History of Nepal

[Kulendra]

History of Nepal

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. Thus up until the unification of the country, Nepal's history is largely the history of the Kathmandu Valley. References to Nepal in famous Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata, Puranas and also Buddhist and Jain scriptures, establish the country's antiquity as an independent political and territorial entity. The Vamshavalis or chronicles, the oldest of which was written during the 14th century, are the only fairly reliable basis for Nepal's ancient history. The Vamshavalis mention the rule of several dynasties the Gopalas, the Abhiras and the Kiratas -- over a stretch of centuries. However, no extant historical evidence has yet authenticated the rule of these legendary dynasties. The documented history of Nepal begins with the Changu Narayan temple inscription of King Manadeva I (C 464-505 A.D.) of the Lichavi dynasty.

For the further information
click on http://www.nepalvisitors.com
e-mail:kulendra@nepalvisitors.com
thamel,Kathmandu, Nepal

[Satyabroto]

I enjoyed reading your post. I did not know about the history of Nepal though I have been there often. I have been to your web site and it appears that you are in to adventure travel. Is that right? Can you provide more details at this forum?

Regards
Satya

[geomancer]

Originally Posted by ;4324

History of Nepal

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. Thus up until the unification of the country, Nepal's history is largely the history of the Kathmandu Valley. References to Nepal in famous Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata, Puranas and also Buddhist and Jain scriptures, establish the country's antiquity as an independent political and territorial entity. The Vamshavalis or chronicles, the oldest of which was written during the 14th century, are the only fairly reliable basis for Nepal's ancient history. The Vamshavalis mention the rule of several dynasties the Gopalas, the Abhiras and the Kiratas -- over a stretch of centuries. However, no extant historical evidence has yet authenticated the rule of these legendary dynasties. The documented history of Nepal begins with the Changu Narayan temple inscription of King Manadeva I (C 464-505 A.D.) of the Lichavi dynasty.

For the further information
click on http://www.nepalvisitors.com
e-mail:kulendra@nepalvisitors.com
thamel,Kathmandu, Nepal

I have a question about early Nepal history: was Nepal ever under Indian rule? It has been claimed that Nepal is the only country in the world that has always been independent--never colonized, conquered, occupied, or ruled by an outside power--but some sources I've read (for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nepal) say the land of Nepal was ruled by the Mauryan Empire ca. 250 BCE or by the Gupta Empire ca. 350 CE. Is this accurate? If so, which parts of Nepal were under Indian rule? And which part of Nepal is the Gurkha homeland?

[geomancer]

Now I see some new opinions at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nepal
- Heitzman, James (1993). "Nepal: Historical Setting". in Andrea Matles Savada. Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 5. ISBN 0-8444-0777-1. "There is no proof that Nepal was ever included in the [Mauryan] empire...[b]ut the empire had important cultural and political consequences for Nepal."
- Heitzman. p. 7. "Some early historians, such as the French scholar Sylvain Lévi, thought that Nepal may have become subordinate to Tibet for some time, but more recent Nepalese historians, including Dilli Raman Regmi, deny this interpretation."
- Rose, Leo E.; Margaret W. Fisher (1970). The Politics of Nepal. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. xi. ISBN 0-8014-0574-2. "Nepal is of special interest, partly because it is an Asian country that was never reduced to colonial status."