 |
About Nepal
History
Nepal is mentioned in the hindu scriptures. Presence of Neolithic tools in Kathmandu valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9000 years. In 1000 BC small kingdoms and confederation arose of which Siddharta Gautama of the Sakya confederation renounced royalty to lead an ascetic life. He became known as the Budhha or “Enlightened one”. By 250 BC the region was ruled by the Mauryan empire of northern India and later by the Gupta dynasty in the fourth century. From the late fifth century the Licchavis governed the area following by the Newaris from 879. By the late 11th century southern Nepal came under the influence of Chalukya empire of southern India and the religious establishment changed from Buddhism to Hinduism.
In 1482, the kingdom was divided into Kathmandu, Patan and Bhadgaon.
Petty rivalry continued between these three kingdoms until Prithvi Narayan Shah a Gorkha ruler in the mid 18th century set out to unify the kingdoms. In 1768, he managed to unify Kathmandu valley after many battles and laid the foundation of the modern national of Nepal.
The Rana regime was led by Jang Bahadur Rana in 1857. He emerged victorious in an armed clash between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen. Bahadur founded the Rana lineage. The king was made a titular figure and the post of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary. The Ranas assisted the British during the Sepoy rebellion in 1857 and in both the world wars.
In the late 1940s pro democracy movements and political parties threatened the Rana autocracy. India sponsored King Tribhuvan as Nepal’s new ruler in 1951 and a new government comprising of the Nepali congress party.
The democratic experiment was suppressed in 1959 and a partyless panchayat system governed Nepal until 1989. The Jan Andolan or Peoples movement forced the monarchy to accept constitutional reforms and establish a multiparty parliament system.
In 1996 Communist Party of Nepal ( Maoist) bid to replace the parliamentary system which led to the Nepal civil war. After the royal massacre in June 1, 2001 in which the Heir Apparent Crown Prince Dipendra was accused of killing the entire royal family, King Gyanendra dismissed the government and assumed power on February 1, 2005.
Following the democracy movement in 2006, the king agreed to relinquish sovereign power to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives on April 24, 2006. Nepal was declared as a secular state. The elections in April 2008 will decide the future political leadership in Nepal.
|
|
|
|
Weather
Exchange Rate
| Currency |
Buying |
Selling |
| US $ |
74.55 |
75.15 |
| Pound £ |
114.96 |
115.88 |
| Australian Dollar |
67.67 |
68.21 |
| Euro € |
95.54 |
96.30 |
News Websites
|
|
|
