The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the. History of nepal records mention the gopalas and mahishapalas believed to have been the earliest rulers with their capital at matatirtha, the southwest corner of the kathmandu valley. 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. A pivotal moment in nepals history was the birth of buddhism. The history of nepal, as often happens, is lost in the ancient myths. It is a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual country. 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. The history of it and computers in nepal dates back to not more than a couple of decades.
In this book the various facets of nepalese culture have been. Here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. 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. But then this isnt so much a standard history as an amiable ramble around nepals past.
A history of nepal will be of interest to any student of south asian studies, since it fills a serious lacuna in scholarship on the region. There are usually both buddhist and brahmanic hindu versions of these various legends. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepal s history. Feb 17, 2005 this book is the most comprehensive and accessible englishlanguage onevolume history of nepal.
Nepal does not allow party formation along ethnic, caste, religious, tribal or regional lines. Im compiling a reading list for the year and would be very grateful if someone knowledgable would throw in a few suggestions on the best nonfiction nepali books. The prisoner of kathmandu by charles allen another new book about nepal is really about brian hodgson. This brief survey is intended as a list of works which i have found especially useful myself or which i think would be particularly suitable for readers wanting to follow up topics necessarily treated very cursorily in my recent onevolume history. Recent history the successful indian movement for independence 1947 stimulated democratic sentiment in nepal. He became known as the buddha, or the enlightened one. 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. Teaching in challenging social contexts provides a richly descriptive, researchbased insidelook at formal education in. It has a vedic past to boast about and a bright feature to look to.
This is a perfect guidebook to help you know nepal, its vast history, culture, traditions, and beautiful sightseeing around. Books about nepalese art culture, religion, festivals, history. Forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepals history. It covered the six decade long historical and socioculturalpolitical. Before nepals emergence as a nation in the latter half of the 18th century, the designation nepal was largely applied only to the kathmandu valley and its surroundings. May 15, 2020 nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. Nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. Jan 01, 2008 nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. Nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. List of books and articles about nepalese history online research library. Reading about a country you will soon explore will make your adventures rich as knowledge makes it more fulfilling.
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. It is located mainly in the himalayas, but also includes parts of the indogangetic plain. The temples of nepal are very popular all over the world. While john whelptons history of nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 195051, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom and the evolving relations of its diverse peoples.
Dhanyabaad and vijaya dashami ko haardik subhakamana to all. Aug 22, 2012 forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepal s history. Ancient nepal, the early kingdom of the licchavis, transition to the medieval kingdom, the struggle for power, government, economy, people of nepal uzo marvin. Nepals rich prehistory consists mainly of the legendary traditions of the newar, the indigenous community of nepal valley now usually called kathmandu valley. Over the centuries nepal s boundaries have extended to include huge tracts of neighbouring india, and contracted to little more than the kathmandu valley and a handful of nearby citystates. Lonely planet nepal 5th edition, by tony wheeler and hugh finlay, is a complete guidebook to nepal trekking in nepal. However, the growth of information technology here has been rapid. Though it has ancient roots, the modern state of nepal emerged only in the 18th century. The recent excavation in the kathmandu valley has found out neolithic tools. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 1950 51, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom and the evolving relations of its diverse peoples. Trekking in the nepal himalaya by stan armington, eighth edition of the most complete guide to trekking routes in nepal.
Nepalsocial conditions, asian studies south asia nepal. In the 3rd century bc the great indian emperor introduced buddhism into nepal. Founded by king prithvi narayan shah, a gorkhali monarch of rajput origin from. Perhaps something on economy, sociopolitical issues, autobiography, history, etc. Apr 24, 2016 but then this isnt so much a standard history as an amiable ramble around nepals past. It is a landlocked country located between india to the east, south, and west and the tibet autonomous region of china to the north. John whelpton, who works as a teacher in hong kong, is an historian and linguist. Considerable amount of work needs to be done and the initiative should be taken early if we are to level and keep up with the world in the field of technologies. Lonely planet nepal 5th edition, by tony wheeler and hugh finlay, is a complete guidebook to nepal. The literary rate in nepal is not very high, but there is a sizable section of people who are highly educated and trained in various skills.
The most spoken language of nepal is nepali followed by several other ethnic languages. The newly formed congress party of nepal precipitated a revolt in 1950 that forced the autocratic ranas to share power in a new cabinet. 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. Ancient nepal, the early kingdom of the licchavis, transition to the medieval kingdom, the struggle for power, government, economy, people of nepal.
Can anyone recommend any books to read while traveling. A travelers guide, by stephen bezruchka, has crosscultural suggestions and detailed information about how to organise a. Thus, up to the unification of the country, nepal s recorded history is largely that of the kathmandu valley. The book is the first relatively comprehensive view of the vast array of nepalese cultures, castes and. Book to read traveling nepal nepal forum tripadvisor. Manjushree thapa is nepals preeminent contemporary writer in english. Both in the light of recent nepalese politics and the historiography of south asia, john whelptons a history of nepal is a timely introductory textbook. The major leap towards the advancement in this field started when the first computer ibm 1401, a second generation mainframe computer image below, was used in the 1971 census, although an. Before nepal s emergence as a nation in the latter half of the 18th century, the designation nepal was largely applied only to the kathmandu valley and its surroundings. Jul 30, 2012 although there are a lot of encouraging signs for nepal in the field of it, the current quality of it services and education still leaves a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, nepal has much more than monarchs when it comes to realm of history. Ancient history of nepal the history of nepal dates back to 1 years. Traveling is a wonderful privilege, its essential to remember that youre traveling in a land that.
A history of nepal is an excellent primer that fills a lacuna of english language scholarly works on the rich and com plex history of what was, until may 2006, the worlds only hindu kingdom. The festivals of nepal are almost the same as are prevalent among indian hindus. The rajput brahmin combine has been ruling the country since long. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles 800 kilometres from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501, the early chapters are devoted to.
The book is the first relatively comprehensive view of the vast array of nepalese cultures, castes and ethnic groups, with descriptions of their unique customs. To read about the background to these events, see history of nepal. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Whelptons text is the first accessible overview of nepals political history published by a university press in english. Very little is known about the early history of nepal, legends and documented references reach far back to the 30th century bc. I am spending two and a half weeks trekking in the annapurna region. John whelptons history of nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501. The mahabharata, for example, tells about several events wich took place in the himalayas and in the nepalese terai, like in janakpur, the holy city, where in ancient times sita, wife of the god ram was born, or the gaurishankar mountain, home to the god shiva and his consort. Cambridge international as and a level nepal studies as level.
About 200 ad a people called the lichavis took power in nepal. The history of nepal began in, and centres on, the kathmandu valley. Thus, up to the unification of the country, nepals recorded history is largely that of the kathmandu valley. He has worked and traveled extensively in nepal, and has written numerous articles and books on the subject. The pictorial guide contains 12 detailed color maps of every trekking region in nepal, pictures of every mountain above 8000 meters in nepal, 145 color pictures, the first ever interlinked series of trekking maps for every mountain region, information about the main ethnic groups along the trail. Nepal tourism where to stay, eat and visit colorful maps and photos of popular destinations.
Written for practicing teachers and administrators, teacher candidates, and scholars who work in the fields of preservice and inservice teacher education,beyond the classroom walls. Jul 11, 2015 thomas bell, kathmandu is a very fresh book which recreates nepals quite complicated history intertweened with personal experience of a news correspondents life in kathmandu. Whelpton portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been buffeted constantly by its neighbors, china and india. The literary rate in nepal is not very high, but there is a sizable. Other voices, himal south asian and studies in nepali history and society. 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. This is a timeline of nepalese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in nepal and its predecessor states. Jun 29, 2015 here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information.
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. List of books and articles about nepalese history online. Although not entirely a guide to navigate the geographic aspects of nepal, a quick skimming of the culture and mindsets laid out in nepal culture smart. Nepal emerged as a unified state over two hundred years ago, centred on the kathmandu valley with its two thousand years of urban civilisation. Aug 12, 2018 a pivotal moment in nepal s history was the birth of buddhism. If you are travelling to nepal, spend some time reading these books.
One mans promise to bring home the lost children of nepal by conor grennan, into thin air. Both versions are accepted indiscriminately in the festivals associated with legendary events, a tribute to the. The books below are written in both nepali and english and all share the. These books give overview of nepalese art, culture, history, religion and festivals.
Books to read for your ebc trek insights into nepal. There are many books about nepal art, culture, history, festivals and we pick the best off the shelves for you. People of nepal is a 1967 book by dor bahadur bista. Looking for a book based on nepal but not about trekking. Thomas bell, kathmandu is a very fresh book which recreates nepals quite complicated history intertweened with personal experience of a news correspondents life in kathmandu.