This is a perfect guidebook to help you know nepal, its vast history, culture, traditions, and beautiful sightseeing around. World heritage sites nepal has the densest concentration with regards to world heritage sites. Top 10 books about the himalayas books the guardian. Nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. 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. Aug 22, 2012 forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepal s history. It is a landlocked country located between india to the east, south, and west and the tibet autonomous region of china to the north. Large selection and many more categories to choose from. The country is located in himalayas where geographically it is a landlocked territory because its border with asian giants. Lumbini is considered to lie in presentday rupandehi district.
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 declared a secular country by the parliament on 18th may 2006. Listed are some of the most important history books ever written, as recommended by some of the most eminent historians working today. 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. List of books and articles about nepalese history online. 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. With about 470 million followers, scholars consider buddhism one of. It has destroyed many houses and temples and killing one third to one fourth population of the kathmandu valley. Nepal experienced a struggle for democracy at times in the 20th century and early 21st century. There are many books about nepal art, culture, history, festivals and we pick the best off the shelves for you. All formats available for pc, mac, ebook readers and other mobile devices. Buddhism is a religion that was founded by siddhartha gautama the buddha more than 2,500 years ago in india. What are the best history books about some specific event or narrow topic. 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.
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. If thats not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags. Nepals ancient history began in the kathmandu valley and over the centuries its boundaries grew. The most spoken language of nepal is nepali followed by several other ethnic languages. It covered the six decade long historical and socioculturalpolitical. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles 800 kilometres from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south.
The hindu kiratis, a mongoloid people, are recorded by. Though much was not known about kirats,the lichchavi dynasty followed the kirats which lasted from the 2nd to 9th century ad. In 1951, however, the king took over all power and proclaimed a constitutional monarchy. 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. Manjushree thapa is nepals preeminent contemporary writer in english. Nepal is a roughly rectangular country with an area. The fascinating history of patan, the oldest city in nepal. In fact, this trend of arrest of political activists and democratic supporters continued for the entire 30year period of. 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.
There is no shortage of great literature about nepal written in english. Jan 01, 2008 nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. The kiratas were the first people in nepal who embraced gautama buddha s teachings, followed by the licchavis and newars. Nepal workers carrying cars on the rocky, hilly trail from kathmandu to india as a tradein on a shiny american model. Some of them include the pashupatinath, the swayambhunath, boudha stupa, kathmandu, bhaktapur and patan durbar square. People collect bricks from the ruins of buildings in bhaktapur, nepal, on friday, may 15. Facts of nepal nepal is an outstanding multi adventure destination on the planet with its unique geographical kaleidoscope variations. 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.
A small landlocked country on the lap of himalayas, nepal is a democratic republic nation located in between two powerhouses india and china. 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. 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. Jul 10, 2015 people collect bricks from the ruins of buildings in bhaktapur, nepal, on friday, may 15. During the 1990s and until 2008, the country was in a ci.
In the 6th century bc, small kingdoms started to emerge in southern nepal. What are some of the most interestingfascinating facts about. Jun 29, 2015 here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. The country is home of worlds highest mountain including mt everest and other thousand of mountains higher than 6000m. While john whelptons history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501, the early chapters are devoted to. This sovereign state in south asia offers great natural beauty and beautiful environment that range from the. Drawing on recent research, the author portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been constantly buffeted by its neighbours, china and india. The books below are written in both nepali and english and all share the same. The first written records date back to the kirati people, who lived in eastern nepal, and the newars of the kathmandu valley. All ftd facts episodes from newest video to the oldest. Buddhism in nepal started spreading since the reign of ashoka through indian and tibetan missionaries.
We all know that the highs of visiting nepal include the majestic towering peak of mount everest, which finally kisses the. 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. Hinduism, buddhism, islam, christianity, jainism, sikhism, bon, ancestor worship and animism. Here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. What are some of the most mindblowing facts about nepal. Nepal is named for the kathmandu valley, where the nations founder established a capital in the late eighteenth century. By 1769, kathmandu had become the capital of nepal. Nov 09, 2016 the view of the snowcapped peaks of mount kanchenjunga. There are usually both buddhist and brahmanic hindu versions of these various legends. Infoplease has everything you need to know about nepal.
South asia books 9788121202817 hardcover revaluation books. Culture of nepal history, people, clothing, traditions. Ancient nepal archaeological evidence shows that neolithic humans moved into the himalayas at least 9,000 years ago. The last of major rulers in nepal history came with the shah dynasty, including the unification of the country. Nepal is home to much of the himalaya mountain range between tibet china to the north and india to the south. 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. He went to lead a religious and life of selfdenial. It is a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual country. The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the. 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. Both versions are accepted indiscriminately in the festivals associated with legendary events, a tribute to the. Nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. Geological and fossil evidence indicates that the kathmandu valley. Recent history the successful indian movement for independence 1947 stimulated democratic sentiment in nepal.
Nepal tourism where to stay, eat and visit colorful maps and photos of popular destinations. Between 1846 and 1951, the country was ruled by the rana family, which always held the office of prime minister. Nepal does not allow party formation along ethnic, caste, religious, tribal or regional lines. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about nepals geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. Nepali culture represents a fusion of indoaryan and tibetomongolian influences, the result of a long history of migration, conquest, and trade. Nepals rich prehistory consists mainly of the legendary traditions of the newar, the indigenous community of nepal valley now usually called kathmandu valley. A personal account of the mount everest disaster, sold, the snow leopard, the kingdom, year zero, painted. Lost horizon by james hilton the mustread novel for any visitor to the himalayas that yarns about the fabled kingdom. 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. In this sense, we show you 12 interesting facts of nepal, a very particular country. 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. The sakya royal familys prince siddhartha gautama was born in the 6th century bc near lumbini. A prince of the shakya kingdom named siddharta gautama rose to power, but later renounced his status as prince.
The view of the snowcapped peaks of mount kanchenjunga. 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. Kathmandu valley which includes 3 districts kathmandu, bhaktapur and lalitpur holds around 7 world heritage cultural sites at around a radius of 15 kilometers. Its little wonder, then, that this beautiful and diverse country has fascinated travelers and explorers for centuries. Nepal was ruled by the thakuris who were followed by the mallas for two centuries after the lichchavis. Top 10 amazing facts about nepal top interesting, amazing. 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. Lost horizon by james hilton the mustread novel for any visitor to. The independence of nepal and the first free election. 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. The capital and largest city of nepal, kathmandu, occupies much of the valley located near the center of the country. 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. In contrast with its giant neighbors, nepal is a small territory, however.
History of earthquake in nepal june 11, 2015 the first known earth in nepal was the earthquake of 1255 a. The history mentioned that kirats ruled nepal during the 7th century bc. John whelptons history of nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the rana family autocracy in 19501. These books give overview of nepalese art, culture, history, religion and festivals. These facts and statistics provide the complete information of patans history, and hence, patan gained the status as the oldest city in nepal. This is a timeline of nepalese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in nepal and its predecessor states. In 1923, britain recognized the absolute independence of nepal. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. The best history books five books expert recommendations.