Nepal

The Kingdom of Nepal ({{IPA2|}} {{Audio|Nepal.ogg|listen}}) is a landlocked country in South Asia, bordering the People's Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only Hindu state, with over eighty percent of the people following this faith. For a relatively small country, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid Terrai in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. Nepal boasts eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with China. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. The exact origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it is derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).

History

Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. 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 princes of the Sakya confederation 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 250 BCE, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan empire of northern India, and later became a puppet state under the Gupta Dynasty in the fourth century CE. From the late fifth century CE, rulers called the Licchavis governed the area. 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. By the early 12th century, leaders were emerging whose names ended with the Sanskrit suffix malla ("wrestler"). Initially their reign was marked by upheaval before the kings consolidated their power over the next 200 years. By the late 14th century much of the country began to come under a unified rule. This unity was short-lived: in 1482 the kingdom was carved into three: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon.

Related Topics:
Neolithic - Kathmandu Valley - 1000 BCE - Sakya - Siddharta Gautama - 250 BCE - Mauryan empire - Gupta Dynasty - Licchavi - Eighth century - Newari - 879 - 11th century - Chalukaya Empire - Southern India - 12th century - 14th century - 1482 - Kathmandu - Patan - Bhadgaon

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After centuries of petty rivalry between the three kingdoms, in the mid-18th century Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha ruler set out to unify the kingdoms. After seeking arms and aid from India, and buying the neutrality of bordering Indian kingdoms, he embarked on his mission in 1765. After several bloody battles and sieges, he managed to unify Nepal three years later in 1768. This event marked the birth of the modern nation of Nepal. A dispute and subsequently war with Tibet over the control of mountain passes 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 ceding parts of the Terrai and Sikkim to the Company in exchange for Nepalese autonomy.

Related Topics:
18th century - Prithvi Narayan Shah - Gorkha - 1765 - 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, a discovered plot to overthrow Jang Bahadur, a fast-rising military leader by the reigning queen, led to the Kot Massacre. Armed clashes between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen led to the execution of several hundred princes and chieftains around the country. 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 United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, in which Nepal's independence was recognised by the UK.

Related Topics:
Royal family - 1846 - Jang Bahadur - Kot Massacre - Military - 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 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 the king and the government, the democratic was dissolved experiment in 1959, that a "partyless" panchayat system was made to govern Nepal 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.

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

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In 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) started a bid to replace the parliamentary system with a socialist republic. This has led to the Nepal Civil War in the deaths of more than 12,000. 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. Following the carnage, the throne was inherited by Birendra's brother Gyanendra. 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 to quash the Maoist movement. {{inote|Timeline: Nepal|BBC News}} In September 2005, the Maoists declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire. A few weeks later, the government stated that parliamentary elections would be held by 2007.{{inote|Nepal to hold polls in two years|Times of India}}

Related Topics:
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) - Parliamentary - Nepal Civil War - June 1 - 2001 - Crown Prince Dipendra - Gyanendra - 2005-02-01 - September 2005 - 2007

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