Water, Faith, Climate Change, and Development at Nepal's Chār Dhām

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork from 2023-2025 at Nepal’s four holiest Hindu sites, or chār dhām—each located by a sacred river—this paper explores varied Hindu responses to rapid and ongoing environmental changes brought about by climate change and development.  It asks: How have Nepal’s chār dhām been affected by anthropogenic environmental changes? How do Nepali Hindus understand and relate to the rivers at these sites, and what are their reactions to changes in water flow and quality in these rivers? The paper investigates how Hindu beliefs, values and practices regarding the sacred rivers at these sites exist in a tense and complex relationship with, on one hand, conservation efforts, and on the other, development initiatives intended to bring economic and quality-of-life benefits.