Strict checks at the Jamunaha border point in Nepalgunj have sharply reduced the number of Nepali consumers travelling to India’s Rupaidiha market for Dashain shopping, shifting more festival shopping activity toward domestic markets. The change is visible ahead of Dashain, when Rupaidiha in Banke has typically drawn large crowds from Nepal, and comes as footfall in local Nepali markets has increased.
Fewer shoppers crossing into Rupaidiha
In previous years, shoppers from Nepal travelled across the border in large numbers to buy goods in Rupaidiha ahead of major festivals, including Dashain and Tihar. The Indian border market became a popular destination during the festive period, attracting Nepali consumers seeking to complete their seasonal purchases.
This year, that familiar rush has diminished. Strict checks at Jamunaha, the border point in Nepalgunj, have reduced the number of consumers making the journey into India. The reported shift is a marked change from past festival seasons, when crowds of Nepali shoppers were a prominent feature of Rupaidiha’s pre-Dashain market activity.
The change does not mean that seasonal shopping has stopped. Instead, consumer activity has moved more toward markets inside Nepal, where footfall has increased. The contrast - fewer Nepali shoppers crossing into Rupaidiha alongside greater activity in domestic markets - is the clearest indication of how the border checks are affecting shopping patterns this Dashain.
Domestic markets see increased activity
The increase in domestic-market footfall suggests that more consumers are shopping locally rather than making the customary trip across the border. For Nepalgunj and nearby areas, this shift redirects some festival-season shopping toward Nepali businesses. The available reports describe an increase in market visits, although they do not provide figures showing the scale of the rise or the value of purchases.
The change is especially noticeable because cross-border shopping has been part of the pre-festival routine in the area. Dashain and Tihar are major occasions around which Rupaidiha has seen heavy crowds in earlier years. With fewer consumers crossing at Jamunaha this time, the flow of shoppers that once helped define the festive period in the Indian market has been reduced.
A different pattern for the festival season
The current pattern points to a change in where consumers are shopping, rather than an end to festive buying. Rupaidiha is receiving fewer Nepali shoppers, while domestic markets are seeing more footfall. The reports do not establish whether this shift will continue after Dashain or through the later Tihar shopping period, but the contrast is already evident in the run-up to the festivals.
For now, strict checks at Jamunaha are shaping the movement of shoppers between Nepalgunj and Rupaidiha. The reduction in cross-border trips and the rise in domestic-market activity mark a departure from previous years, when Rupaidiha drew overwhelming crowds ahead of Dashain and Tihar. This season, more of that visible shopping activity is taking place on the Nepali side of the border.
