Nepali culture represents a fusion of indoaryan and tibetomongolian influences, the result of a long history of migration, conquest, and trade. The hindu kiratis, a mongoloid people, are recorded by. The dream which inspired a king to build a temple source the krishna temple, located at the patans durbar square, was built in the year 1637. More recent history of nepal, including the last century or so, is as fascinating and involved as the events throughout the rule of three major dynasties, yet it is the early events. Nepal is a roughly rectangular country with an area. Though much was not known about kirats,the lichchavi dynasty followed the kirats which lasted from the 2nd to 9th century ad. History of earthquake in nepal june 11, 2015 the first known earth in nepal was the earthquake of 1255 a. The best history books five books expert recommendations. The kiratas were the first people in nepal who embraced gautama buddha s teachings, followed by the licchavis and newars. Our history books are filled with such megalomaniacs that entire generations of nepalese still. This is a perfect guidebook to help you know nepal, its vast history, culture, traditions, and beautiful sightseeing around. A lack of proper and timely availability of data in nepal has always remained a great challenge for all who believe in the power of accurate and contextual data for informed decisionmaking.
What are some of the most mindblowing facts about nepal. Even the most jaded travellers feet will start to itch again, and theres enough ammunition here to have you firing on all cylinders in any pub quiz. Nepal workers carrying cars on the rocky, hilly trail from kathmandu to india as a tradein on a shiny american model. Hinduism, buddhism, islam, christianity, jainism, sikhism, bon, ancestor worship and animism. This sovereign state in south asia offers great natural beauty and beautiful environment that range from the. Aug 22, 2012 forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepal s history.
During the 1990s and until 2008, the country was in a ci. There is no shortage of great literature about nepal written in english. Jul 10, 2015 people collect bricks from the ruins of buildings in bhaktapur, nepal, on friday, may 15. Ancient nepal archaeological evidence shows that neolithic humans moved into the himalayas at least 9,000 years ago.
It covered the six decade long historical and socioculturalpolitical. A small landlocked country on the lap of himalayas, nepal is a democratic republic nation located in between two powerhouses india and china. This book history of ancient and medieval nepal does not claim to be a revealing book which seeks to throw light on the sofar unrevealed historical facts or on. Jun 29, 2015 here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles 800 kilometres from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. World heritage sites nepal has the densest concentration with regards to world heritage sites. He went to lead a religious and life of selfdenial. The author is able to provide a brief analysis of most events and aspects of the history without taking sides, even when discussing the foreign actors and influences. Books about nepalese art culture, religion, festivals, history. One can only hope that nepals history does in fact reveal glimmers of future potential, rather than reflec tions of a troubled past. Forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepals history. In fact, this trend of arrest of political activists and democratic supporters continued for the entire 30year period of.
By 1769, kathmandu had become the capital of nepal. The history mentioned that kirats ruled nepal during the 7th century bc. The books below are written in both nepali and english and all share the same. There are usually both buddhist and brahmanic hindu versions of these various legends. Whether its about nepal, its people and their manners, its mountains, hills and villages, stories set in the country youre visiting will provide you with a new perspective and add another layer of excitement into planning your actual trip. Jan 01, 2008 nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. The first written records date back to the kirati people, who lived in eastern nepal, and the newars of the kathmandu valley. The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the. Kathmandu valley which includes 3 districts kathmandu, bhaktapur and lalitpur holds around 7 world heritage cultural sites at around a radius of 15 kilometers. In this sense, we show you 12 interesting facts of nepal, a very particular country. Culture of nepal history, people, clothing, traditions.
The country is slightly larger than the state of arkansas. In 1951, however, the king took over all power and proclaimed a constitutional monarchy. All ftd facts episodes from newest video to the oldest. He arrived in the country in the midst of the decadelong maoist insurgency, and has witnessed all of the countrys recent upheavals, from the massacre of the royal family to the end of the war and the formation of the republic, to the earthquakes in 2015. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501, the early chapters are devoted to. Aug 12, 2018 nepal also marks the collision point between hinduism and buddhism, between the tibetoburmese language group and the indoeuropean, and between central asian culture and indian culture. Nepals good old days are packed with coups and massacre that rivals with the number of momo shops around kathmandu maybe the vegetarian ones anyway. The capital and largest city of nepal, kathmandu, occupies much of the valley located near the center of the country. John whelptons history of nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501. Geological and fossil evidence indicates that the kathmandu valley. But then this isnt so much a standard history as an amiable ramble around nepals past. The fascinating history of patan, the oldest city in nepal. Listed are some of the most important history books ever written, as recommended by some of the most eminent historians working today. Nepals history stretches very far back, and were lucky to know a fair bit about it because its nextdoor neighbor, india, has written histories from thousands of years ago.
The view of the snowcapped peaks of mount kanchenjunga. The majority of nepalis are either hindus or buddhists and these two religions have coexisted in harmony through centuries. This is a timeline of nepalese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in nepal and its predecessor states. Nepal experienced a struggle for democracy at times in the 20th century and early 21st century.
Oct 16, 20 a small landlocked country on the lap of himalayas, nepal is a democratic republic nation located in between two powerhouses india and china. Nepal, long under the rule of hereditary prime ministers favouring a policy of isolation, remained closed to the outside world until a palace revolt in 1950 restored the crowns authority in 1951. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Buddhism in nepal started spreading since the reign of ashoka through indian and tibetan missionaries. Lost horizon by james hilton the mustread novel for any visitor to. If thats not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags. Its little wonder, then, that this beautiful and diverse country has fascinated travelers and explorers for centuries. Both versions are accepted indiscriminately in the festivals associated with legendary events, a tribute to the. Recent history the successful indian movement for independence 1947 stimulated democratic sentiment in nepal. It is a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual country. In 1923, britain recognized the absolute independence of nepal.
The sakya royal familys prince siddhartha gautama was born in the 6th century bc near lumbini. Nepal does not allow party formation along ethnic, caste, religious, tribal or regional lines. Nepals rich prehistory consists mainly of the legendary traditions of the newar, the indigenous community of nepal valley now usually called kathmandu valley. All formats available for pc, mac, ebook readers and other mobile devices. A prince of the shakya kingdom named siddharta gautama rose to power, but later renounced his status as prince.
Nepal tourism where to stay, eat and visit colorful maps and photos of popular destinations. Nepals ancient history began in the kathmandu valley and over the centuries its boundaries grew. There are many books about nepal art, culture, history, festivals and we pick the best off the shelves for you. The last of major rulers in nepal history came with the shah dynasty, including the unification of the country. In contrast with its giant neighbors, nepal is a small territory, however. Nepal was declared a secular country by the parliament on 18th may 2006. The country is home of worlds highest mountain including mt everest and other thousand of mountains higher than 6000m.
Nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. Nepal also marks the collision point between hinduism and buddhism, between the tibetoburmese language group and the indoeuropean, and between central asian culture and indian culture. Nepal is named for the kathmandu valley, where the nations founder established a capital in the late eighteenth century. In the past, a lot of data in nepal was considered unattainable, and the available data was often deemed dated, misleading or incomplete, all of which.
With about 470 million followers, scholars consider buddhism one of. It is a landlocked country located between india to the east, south, and west and the tibet autonomous region of china to the north. It has destroyed many houses and temples and killing one third to one fourth population of the kathmandu valley. Large selection and many more categories to choose from. Some of them include the pashupatinath, the swayambhunath, boudha stupa, kathmandu, bhaktapur and patan durbar square. What are some of the most interestingfascinating facts about. Nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. The most spoken language of nepal is nepali followed by several other ethnic languages. The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of south asia and east asia. Lost horizon by james hilton the mustread novel for any visitor to the himalayas that yarns about the fabled kingdom.
We all know that the highs of visiting nepal include the majestic towering peak of mount everest, which finally kisses the. Top 10 books about the himalayas books the guardian. What are the best history books about some specific event or narrow topic. Here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. Manjushree thapa is nepals preeminent contemporary writer in english. A personal account of the mount everest disaster, sold, the snow leopard, the kingdom, year zero, painted. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about nepals geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. The independence of nepal and the first free election. Landlocked and isolated by the himalayas, nepal is bordered on the west, south, and east by india, and on the n by the tibet region of china.
In the 6th century bc, small kingdoms started to emerge in southern nepal. These facts and statistics provide the complete information of patans history, and hence, patan gained the status as the oldest city in nepal. Infoplease has everything you need to know about nepal. These books give overview of nepalese art, culture, history, religion and festivals. List of books and articles about nepalese history online. Drawing on recent research, the author portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been constantly buffeted by its neighbours, china and india. Jun 11, 2015 history of earthquake in nepal june 11, 2015 the first known earth in nepal was the earthquake of 1255 a. Top 10 amazing facts about nepal top interesting, amazing. Between 1846 and 1951, the country was ruled by the rana family, which always held the office of prime minister. The country is located in himalayas where geographically it is a landlocked territory because its border with asian giants. South asia books 9788121202817 hardcover revaluation books. The newly formed congress party of nepal precipitated a revolt in 1950 that forced the autocratic ranas to share power in a new cabinet. Nepal was ruled by the thakuris who were followed by the mallas for two centuries after the lichchavis.
Facts of nepal nepal is an outstanding multi adventure destination on the planet with its unique geographical kaleidoscope variations. The main party through nepals modern history providing nearly all of the countrys prime ministers even when the ban on parties prohibited party activity is the nepali congress party nc. Nepal lies sandwiched between the two domineering land masses and national powers that are india and china, yet it still manages to retain a culture that is distinctly its own. It starts with how nepal, initially a collection of small idependant kingdoms, was unified by prithvi narayan shah and brings you up to speed with events up to circa 20052006 the helm of the maoist insurgency. Nov 09, 2016 the view of the snowcapped peaks of mount kanchenjunga. It starts with how nepal, initially a collection of small idependant kingdoms, was unified by prithvi narayan shah and brings you up to speed with events u.
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