History of Nepal

Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. Documented references reach back to the first millennium BCE, when ancient Indian epics such as the Mahabharata mention the Kiratas, the inhabitants of Nepal. It appears that people who were probably of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago. {{inote|Library of Congress|History}} Around 1000 BCE, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose in the region. One of the earliest confederations was that of the Sakya clan, whose capital was Kapilavastu, near the present-day border with India. One of its princes was Siddharta Gautama (563–483 BCE), who renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and came to be known as the Buddha ("the enlightened one"). By 260 BCE, most of northern India was ruled by the Mauryan Empire. Although there is no evidence that Nepal was ever controlled by the Mauryas, there is evidence of at least the influence of Ashoka?the ruler of the Mauryan empire from 273 to 232 BCE and a convert to Buddhism?have been found in the Kathmandu Valley. In the fourth century CE, the area fell under the Gupta Dynasty. Nepal was never under the direct control of the Guptas, although they influenced its culture.

Related Topics:
Neolithic - Kathmandu Valley - Mahabharata - Kiratas - 1000 BCE - Sakya - Kapilavastu - Siddharta Gautama - 260 BCE - Northern India - Mauryan Empire - Ashoka - 273 - 232 BCE - Buddhism - Gupta Dynasty

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From the late fifth to the early eighth centuries CE, rulers called the Licchavis arranged for the documentation of information on politics, society, and the economy in the region. Most of the Licchavi records—written in Sanskrit—are deeds reporting donations to religious foundations, predominantly Hindu temples; and the last such record was added in 733. The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late eighth century and was followed by a Newari era, from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By the late 11th century, southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukayas, Nepal's religious establishment changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the prevailing Buddhism.

Related Topics:
Licchavi - Sanskrit - 733 - Eighth century - Newari - 879 - 11th century - Chalukaya Empire - Southern India

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By the early 12th century, leaders were emerging whose names ended with the Sanskrit suffix malla ("wrestler"). Arimalla was the first king of this dynasty, which was initially marked by upheaval before the kings consolidated their power over the next 200 years. Thirteenth-century Nepal was occasionally pillaged by the Delhi Sultanate of northern India, and was marked by increased militarisation. By the late 14th century much of the country came under the rule of the king Jayasthitimalla, who managed to unite most of the fragmented power bases. This unity was short-lived: in 1482 the kingdom was carved into three: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon.

Related Topics:
12th century - Arimalla - Thirteenth-century - Delhi Sultanate - Northern India - 14th century - Jayasthitimalla - 1482 - Kathmandu - Patan - Bhadgaon

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After decades of rivalry, in the mid-18th century Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha ruler, dedicated himself at an early age to the conquest of the Kathmandu valley and the creation of a single state, which he achieved in 1768. After his death, the Shah dynasty began to expand their kingdom into India. A dispute with Tibet over the control of mountain passes led to attacks on southern villages in Tibet. Alarmed, the Chinese emperor dispatched a sizeable army that forced the Nepalese to retreat and pay heavy repatriations. Rivalry between Nepal and the British East India Company over the annexation of minor states bordering Nepal eventually led to the Anglo-Nepalese War (1815–16), in which Nepal suffered a complete rout. The Treaty of Sugauli was signed in 1816, ceding parts of the Terrai and Sikkim to the British in exchange for Nepalese autonomy.

Related Topics:
18th century - Prithvi Narayan Shah - Gorkha - 1768 - British East India Company - Anglo-Nepalese War - 1815 - 16 - Treaty of Sugauli - Sikkim - Autonomy

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Factionalism among the royal family led to a period of instability after the war. In 1846, Queen Rajendralakshmi plotted to overthrow Jang Bahadur, a fast-rising military leader who was presenting a threat to her power. The plot was uncovered and the queen had several hundred princes and chieftains executed after an armed clash between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen. This came to be known as the Kot Massacre. However, Bahadur emerged victorious and founded the Rana lineage. The king was made a titular figure, and the post of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary. The Ranas were staunchly pro-British, and assisted the British during the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857, and later in both World Wars. In 1923 the Britain and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, in which Nepal's independence was recognised by the British.

Related Topics:
Royal family - 1846 - Jang Bahadur - Military - Kot Massacre - Rana - Sepoy Rebellion - 1857 - World War - 1923

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In the late 1940s, newly emerging pro-democracy movements and political parties in Nepal were critical of the Rana autocracy. Meanwhile, with the annexation of Tibet by the Chinese in 1950, India faced the prospect of an expansive military power operating under a radically different political philosophy on its long northern borders, and was thus keen to avoid instability in Nepal. Forced to act, India sponsored both King Tribhuvan as Nepal's new ruler in 1951, and a new government, mostly comprising the Nepali Congress Party. After years of power wrangling between Tribhuvan's son, King Mahendra and the government, Mahendra dissolved the democratic experiment in 1959 and declared that a "partyless" panchayat system would govern Nepal. His son, King Birendra, inherited the throne in 1972 and continued the panchayat system until 1989, when the "Jan Andolan" (People's) Movement forced the monarchy to accept constitutional reforms and to establish a multiparty parliament. In May 1991, Nepal held its first election in nearly 50 years. The Nepali Congress won 110 of the 205 seats and formed the first government in 32 years.

Related Topics:
1940s - 1950 - Tribhuvan - 1951 - Nepali Congress Party - Mahendra - 1959 - Panchayat - Birendra - 1972 - 1989 - 1991

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In February 1996, one of the Maoist parties started a bid to replace the parliamentary system with a socialist republic, through a Maoist revolutionary strategy known as the people's war, which has led to the Nepal Civil War. Since then, more than 12,000 people have died and currently 70% of Nepal's countryside is under Maoist rule. The Maoists run a parallel government in the areas they control, and support a 10,000-strong militia. On June 1, 2001, the Heir Apparent Crown Prince Dipendra went on a killing spree in the royal palace, a violent response to his parents' refusal to accept his choice of wife. He murdered his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, his brother, sister, two uncles and three aunts, before shooting himself. Following the carnage, the throne was inherited by Birendra's brother Gyanendra.

Related Topics:
Maoist - Parliamentary - People's war - Nepal Civil War - June 1 - 2001 - Crown Prince Dipendra - Gyanendra

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In the face of unstable governments and a Maoist siege on the Kathmandu Valley in August 2004, popular support for the monarchy began to wane. On 2005-02-01, Gyanendra dismissed the entire government and assumed full executive powers, declaring a "state of emergency" to quash the Maoist movement. Politicians were placed under house arrest, phone and internet lines were cut, and freedom of the press was severely curtailed. To date, the king's new regime has made no progress in his stated aim to suppress the insurgents.

Related Topics:
2005-02-01 - State of emergency - House arrest

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