkha’s position on the province’s name; the summary of its demands does not indicate that the name has been changed.
The document also calls for 13 languages to be recognised as official languages in Koshi Province. Bantawa, Chamling and Rai are among those named. The declaration’s reported demand is for recognition at the provincial level, and it does not provide, in the available account, the full list of all 13 languages or details of how official status would be implemented.
Language recognition is paired with a call to protect mother tongues. In the declaration, these demands appear together: recognition of languages in the province and state action to safeguard the languages spoken by communities. The organisation is therefore seeking both formal recognition for a set of languages and protection for mother tongues more broadly.
Heritage and indigenous identity
The 19-point declaration extends beyond the proposed province name and official-language status. It calls on the state to protect historical heritage and the identity of indigenous communities. These demands place cultural and historical protection alongside language as issues for government action.
The available summary does not specify individual heritage sites, particular measures for protecting them, or the policies sought to safeguard community identity. It does, however, make clear that the Yayokkha’s declaration links these concerns to the same wider appeal: that the state recognise and protect the languages, history and identities of indigenous communities.
The convention concluded with the declaration in Biratnagar after running from 23 to 27 Ashoj 2083. Its 19 points set out the organisation’s demands, including the proposed name Kirat for Koshi Province, official recognition for 13 languages and protection for mother tongues, historical heritage and indigenous identity. Coverage of the declaration was published by Ratopati and Pradesh Khabar.
