Thus, up to the unification of the country, nepals recorded history is largely that of the kathmandu valley. I am spending two and a half weeks trekking in the annapurna region. 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. 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. Whelpton portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been buffeted constantly by its neighbors, china and india. 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. But then this isnt so much a standard history as an amiable ramble around nepals past. Thus, up to the unification of the country, nepal s recorded history is largely that of the kathmandu valley. It is located mainly in the himalayas, but also includes parts of the indogangetic plain.
If you are travelling to nepal, spend some time reading these books. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. These books give overview of nepalese art, culture, history, religion and festivals. Feb 17, 2005 this book is the most comprehensive and accessible englishlanguage onevolume history of nepal. List of books and articles about nepalese history online. 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. 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. 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. Ancient history of nepal the history of nepal dates back to 1 years. Lonely planet nepal 5th edition, by tony wheeler and hugh finlay, is a complete guidebook to nepal.
Books to read for your ebc trek insights into nepal. Manjushree thapa is nepals preeminent contemporary writer in english. The books below are written in both nepali and english and all share the. 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.
The recent excavation in the kathmandu valley has found out neolithic tools. The rajput brahmin combine has been ruling the country since long. 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. The history of nepal, as often happens, is lost in the ancient myths. Cambridge international as and a level nepal studies as level.
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. Nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. This is a timeline of nepalese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in nepal and its predecessor states. Recent history the successful indian movement for independence 1947 stimulated democratic sentiment in nepal. Both versions are accepted indiscriminately in the festivals associated with legendary events, a tribute to the. One mans promise to bring home the lost children of nepal by conor grennan, into thin air. A pivotal moment in nepals history was the birth of buddhism. May 15, 2020 nepal, country of asia, lying along the southern slopes of the himalayan mountain ranges. Books about nepalese art culture, religion, festivals, history. In the 3rd century bc the great indian emperor introduced buddhism into nepal. It has a vedic past to boast about and a bright feature to look to. 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. 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.
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. Jun 29, 2015 here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. 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. Apr 24, 2016 but then this isnt so much a standard history as an amiable ramble around nepals past. Nepal tourism where to stay, eat and visit colorful maps and photos of popular destinations. This is an excellent and very comprehensive history of nepal, brilliant as a reference book and teachers resource. Nepals rich prehistory consists mainly of the legendary traditions of the newar, the indigenous community of nepal valley now usually called kathmandu valley. He became known as the buddha, or the enlightened one. A travelers guide, by stephen bezruchka, has crosscultural suggestions and detailed information about how to organise a. Here nepal tourism has been described with all essential information. Founded by king prithvi narayan shah, a gorkhali monarch of rajput origin from. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles 800 kilometres from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. 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. Book to read traveling nepal nepal forum tripadvisor.
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. Lonely planet nepal 5th edition, by tony wheeler and hugh finlay, is a complete guidebook to nepal trekking in nepal. Nevertheless, nepal has much more than monarchs when it comes to realm of history. Very little is known about the early history of nepal, legends and documented references reach far back to the 30th century bc. There are many books about nepal art, culture, history, festivals and we pick the best off the shelves for you. Himalaya, the journal of the association for nepal and. 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. He has worked and traveled extensively in nepal, and has written numerous articles and books on the subject. Nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. 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. Forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepals history. Dhanyabaad and vijaya dashami ko haardik subhakamana to all. Traveling is a wonderful privilege, its essential to remember that youre traveling in a land that.
Ancient nepal, the early kingdom of the licchavis, transition to the medieval kingdom, the struggle for power, government, economy, people of nepal uzo marvin. The temples of nepal are very popular all over the world. List of books and articles about nepalese history online research library. 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 newly formed congress party of nepal precipitated a revolt in 1950 that forced the autocratic ranas to share power in a new cabinet.
About 200 ad a people called the lichavis took power in nepal. The prisoner of kathmandu by charles allen another new book about nepal is really about brian hodgson. Trekking in the nepal himalaya by stan armington, eighth edition of the most complete guide to trekking routes in nepal. Other voices, himal south asian and studies in nepali history and society. 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. There are usually both buddhist and brahmanic hindu versions of these various legends. 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. 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.
Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The literary rate in nepal is not very high, but there is a sizable. Reading about a country you will soon explore will make your adventures rich as knowledge makes it more fulfilling. 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. Aug 22, 2012 forget kathmandu by manhushree thapa gives a good and succinct overview of nepal s history. Aug 12, 2018 a pivotal moment in nepal s history was the birth of buddhism. Though it has ancient roots, the modern state of nepal emerged only in the 18th century. The most spoken language of nepal is nepali followed by several other ethnic languages. To read about the background to these events, see history of nepal. John whelpton, who works as a teacher in hong kong, is an historian and linguist.
Whelptons text is the first accessible overview of nepals political history published by a university press in english. Can anyone recommend any books to read while traveling. 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. 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. It is a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual country. 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. Jan 01, 2008 nepal supplied many troops for the british army in both world wars. 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. 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.
Ancient nepal, the early kingdom of the licchavis, transition to the medieval kingdom, the struggle for power, government, economy, people of nepal. Perhaps something on economy, sociopolitical issues, autobiography, history, etc. People of nepal is a 1967 book by dor bahadur bista. 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. Nepalsocial conditions, asian studies south asia nepal.
This is a perfect guidebook to help you know nepal, its vast history, culture, traditions, and beautiful sightseeing around. The book is the first relatively comprehensive view of the vast array of nepalese cultures, castes and. Nepal emerged as a unified state over two hundred years ago, centred on the kathmandu valley with its two thousand years of urban civilisation. History of nepal ministry of foreign affairs nepal mofa. The festivals of nepal are almost the same as are prevalent among indian hindus. However, the growth of information technology here has been rapid. The history of nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader indian subcontinent and the.
In this book the various facets of nepalese culture have been. 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. The history of nepal began in, and centres on, the kathmandu valley. Nepal does not allow party formation along ethnic, caste, religious, tribal or regional lines. 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. 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. The history of it and computers in nepal dates back to not more than a couple of decades. It covered the six decade long historical and socioculturalpolitical.
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