International audience Representations of the past play an all-important role in the construction of any nation’s repertoire of belonging. It is worthwhile, in this respect, considering a few museums that opened in Nepal within recent years: they not only ‘stage’ the past in specific ways but they also constitute a collective memory. To be more precise, they are indicative of the relations people maintain with their national heritage. Interestingly, the objects and imagery exhibited differ greatly from one case to another. Let us look at some examples and review the situation.