This thread made me think, on a different dimension actually. I am a Hindu and I say that with pride. But do we have a solid chronology from history that establishes that Sita was born in blood and flesh? Ram ,sita, Ramayan are characters in scriptures. it is a religious story passed down, since I think, thousands of years. To the best of my knowledge, these anecdotes while have utmost respect, in reality, is a myth. there is no concrete number or proof that Ram & Sita existed in human capacity unlike Buddha. Now, I am saying that without belittling or deemphasizing the significance of Ram, Sita & Hinduism in our religious lives. But Buddha was a human being just like us who went on to become God-like and this we know from recorded history. This is probably the reason why the identity of nepal is synonymous with real and existing persons/objects and not with some thing that is based on myth or faith. The issues of sexism/gender should not be a consideration in this debate.